KitchenAid dishwasher KDS-18

[varicyclevoice]

Hi guys,

I have a KitchenAid Superba KDS-18 dishwasher and a KitchenAid Imperial KDI-18 dishwasher in my basement. I probably should know the answer to this but I don't. On these two machines, the door drops down a little too far. I would say about a 1/2 an inch or so. When you look at the dishwasher from the side the door is not parallel with the floor...it tilts down too far. I don't know what has caused this. It has been this way since I acquired the machines. On the Superba model, there are plastic inserts that stick out of the hole where the hinges are, but on the Imperial there aren't any plastic inserts....so I don't know what has caused this. Do I have to put new hinges on the door on both of these machines? My KD-20 series machines haven't had this problem, nor my 17 series. Any suggestions?

 

[tomturbomatic]

The problem has been caused by broken or missing door tension springs that are attached at the end of the arm of the hinge that extends beyond the pivot point and then connect to the base frame on each side of the dishwasher to counter gravity's pull on the door. If a spring breaks, the weight of the door will cause it to fall against the hinge stops. If the door is allowed to fall freely as it is opened downward, its weight will eventually cause a break at the portion of the tank where the stop on the hinge arm is supposed to come to a rest, not not crash at full speed. If these dishwashers are not in a cabinet, it should be simple to see from the sides if there are springs, if they need to be adjusted, or if the bulge of the hinge stop on the arm passes through the slot-like opening on the front of the tank because the top of the slot is broken.

In this country, some idiot parents allow children to stand on open dishwasher doors and are surprised that it causes damage. They claim it is a defect and should be fixed at no charge by the manufacturer. I want to know where in the instructions it states anything about the door being a suitable platform for loading children into the dishwasher.

 

[varicyclevoice]

no broken springs found

Thanks for your reply. I have checked and there are no broken springs. The springs may have been replaced at one time. I have pulled the unit out and looked where the hinge catches on the backside of the frame of the dishwasher. I can find no fault. The frame is not bent outward and the hinge appears to be normal. I pulled out my Superba 20 model to compare side by side, since the KDS-20 doesn't have that problem. Comparing apples to apples...I cannot find any differences. When I raise the door slightly to make it correct, there is about 1/4 gap between where the hinge sticks up and the frame of the dishwasher. I don't know how to correct this.

 

[coldspot66]

You may need new hinges.

 

[stevet]

hanging hinges!

Definitely sounds like a hinge problem. The little white plastic hinge hole inserts on the Superba don't make a difference so that isn't the problem. Just sounds like the end of the hinge has been bent too far. Some actually used to break off. See if you can find the hinges from a local supplier. They should be available since they were the same from the 18 thru the 23 series machines and not all the parts are obsolete yet. If you cant find them, I have a few extra hinges and I am sure other guys have them too.
If you ever get rid of the KDS18, I would like to get the timer from you since it is probably an original one which works sligghtly differently from the newer replacement whirlpool came out with.

 

[varicyclevoice]

hinges

Thank you all for your ideas.. I will look into changing out the hinges.

 

[stevet]

unhinged yet?

If you can't find new hinges, let me know..I have a few pairs of them in the attic!

 

[varicyclevoice]

Are they white coated?

I would be interested in purchasing the hinges from you. I have two machines that need a hinge replacement. My KDS-18 and the KDI-18. Please let me know Steve.