Hello, all! I am hoping that I have come to the right place. Our KitchenAid Imperial dishwasher (KDI-57) of approximately 45 years (which we love dearly) has been working well until this evening when it started smoking during the beginning of the wash cycle. The smoke was coming out of the latch that keeps the door closed (on the top).
Here's the rundown of what happened:
Our dishwasher's detergent dispensers have not worked for several years, so my Mom (being clever) just loads the soap in by hand at the appropriate time (just as the water is filling during the Wash cycle). Unfortunately, I had forgotten to put in the detergent, which I realized at the end of the Rinse cycle. So, I opened the door, put in the detergent, closed the door, advanced the timer to the beginning of the wash cycle and pushed in the button labeled "Full Cycle" to start the dishwasher. Then (for the first time in its life) it made a very weird noise, like a relay was stuck or there was some strange draw on the electrical motor (almost like a soft sputtering/stuttering or static noise), but then it engaged the water filling. I immediately lifted the handle to stop the dishwasher. After about 1 min., I put the handle back down and pushed the "Full Cycle" button again. It made a 1/2 sec or less odd electrical noise but began to complete the fill of the water and continue on with the wash cycle as normal. Unfortunately just after the water was in, wisps of smoke near the top of the dishwasher appeared. We let the washer rest for about 5 min and tried again. Same thing -- a bit of smoke. I let it rest even longer (1 hour) but no good -- still smoke. Not wanting to do any damage to our precious dishwasher, we gave up, and I started looking on the internet and found this forum.
I sure hope you can steer me in the right direction. I am wondering if the 3 button program switch just failed? Or maybe the Electrical Supply box? The wiring harness? The timer seems to be still advancing, and the machine is running well, despite the smoke. What do I do to troubleshoot? Are there any parts for this dw? We are in Cleveland. Do you know of an appliance repairman we could hire to help us? I am praying that the answer is yes! My mother of 90 years is very fond of this machine, as am I, and we want to keep it going for many more years. I am willing to try anything. I grew up with this machine (it used to be a portable dishwasher, but we installed it permanently after about 5 years of using it as a portable). She has been a great caretaker of this vintage dishwasher, along with her Tappan Visualite electric range. Please help if at all possible. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any help you might be able to give.
Here's the rundown of what happened:
Our dishwasher's detergent dispensers have not worked for several years, so my Mom (being clever) just loads the soap in by hand at the appropriate time (just as the water is filling during the Wash cycle). Unfortunately, I had forgotten to put in the detergent, which I realized at the end of the Rinse cycle. So, I opened the door, put in the detergent, closed the door, advanced the timer to the beginning of the wash cycle and pushed in the button labeled "Full Cycle" to start the dishwasher. Then (for the first time in its life) it made a very weird noise, like a relay was stuck or there was some strange draw on the electrical motor (almost like a soft sputtering/stuttering or static noise), but then it engaged the water filling. I immediately lifted the handle to stop the dishwasher. After about 1 min., I put the handle back down and pushed the "Full Cycle" button again. It made a 1/2 sec or less odd electrical noise but began to complete the fill of the water and continue on with the wash cycle as normal. Unfortunately just after the water was in, wisps of smoke near the top of the dishwasher appeared. We let the washer rest for about 5 min and tried again. Same thing -- a bit of smoke. I let it rest even longer (1 hour) but no good -- still smoke. Not wanting to do any damage to our precious dishwasher, we gave up, and I started looking on the internet and found this forum.
I sure hope you can steer me in the right direction. I am wondering if the 3 button program switch just failed? Or maybe the Electrical Supply box? The wiring harness? The timer seems to be still advancing, and the machine is running well, despite the smoke. What do I do to troubleshoot? Are there any parts for this dw? We are in Cleveland. Do you know of an appliance repairman we could hire to help us? I am praying that the answer is yes! My mother of 90 years is very fond of this machine, as am I, and we want to keep it going for many more years. I am willing to try anything. I grew up with this machine (it used to be a portable dishwasher, but we installed it permanently after about 5 years of using it as a portable). She has been a great caretaker of this vintage dishwasher, along with her Tappan Visualite electric range. Please help if at all possible. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any help you might be able to give.
