KitchenAid KDS-17C No Power to Water Valve

[hwildman]

Hello KDS17 Lovers! My machine worked every day of its life flawlessly, until today. The Water Inlet Valve is working fine but it does not receive power anywhere in the cycle. I am not sure how to troubleshoot it. I am somewhat capable with a multimeter, but I have lost the wiring diagram so it is tough for me to trace the circuits.

I know parts are hard to come by so I have to consider that if the timer has met its maker.

Any ideas from the KitchenAid fans? (P.S. I am new here and I signed up so I can keep this beauty running.)

 

[DADoES]

 
Follow the wires from the valve.  KA also uses multiple grounding points so look for a loose wire somewhere.

 

[stevet]

Try this..

Check the continuity of the pressure switch which serves as an overfill protection device.It is mounted to the back of the front cross member on the left side.A wire goes from the timer to the pressure switch and then to one side of the fill valve.

There should be a wiring diagram glued to the inside of the door. Remove the front door panel to get to it.

The pressure switches rarely failed. But there is a hose that connects the switch to a small tube on the left side of the sump. The adapter that the hose connects to often fills up with debris and prevents the switch from working. Use a Q-tip or a small pipe cleaner and gently clean that adapter out from INSIDE the tank. Don't try to get the hose off as the adapter will probably break off. Hopefully,that will solve the problem.

 

[hwildman]

Thanks DADoES. I removed the wiring diagram years ago and now I don't know where I put it.

Thanks Stevet. I will try that. I see no access in the bottom of the tank. Do I have to remove guards or screens to get at it?

I am a bit of a novice since this machine is so reliable. A shirt button once got into the machine and it actually made it into the drain, so I had to remove that.

I am sorry I replaced the water valve because there was absoutlely nothing wrong with it.

As for the pressure switch, is it 0 ohms if it is in a overflow state?

 

[hwildman]

Does anyone recommend the Service Manua? Is it useful?

 

[stevet]

Ohm My!

If the switch senses high water it will open and therefore have no Ohms reading. What you want to do is set your meter on continuity and it will show closed when operating normally and open when it senses the high water level. Having a meter with an audible continuity beep really takes the guesswork out of it.

As far as where the opening is in the sump goes, yes, take off the filters and at approx 9 o'clock you should see a small hole on the left side of the sump wall. Some machines had a rubber adpater in that spot which is another reason not to use anything too sharp or not to use excessive force to clean out the hole.

If you can, you can always jump out the switch and see if the machine fills, but make sure you turn off the breaker or unplug the machine before doing so for safety purposes. Again, these switches rarely went bad and likely stopped working because the tube is clogged.

 

[hwildman]

Hello Stevet. Thank you for your help. I jumperd the connection and it works. However, I cannot find any hole in the sump wall. I do not know how many parts I have to remove to get at it. I have the parts diagrams but one part does not want to come out and I do not want to force it. I have included a photo to show what I have done so far.

 

[hwildman]

Stevet - Thank you for your help. The KDS-17C is back in action!!!! You were right about the overflow switch. The port is right at the gap in the heater element. The hole was full of rust. I had to start with a small nail with the point ground down. Then I moved to a larger gauge and went with a screw to try and clean it out. Will it last another 40 years? Who knows. I won't be around to tell the tale.

Again, thank you to Stevet and DADoES for their assistance and to this website. I was about to scrap the whole thing and get a new, awful dishwasher.

Are there any regular maintenance tips to keep this dishwasher in top shape?

 

[rp2813]

Here's a link to the Automatic Ephemera site's Kitchenaid Dishwasher literature available for download.  There's a brochure and owners manual for the 17 series, a service manual and a parts catalog.

http://www.automatice.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?brand=KitchenAid=

 

[brucelucenta]

I realize that you seem pretty attached to the dishwasher you have, but the new model Kitchenaid dishwashers are not bad at all. I have a rebadged Kenmore Elite that works very well indeed. The Kitchenaid models still have the four arm chrome spray arm in the bottom that they have had since the sixties and it still does a good job of cleaning. They also have a new model that has a glass window for viewing it as it runs.

 

[hwildman]

Bruce, I like the old Kitchenaid, but I am frugal/cheap so the old dishwasher is attached to me. It's all fixed for now. I know that the new dishwashers are quieter and mor energy efficient, but $1000 buys a lot of water and electricity. I don't plan to spare any expense to fix the old one. I am just helping it along. Would I like a new one? Yes. I just tend to keep things past their expiry date.

 

[stevet]

Glad it worked out.

Hartley, I am glad the machine is working again and hopefully you will get many more years of service e out of it. It does look like it could use a lemi-shine treatment or one of the other dishwasher cleaners. It should help get rid of some of those rust stains inside the tank. If you plan on keeping it for a few more years, pick up at least a new wash arm support from eBay.

 

[hwildman]

Steve, thanks for the help. I know the dishwasher would look nicer inside but why clean the tub? It wouldn't make it last longer, would it?

My current spray arm works fine. Do I need a new one because I have reached the end of its lifespan?

After pulling that apart, I realized I had removed too many things and ended up with an extra washer. I added it under the spray arm, but I am not really sure that's where it goes.

The parts manual does not show a washer under the spray arm.

 

[stevet]

Clean up your act! LOL!

Cleaning up the tub may not give the machine any longer life but it would be more aesthetically pleasing to see it clean and shiny and not being a germophobe or anything like that, I would not be too comfortable looking inside of that tub.

As far as the washer goes, if it is a thin, flat washer, it probably belongs under the wash pump impeller and is used as a shim. If it is a concave washer, then it goes under the screw that goes into the motor shaft. There should be 2 spring washers there and the both face down. Make sense?

I suggested the new wash arm support only because someday you will not find anymore of them anywhere. Not available thru Whirlpool and Hobart only used that style very, very early in the production of the commercial version of their undercounter machines based on the 16/17 series and then they redesigned it and did away with it.