not sure where to start with Kitchenaid Imperial 21 dishwasher

[mappo]

Hi,

I have a Kitchenaid Imperial 21 dishwasher, most likely installed in 1986, that came with the house I bought 2 years ago. It has mostly worked flawlessly the past two years, but today it's doing its best Monty Python dead parrot impression. My wife ran it yesterday and thought that it had worked fine, but today noticed that it didn't drain the water from the final rinse cycle.

It currently doesn't respond in any way to any inputs - no lights, no sounds, no motion. I checked the circuit breaker and the door latch poke pin (not sure what the real name for that is) and don't see any problems there. I removed the filters to check for clogs but don't see any. I was hoping there an internal fuse that needed to be replaced, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I don't really know what to check next - any ideas? It's acting as if it has no power, but maybe there are other causes not related to power that can cause this? Below are some pics in case they help.

 

[mappo]

additional pics:

 

[mappo]

additional pics:

 

[mappo]

additional pics:

 

[combo52]

Dead KA 21 DW

Take the cover off to the right of the relay in the picture in post #1 and check the wire connections under that cover where your homes power connects to the DW, if they look OK then test for 120 volts at these two connections, this is always the first thing to do with a dead built-in DW.

 

Since you are in Washington DC you live in our service area, you can call me for free further advice or if you want one of us to come to your home and diagnose the problem and offer a repair [ for a service call fee ] we can do so.

 

ALCO Appliance, 301-937-2364, John

 

[mappo]

Thanks for the reply, John. I checked the connections like you suggested, and they look good. The wire nuts are clean and tight, and the ground is firmly attached I don't have a voltage meter but will pick one up and check that next.

 

[mappo]

source for replacement wire

I found the problem - the wire leading from the door interlock switch is corroded through. Of course that wire is listed as NLA on all the parts websites. Does anyone know where I can buy a small quantity of wire? All I can find online is bulk suppliers. It's a UL/AWM 1015 solid core wire.

 

[combo52]

Dead KA 21 DW

Glad you found the problem, you should be able to get a little wire and a terminal at either Tribles [ they are the appliance parts people here in the Washington area ], or any auto parts place, don't tell them it is for your DW when go in but rather it is for the heater blower motor for your 1994 Dodge Mini-Van, LOL.

 

You may also need to replace the door switch if the terminal on it is at all discolored or loose.

 

[rp2813]

I think even ACE Hardware would have the correct gauge of wire for this.  You can buy just a 1' length of it off a reel for less than 25c instead of a whole pack of it on a card from an auto parts store for a few bucks.

 

[bigalsf]

Cause

Just a thought, you may also want to check for what caused the wire to corrode. Do you see any signs of water intrusion or staining in the switch area? Is any other part showing signs of corrosion?

 

[combo52]

Wire Failure on Door Switch

This was a fairly common failure on current carrying wires on KA DWs and was one of the many things that WP improved when they bought KA, it is usually caused a poorly made crimp between the bare wire and the little terminal or it could be caused by a door switch that has a high resistance switch contact which is why one should inspect the switch carefully for any sign of overheating.

 

Kitchenaid was plagued with wiring failures on the KDI and KDC17s on high current carrying wires between the timer and selector switches so Hobart supplied a couple of new tires with each replacement timer for these models.

 

[mappo]

I think you nailed it John - it looks like it was a bad crimp. If 27 years of faithful service counts as "bad", anyway. The corrosion was on the wire from the door switch to the button unit, right at the terminal crimp on the button end. I got a new wire from Lowes last night and installed it, and things seem to be working fine now.

For some reason the program buttons aren't lining up with the slots in the outer housing as well as they did before I took it apart, so I guess I'll be taking it apart again tonight to try to align them better.

Thanks everyone for all the help!

 

[stevet]

Not yet buttoned up!

The program buttons have multiple slots on the back of them that will go over the program switch shafts. Take one off and look at it and you will see that you can move it to one side or the other and make it fit perfectly on the shaft and thru the panel.
Glad you found the problem. That was my first thought but never got around to mentioning it here.