KitchenAid KUDM25 pump ingested broken glass - pump ruined?

[dnastrau]

Greetings:

Last night the pump on our 2000 model year KitchenAid KUDM25 ingested broken glass when a water glass shattered mid-cycle. We knew there was a problem when the machine sounded like the pump was trying to grind up nuts and bolts. We cancelled the cycle and saw all of the broken glass in the bottom of the tub around the pump/motor. I took the small cover of the top of the pump and when I turn the black plastic disc that is visible, I can hear/feel glass inside the pump causing the movement of the mechanism to bind.

Am I looking at a new pump/motor at this point? Is there any use in trying to completely disassemble the pump or has the glass likely destroyed it?

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

Andrew S.

 

[gansky1]

You "may" be able to get into the lower chamber of the pump to clear away the glass bits without damaging the seals and impellers, but once you have it apart, you may as well rebuild it with new parts.  WP strongly recommends not re-using old parts to prevent leaking and damage to the motor.

 

This video will help you familiarize yourself with the tear down and rebuild procedure.  It's very straightforward but you'll want to have the impeller and seal kit on hand before you begin.  It really only takes 1/2 hour or so.

 

 

[dnastrau]

Pump rebuild

Thanks gansky1. That video is great as many of the other videos out there are for newer pump designs. It looks like it should be a fairly simple procedure. I will order a rebuild kit and give it a go.

Thanks,

Andrew S.

 

[dnastrau]

Pump rebuild complete; post mortem and thank you!

The rebuild of the pump was a success after dealing with a major hurdle. Upon disassembly, I found a lot of broken glass inside which had really torn everything up. There were gouges in everything that was plastic/phenolic and the metal parts were scratched and pitted. The fatal damage was a crack in the bottom pump housing where glass had eroded away enough material to cause a leak. In the short time that it had run after the glass broke, the damaged area was apparently leaking already as the floor under the pump/motor was still wet. I am glad that I caught that before I finished the rebuild or we would have had a big mess and perhaps an electrical short.

The upshot was that I ended up rebuilding the well-used identical pump that I had saved from several years ago when I just swapped the whole pump/motor assembly for a low mileage used one that I had scored on Ebay. I used the best parts from both pumps along with the FSP-brand rebuild kit. In this case, saving that old pump was a godsend.

As per the video in this thread, the latest design of the seal shaft eliminated the need for the separate ceramic washer that was used with the original seal. If you try to use that washer with the new seal, the pump will not fit back together properly.

One other thing that I would stress to anyone rebuilding one of these pumps: The video in this thread showed one check ball being placed in the chamber below the lower impeller plate and one in the opening at the top of the plate, but in my case, both had to go back in the top opening. This may have been a design variation during the years that these were manufactured, or the video is incorrect. Either way, I would just make sure that you know where they were placed as you are disassembling the pump. In my case, both pumps had the check balls in the top opening from the factory.

The average person these days would probably have replaced this nearly 18-year-old machine but I don't want to do that until absolutely necessary because it performs so well. Thanks again for the help.

Andrew S.

 

[iowabear]

Congratulations on the repair and thanks for sharing your tips.

 

I've never had a glass shatter in the machine.

 

For those of us that are picky about our appliances it's tough to give up one we like and take a chance (literally) on something new.  Hope it gives you many more trouble-free years!

 

[dnastrau]

Yes - it has been a great performing machine for all of these years. I am glad to share my experiences especially if it can help someone else save a machine from the crusher.

Andrew S.

 

[ultralux88]

I can't imagine that repairing this good, working machine would cost anywhere near a new dishwasher. Our Whirlpool dishwasher quit washing well and Mom was expecting to replace it, but I had a look and realized the plastic rings on the top and bottom of the wash arm had worn out, replacing them and then giving the dishwasher a thorough cleaning solved the problem. It had always worked well, so why not spend $30 or so on some new parts? I've never understood the mentality of tossing out an appliance when something goes wrong. Tim's parents have an 80s Osterizer that we had found them at a thrift store when their "Ninja" thing died an early death. The bearing in the blade assembly wore out and it was leaking! They thought they needed a new blender! Blew me away that they didn't realize the blade was a consumable part that can be replaced, and it blew them away when I got the part for it and knew to do it, and that blew me away again. I guess I'm a rarity having the "Why not fix it instead?" mentality...