KitchenAid KDI-17A

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tinkerer

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Dec 8, 2013
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22
Hi,
I have recently inherited a KitchenAid KDI-17A from my parents and would like to replace some parts and tinker with it a bit. It's not draining fully, the wash cycle seems shorter than I remember and the dishes come out spotty. I've pulled the drain hoses apart, before and after the solenoid drain valve and they were clear. I hear the snap of the valve so it's working (but maybe not at the end of the cycle. This led me to wonder if it was the timer or the controls in the door. I checked all the fork connectors to most of the parts at the bottom of the machine.

My first quest is to find a parts/repair manual. I looked here on the website for a manual and found one for the KDI-17 Series:

"Detailed service manual for the 17 series of Kitchen Dishwashers, such as models KDS-17, KDI-17, KDC-17, KDS-57, KDI-57 and KDC-57."

but, it doesn't list the 17A. Does anyone know if I could still use this manual and are all the model parts in the 17 Series, the same?

I'd also like to find a new/used lower rack, if possible.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

View attachment tinkerer++12-8-2013-15-20-16.jpg
 
Manuals woefully lacking

I bought all 3 manuals that they had - the owner's manual, the product info and the replacement parts manual. None of these covered the 17A adequately and the replacement parts manual was not helpful. I couldn't find most of the parts because it mostly covered the rolling dishwasher. I'm thinking I need a new timer but have been unable to locate one on line. Is it hard to rebuild one?
 
repairing the timer

Hi,
Has anyone here ever rebuilt a timer assembly for a KDI-17A? I have been unable to find a used one and am hoping I might be able to do so but worry that it contains plastic gears that, by now, would be 40 years old and brittle.
 
I think this one will work.

But I would wait and see if Stevet or one of the other KA experts with better reference material could confirm. This one is 4162942 and according to repair clinic.com this one will work on your machine. It's not a bad price for a new timer and likely what you would pay someone for a used one I bet.

 
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Main Timer assembly for KDI-17a

Thanks for looking. I finally found a detailed enough manual on the web with a diagram. The main timer assembly part number is shown as: C115403. I'll wait to hear what the others have to say.
 
Won't wash

At first, I thought the machine needed a new timer assembly but now I'm wondering if it's something else. I start the machine on WASH (skipping soak cycle) on a full wash cycle. The machine starts, the pump squeals and pumps water up into the cabinet but the washing ends soon after, everything stops and the timer continues to click on. Eventually, the dry cycle starts. I can't figure out what's happening. The pump seems to work but the wash cycle is short and there's no rinse cycle. Any ideas as to what's wrong?

thanks.
 
After the motor stops, if you hit the Cancel/Drain button, does the motor restart and drain the dishwasher while the timer rapid advances? If not, but only the timer rapid advances to the off position, can you immediately restart the Normal wash cycle and get the motor to run again?

Have you tried other cycles besides Normal, such as Rinse & Hold?

Also, when the washing stops, does the motor sound like it is humming, or is everything quiet? Do you hear other sounds, such as the water filling, and the snap of the drain valve when it opens?
 
KDI-17 DW Problems

It sounds like you may have something caught in the drain valve which keeps the valve slightly open and allows the water to go down the drain before the valve actually opens for the drain period. When the DW goes quiet, open the door and pour 1 1/2 gallon of hot water into the bottom of the DW and restart the machine, if it again washes for a minute or so and the water disappears you will know you have a drain valve problem.

When starting this DW just latch the door and push the cycle button you want to use, DO NOT turn the timer past the soak area of the timer, also this DW does NOT have a cancel drain button, only the KDS-17s had this feature in the 17 series DWs.
 
 
Yes, as Combo52 says, do not manually advance the timer to skip anything when starting this machine for normal operation.  ALL cycles are to start directly from the beginning.  The selected button controls which functions occur through the complete timer rotation.

All cycles begin with a half-fill and drain to purge the water supply line.

The difference between Soak and Full cycle is that Soak modifies the action to have a 13-minute pause during the Prewash (Soak) phase.

Rinse Hold runs a rinse (which occurs in the Prewash section), pauses for a couple mins, then drains.  The timer progresses at normal speed (advances every minute) to Off but no further machine function occurs.
 
Now leaking

Hi-
I ran the machine 3 times through the complete cycle. The cycles seem to match those set forth in the KDI-17 Service manual except that the only time I hear the wash arm moving is during the Wash Cycle. I would expect it to also turn and spray during the Pre-Rinse and Rinse cycles.

Also, the tub is not draining properly – I end up with water in the bottom of the tub at the Dry cycle. I pulled all the hoses off and took the drain valve apart to check for any obstruction but found nothing.

My biggest problem right now is that, in looking for something causing a slow or clogged drain, I removed the wash arm support and the impeller and, when I reassembled it and started the machine, water sprayed out over the top of the pump motor below. I was sure that I had put the 2 spring washers and cap washer back in the proper order. The Service Manual also lists a key washer (is that a lock washer?) in addition to the spring washers and cap washer but I don’t recall finding one when taking the assembly apart. Would this make the difference between leaking and not? How should the (2) spring washers be placed? They look like slightly domed washers. First, I placed them, dome-side up and the unit leaked so I reinstalled them dish-side up but that didn’t stop the leak, either.

The Service Manual also states that:

“It is important that the proper clearance between the wash pump impeller and the body be maintained. A special clearance gauge tool#68594 should be used for checking this clearance. The limits of the gauge for dimension “A” are .015” “to clear” and ,025” “to touch”. Use the proper combination of shim washers to hold this gauged dimension.”

I’m sure hoping that this isn’t the problem. I have no idea where to get such a tool.

Please Advise.
 

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