Motor on D&M (Kenmore) Dishwasher Fries

[frank1492]

The other day I did a routine cleaning of the intake filter on the solenoid. By mistake I also disconnected and reconnected later the wires to the coil that I believe allows the motor to reverse. (The wires were marked very carefully.) I ran the washer with the filter cleaned and probably overfilled it. Soon after the motor started to whine, smell and smoke. I checked my connections carefully- all seemed fine. I tried again with the same result, only this time the fuse blew and the motor was toast. I assumed the motor had to labor too hard because the tub was overfilled, but I never quite bought that. I ordered a new motor which I installed today. (This motor was billed as a replacement for the original by Sears and several other websites and although it was a little different it seemed to fit fine.)
I ran the washer with the correct water level. Immediately it started to smell and the thermal overload kicked in. I checked to make sure there were no leaks and that the impellers were not binding. (I could only feel a little resistance presumably due to seal friction.) I tried again- same result but with a little smoke this time so I assume motor #2 has bit the dust!
Is there any chance the timer is misconnecting something due to age or failure? I am in the habit of advancing the timer manually (slowly) with no juice going to it when I want to diagnose something. Or is the coil bad? I can't keep going through $150 motors and am at my wit's end!
There are four wires from the motor, two for each winding, forward and reverse I assume. Black, red, white, blue. Which pair for which winding? I would like to try connecting directly to the A/C receptacle.
Help' please!
Frank

 

[coldspot66]

Sounds like the wires might be miswired on the relay. Or a bad relay. did the new motor come with a new relay?

 

[frank1492]

No Relay Came with the New Motor

Can a bad relay cause a motor to overheat to the point of destruction??. The new motor ran forward and reverse and sounded fairly normal and did not lack power or seem to run slower while it was overheating. Can you explain what happens to the relay when it malfunctions? This relay looks like a winding with three terminals.
I can send a photo if it would help. (BTW the motor now smells and smokes even when it is running completely free.)
Thank you.

 

[cfz2882]

yes

a bad relay can cause burnout of the new motor-when the motor is first
switched on the higher current pulled is supposed to make the relay pull in
and power the start winding,then once the motor is at running speed the
current draw drops off and the relay is supposed to drop out and switch off
the start winding-if the relay sticks on the start winding will be burnt.
even though the motor emitted smoke it might still be ok if it is not roasted
too bad...double check that the wiring to the motor is correct and try a
different relay-might get lucky.

 

[combo52]

Wiring

Here is the installation instructions that come with a GE replacement motor built for D&M DWs. These motors have always come with a new relay and either you have a bad relay or the motor is missed wired, do note that the wire colors did change on some motors so going by the original wire colors may get you into trouble.

 

[frank1492]

Problem Solved- D&M Fries Motors

Thanks all for the info- I will file away the wiring diagram.
What I didn't tell you is that this D & M assembly was adapted years ago to fit the dishwasher in a GE Electric Sink, circa 30-40's. (I posted about this with photos some time ago.) The relay ended up by being mounted in an odd place on the mounting for the intake solenoid valve. When I originally installed it (80's) I guess I knew it was a gravity relay and was aware that orientation was important, but I forgot over the years. When I cleaned the strainer on the solenoid valve I somehow thought it would be a good idea to demount the relay and then left it dangling. As things got moved around I thought it was a little odd that sometimes the motor overheated and sometimes didn't. When I finally did rebolt it, it was upside down!!!
This AM I disassembled it and cleaned the contacts. Everything looked perfect but it was only then that the light bulb went off when I realized the design.
The good news is that the new motor runs fine now. I suppose it could have been compromised and will fail later, so I'll probably order a backup. I'd like your opinion on whether I should do this.
I know I should change the relay but the coil looked good and all I did was clean the internal contacts a bit. The plunger moved freely. As to the seals, they too looked perfect so did not replace.
The washer now runs perfectly. Thanks to all on this forum for your great help!
Frank

Frank

 

[cornutt]

You might want to check the resistance of both of the start windings with an ohmmeter and make sure they are still within spec. If they are, use the motor and no worries.

 

[combo52]

D&M relay problems

Glad to hear that you found the cause of the problem, with any luck it will work fine now. Unless the DW is in excellent almost new shape and gets almost no use I would look for a better machine rather than invest in another motor for this machine.