Trigger Happy Thermal Switch on my KA Monteray 21

[wigwag]

Hello,

Remember all the fun I had with my Monteray? Well its back again, but not as bad as before. Before I cleaned out the sump the motor used to throw the thermal switch on every drain. Now it only does it on the first two drains. If I run the cancel drain cycle first (with no water) I can greatly reduce the liklihood of the thermal throwing during the cycle but on occassion that still happens (but only enough after the first drain, after the drain purge, then the 3rd start of the drain motor it does it sometimes). So I guess I need a new motor huh? Could it be a relay? Never does it during wash ever, the thermal always blows in the first few seconds of the drain period (start winding staying on too long maybe?), when it happens i open the door wait 3 minutes or so then I hear a "click" which I assume is the thermal switch re-setting then I start it back up and everything is ok unless of course I don't run cancel drain first, then I have to repeat the process on the second drain (not the purge tho)

Sigh, such fun!

Any advice? I did smell a "hot" motor once but only once, so my bet is start winding staying on too long on drain when the motor reverses. What else could it be? Relay? Anyone ever rebuilt a motor on one of these early whirlpool KA's?

Thermally Protected in San Diego,
Steven

 

[combo52]

KDS 21

You probably have a shorted start winding for the drain direction, you can try a another relay if you like it is easy to change but yor are probably looking at replacing the motor. Trying to have the motor rewound would cost far more than another motor. Good Luck keep us posted.

 

[wigwag]

Thanks Combo52

So I'll start with the relay and if that doesn't work I'll get a new motor. Are either of those parts still available?

 

[stevet]

good question..

maybe not from whirlpool but from many of the parts distributors and if no motors are left out there,I can help you there.

 

[wigwag]

Hmmm

So I emailed about a motor but it did say they were un-available. Does it make sense to even try the relay? I think I'm going to need some help with parts. Steve can you point me in the right direction? My model # is KUDS21MSO and my email address is: [email protected] I'd appreciate the help!

 

[stevet]

MIDNIGHT MOTORS

I believe I have a motor that will work for you at a reasonable cost.It will be motor only without the pump housing or seal. You can probably remove the stator from mine and just swap it right out with yours. Makes for less work and no hassles with the seal and stuff from your motor. Let me know and I will make a trip into the nether reaches of my attic!

 

[wigwag]

Whoa

So I only wash dishes every other day, today I tried an experiment. I remembered that when I take off the rubber piece in the garbage disposal part of my sink I see a big increase in water flow out the drain. So low and behold, I didn't run a cancel drain first, I took out the stopper fired up the dishwasher and wha-la no thermal throw ever. I ran the ribbed drain host straight from the pump to the disposal (I have no place on my sink for the breather over-flow thing). My theory is maybe that rubber gaurd in the disposal was impeding flow and causing back-pressure. Sigh, all that work for what might just be user error.......I'll keep you posted. Thank you so much for all your help SteveT....

 

[stevet]

Disposer Drain and air gap?

Do you have an air gap on top of the counter and where the hose goes into the disposer, did you check to make sure that the tube is absolutely clear on it? Maybe the knockout was not completely removed and has clogged up. Sounds like if you have an air gap, it is clogged and impeding flow from the drain hose. I am going to assume you have the air gap and it drains into the disposer so check the disposer connection for the plug in the pipe and run the drain directly into the disposer until you replace the air gap. Then put it back on the air gap so you comply with local codes.

 

[combo52]

DISHWASHER AIRGAPS

Very few places require an air-gap for DWs anymore. All DWs built today have check valves built in the drain system. One of the wonderful things about KA DWs was the drain valve that was used on the machines that had the non reversing motors. This eliminated the need for ever using a troublesome air-gap to make the DW function properly. I could not begin to calculate the thousands of dollars that we have made unclogging air-gaps. After the code requirement to have AGs was removed some 20+ years ago we have lost some of this revenue but there are still a lot of AGs out there that we are unclogging or removing on a weekly basis.

 

[wigwag]

no air gap

Nope, no air gap on my sink. Everything is modern in my place except the dishwasher (well at my 5 pairs of vintage laundry machines my wife bugs me about). Maybe I need one of those air-gaps the maytag washers had in them in the 80s that let a little air in on the outflow? Or i could just take out my garbage disposal insert every time I run the dishwasher which is annoying