KitchenAid dishwasher timer got stuck/dispenser not opening

[therhett17]

Help! I ran my new to me 90s KitchenAid dishwasher through its first cycle and noticed two things. First, it gets stuck about halfway through the main wash cycle. If you advance the timer to the next drain, it does that and advances fine from there. Secondly, the detergent dispenser never opened. Are these two issues correlated somehow?

 

[therhett17]

Anyone have any ideas? I’d really like to use this dishwasher if possible

 

[rp2813]

From what you described, it sounds like the timer motor is OK, but the mechanism that it drives has some kind of dead spot or is otherwise getting hung up.  This seems odd for a barely used machine.  I wouldn't know exactly how to analyze this, and finding a replacement mechanism could be a challenge since yours isn't a model that was sold to the general public. 

 

The timer assembly is easy to access if you want to investigate what might be wrong.  The control panel is held by a few screws.  Remove those and it will open up to reveal the wiring, etc.

 

There are experts here who may be able to provide a diagnosis or troubleshooting advice.  You may need to be patient and allow them some time to reply.

 

[qsd-dan]

I'm unfamiliar with this model but I would first confirm there's no thermostatic hold which stalls the timer until a target temperature it met.

 

[steved]

What Dan said

Have you installed this machine? Are you trying to test run it with cold water? "Automatic Water Heating" will pause the timer until the water temperature gets up to a pre-set number (140 degrees?). I think it is probably fine.

 

 

[combo52]

What is the model # of your DW, its on a sticker on the left side of the tank, visible with the door open, it starts with the letter K

 

We can confirm if the timer is supposed stall in the main wash.

 

John 

 

[DADoES]

 
It's a KUDD230Y2 per this post.

 

[rp2813]

I figured that since it's a 23 series, it would behave like the 21 and 22 which did not pause for heating like earlier models, so I ruled out water heating as the reason for the stall.

 

[combo52]

I don't think there is any thermal hold on this DW, you can try pushing Energy Saver Wash to by pass any water heating if you want to try this.

 

Does the timer feel stiff and kind of stick where it gets stuck ?, If so open up the control panel and spray some silicone spray lubricant in the timer on the cam etc [ Do Not Use WD 40 ] this often helps if the timer gets stuck.

 

John L.

 

[therhett17]

Hey everyone, thanks so much for the replies! I’ve had it hooked up to hot water to test, and it goes through everything fine except for that one spot. It doesn’t feel stiff or anything, so I’m not sure what the problem could be. Maybe if I use it more it will loosen up? I’ll try and take the control panel off and see if anything looks visibly off and update y’all.

 

[DADoES]

 
The user manual I found infers that the timer does stall during water heating of the main wash period.  Parts diagram shows two thermostats on the heating element, perhaps one normal/140°F and one overheat protection?

 

[qsd-dan]

Good catch, Glen. It appears a thermal hold began with the 23 series machines.

 

[rp2813]

I don't see where the verbiage in the manual cites a specified heating period where all action stops.  Instead, it reads that the cycle will continue to wash while the water is being heated. 

 

As a former owner of a KDI21, this matches my experience.  I don't think there is any difference between the automatic water heating across the 21, 22 and 23 series.  Taking this further, I think the term "Automatic Water Heating" means that the heating occurs while machine is running instead of a silent period of inactivity while the water is heated, which was true for the 20 and earlier series with the feature that added heat to the tap-hot water.

 

[qsd-dan]

I don't see where the verbiage in the manual cites a specified heating period where all action stops.

 

All action never stops, just the timer motor. It's stated under "Time Needed To Heat Water" how lower water temperatures will extend time during the wash portion of the cycle until 140F is met. The only way it could achieve a longer cycle is by stalling the timer.

 

heating occurs while machine is running instead of a silent period of inactivity...

 

That matches up with what the poster states. The timer stalls during the wash cycle until 140F is reached, then continues advancing. I don't think the poster ran the machine long enough to achieve 140F during the wash portion of the cycle for the timer to advance.

 

I never used these newer machines before so I may be overlooking something here. It doesn't rule out a bad timer/dead spot if it never advances once 140F is achieved during the wash portion of the cycle.

 

[rp2813]

Dan, thanks for clarifying.  That makes sense. 

 

Considering that the subject machine has barely been used, I think the timer's stall-out for heating is likely what's causing the OP to think there's a dead spot.

 

[combo52]

KitchenAid 23 series dishwasher timer stops in main wash

Glenn and Dan you’re absolutely right, this dishwasher does have one thermal hold in the main wash where it holds the timer operation till it hits 140° this can be omitted as glen found by pushing energy saver wash. Then the timer should go right through the cycle

If the incoming water temperature is low or the dishwasher is not installed and insulated, it could take more than a half an hour before the timer will start to advance from this. It’s only a 750 W element that’s heating the water.

I was working on a similar model yesterday and it does stall for quite a while while heating the water to 140. The customer had an instantaneous gas water heater that’s only putting out about 120° ,

John

 

[therhett17]

I would like to clarify that it continued washing while it seemed the timer had stopped. I left it for 30 minutes and came back and the timer was still in the exact same spot, and it had been washing the entire time.

 

[therhett17]

But it was also outside and connected via water hose to my hot water outlet, so it could've just been taking a long time to heat the water! Anxious to try it indoors once we get moved into our new house. Concerning the dispenser door not opening, what would I need to do to remedy that?

 

[therhett17]

Good news all around!

I ran the dishwasher with a shorter hose, this time indoors, and it heated up just fine and the timer moved on past the point I thought it was stuck at.

For the detergent dispenser, I took the front panel off and removed the bimetal strip assembly, examined it and put it back on. Now the dispenser suddenly works. Going to try it several more times, but hopefully it's fixed!

And to top it all off, I happened upon a rinse aid dispenser assembly on eBay that appears to come with the cap, which I've needed desperately and couldn't find anywhere online.

Thanks again everyone for all of your help!