Rusty Rack: Maytag DWU7400 dishwasher

[brickster]

Greetings and good morning.

I discovered this wonderful online place last week, and found expert and enthusiastic help for my vintage Maytag clothes washer, so I've spent some time searching the posts for a solution to a very common dishwasher problem.

The problem, as you can see, is the rack has rusted through, and I can no longer explain to Mrs. B the replacement rack is several times more expensive than all the Corelle stained by the rust. This is because the wire has rusted in two, such that if I tweaked a tine too forcefully, it would snap off.

For the past few years, even the $170+ replacement racks come up NLA, but after reading some of the desperate measures the rest of you have employed, up to and including making a new dishwasher purchase to get the rack, I decided to search again for a part from Whirlpool.

Being forewarned the racks being sold are "manufacturer suggested substitutions" I understand I may need to make some adjustments in the replacement, and this is what my specific question is about, "How do I make use of the replacement rack's set of adjustable tines?"

One pic to a post, so I'll add some more to the thread to help explain where I am.

Arthur

 

[brickster]

New rack came yesterday

This is what I received. The best part number research I could do identified the Whirlpool substitution rack as 99002572. The vendor of this part hid the mfr's numbers until I received the actual part, where on their packing list it is identified as a -2571 instead of -2572.

Maybe this is what made it $50 cheaper? Anyhow, it fits in the dishwasher, but I can't use the clips from the old selectable bowl tines anywhere on its grid, if they would help to hold one or more of the three tine assemblies packed with the rack.

 

[brickster]

How do I adapt the loose tines?

I figure maybe someone else here has objected to the hostage-taking that makes some dipped welded wire run almost half the original cost of the machine, and has wound up with this substitute rack.

Or perhaps I'll get advice the vendor sent me the wrong rack and I should return it, suck it up, and look for the right one.

Arthur

 

[brickster]

After all, the machine has given reasonable service for 14 years at just over $400 new, I supposed it doesn't owe me anything.

About 5 years ago I needed to replace the door gasket, dispenser latch & wax motor, and a couple switches ruined by the leak. I hate the thought of buying a new appliance that is made much like this replacement rack, which is outweighed almost two-to-one by the old one shown here.

 

[combo52]

MAYTAG DISHWASHER RACKS

I have lots of perfect used MT DW racks we charge $50 apiece for them, I see you are in Md also Email me if interested. I may not be on line again till monday.

 

[rp2813]

Sounds like John's offer is a tough one to refuse, and he knows his stuff so you'll get the exact replacement.

You could also cruise Craigs List for a machine that still has good racks, take what you need from it and scrap the rest.

I just sold one of these in perfect working order for $30 a few months ago, and have seen them show up on CL for $50 or less, sometimes even free.

 

[cycla-fabric]

Look again at the clips, they should work.

Arthur, it looks like the clips will fit, as they would go towards the front of the the rack, and they would snap on each side of the rack to hold the extra tines. They should go on just like they are on the old rack. But only towards the front of the rack. I think Whirlpool does this as they make many different racks and with the supplied clips, they may and I say may allow these tines to fold down when needed. You really have to look carefully at it, I know when I got a new rack, it came with clips for the middle tines which now allows them to fold down, which on the original rack they didn't.

Doug

 

[brickster]

John, that is a most generous and tempting offer indeed. I will try to return the -2571 for a refund and then make arrangements for a visit to Beltsville, if that would be best for you. I'm north in Carroll County.

Doug, thinking same as you, I expected to install the flip-up tines in the front, where there were none, of course. I checked the spacing of every possible parallel wire set, and none are spaced for those Maytag clips. Notice the ruler in the pic next to the clips. I used that to determine the same vendor selling the rack offered clips identical to those I already have. All on the same parts breakdown by model page. I'm gonna try to return the rack, but I'm expecting the vendor to prefer store credit to a refund, so I'll see if they have a 99002572 rack that is different from the 2571.

By the way, I haven't read more than maybe a hundred posts, but did seem to notice there wasn't any discussion of parts suppliers by name. Am I picking up on unusual civility or an unwritten rule here?

 

[rp2813]

Arthur, keep on reading and you'll see some suppliers mentioned. Larry @ Modern Parts in Parma, OH is referenced frequently here, among others.

 

[brickster]

status - awaiting resolution by parts vendor

On Friday (7/30) I had a pleasant conversation with the parts supplier's representative. She researched the part number I was supplied and confirmed it was incorrect in their cross reference; that I needed the 99002572 instead of the 2571 I received. A return shipping ticket is promised - that's a good thing - because I checked into shipping costs for me, with only a lowly consumer retail account with the shipper, and it would have cost me $35 to return the rack. Meanwhile, I'm patiently living with the rusty rack at the same time we are observing the effect of the reduced phosphates in our new supply of detergent. Once the disposition of the incorrect part is settled, I'll add to the thread.