Yay! Acquired an Ultra Wash!

[cam2s]

I've been looking to replace the rather unspectacular GE built in in my kitchen, and finally something exciting showed up. I seen an upper end Kenmore Ultra Wash at a local thrift store and decided I better have it. I knew it was going to need some work before I brought it home, but unfortunatly it's going to need more work that I thought. It appears the pump seal has been leaking, so the whole assembly is going to have to come out. Any guidance would be greatly appreaciated!

Thanks
Cameron

 

[cam2s]

The interior was quite smutzy. I wonder what the poor thing had been doing before it found me.

 

[cam2s]

I poured in some boiling water hoping that would hydrate the seals, but it does appear that the problem excited before. The water was dripping out tonight at a pretty good rate.

 

[yogitunes]

it may need a new seal, then again, looking at its condition, it may just need cleaned up, and reinstalled...

simple to remove......from underneath, unplug the motor, take off the drain hose, and unscrew that plastic port, not sure if yours has the anti vibration peg sticking out, if so, remove that, and then twist the four clips inward....now, open the door and from the inside, lift the whole assembly out of the machine....this can be done in minutes!....

let us know how you make out.....

 

[dnastrau]

Great dishwasher

That will be a great performing dishwasher.  My parents had that exact model from 1992 until about 2009 when they replaced it with a new Whirlpool.  I wish that I had saved that Kenmore.  At the time it had a noisy pump and would probably have been an easy fix.

 

[cam2s]

Well that was easy! Now for some dissasembly to see what's what!

 

[barcoboy]

This looks just like the inside of my Inglis dishwasher. Is it the sump seal itself or the motor shaft seal that is leaking? If it is the motor shaft seal, it is very easy to change it with the motor and pump left in the dishwasher. The part you will need is Whirlpool #8193524. Check out the link below for pictures and an instructional video on how to change it. The only difficult part for me when I changed mine was getting the old impellers out because they were stuck to the motor shaft... I had to chip mine out with a hammer and chisel. If you have to do that, make sure you get all the little pieces of impeller out of the sump. Once I got everything out to the seal, I turned off my hot water supply and started a Rinse and Hold cycle with the door switch bypassed, and while the motor was running, I used a piece of emery cloth to clean the shaft of all the surface rust that was on it. Even if the shaft seal is not leaking, if you're planning on using your dishwasher as a daily driver, it's not a bad idea to change the shaft seal anyways.

http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Impeller-and-Seal-Kit/8193524/830831

 

[cam2s]

Well I got tore down, but unfortunatly confirmed the worst. The motor appears to be toasted. After it was free from the pump, I hooked back up and when it's powered on it jus makes a buzzing noise. The bearing isn't shot though, because the spindle turns freely. Anyways, I guess I'm going to have to look for a motor now.

 

[dnastrau]

Check Ebay

This was a common model and I'll bet there are are tons of used and new motor/pump assemblies on Ebay.

 

[yogitunes]

not sure of your exact motor and plug....but you could find something like this whole assembly, and just drop it in, hook it up, and your good to go...may save you some time and hassle....

actually you can contact this seller, and he will match you up with the exact motor you need....

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[cam2s]

Yogitunes, I was just getting ready to ask that question. I found a motor for $20, and the seal kit cost 30, but you can buy a whole assembly for about $50 as well. Here is one I was looking at, the seller claims it was only used for 8 months. My question is, do you think it would be prudent to replace the seals on a replacement pump or would it be fine to just drop it in and go? Just for the record, the model number is 1671590 and its badged as an Ultra Wash II. The module had the original power clean design without the fine filter under the wash arm and does not have the quiet tuning brass knob.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[yogitunes]

as long as the plug matches up, I would think this would work....if JohnL pops in, he'll know in a second if this will fit and work exactly....

not to mention, if it is a newer motor pump assembly, I would just intall it and go...

only thing I am asking for you to do is shop around, the one you posted has a shipping cost of 30.00+ dollars......some are cheaper, or even Free!.....and will they offer a refund if it doesn't fit/work in your machine?....just be cautious...

 

[combo52]

Replacing a Pump In a KM Ultra-Wash DW

I would buy the one on Ebay, there is no reason to dissemble the 8 month old pump and motor to check the seal, you would likely only do more harm than good.

It looks like the replacement pump on Ebay has a threaded hole for the tuning weight that a lot of WP and KM DW pumps had, if your orignal motor did not have this great noise reducer and you need one I will send you one for the cost of postage.

When you get the DW installed be sure to see if it is filling to the correct water level, it is very likely that you will need a new inlet valve on a DW of this age, and again don't waste your time taking the old inlet valve apart and trying to clean it unless you have very good insurance against water damage at your house and you are willing to have a water damage claim.

John L.

 

[cam2s]

I'm still in the process of shopping for a new pump, but I thought I'd share some pics I've taken while cleaning it up. The first set here is of the detergent dispenser, which appears to be mechanical instead of using a bimetallic switch. Here is the actual dispensers on the backside of the for liner.

 

[cam2s]

Here is the triggering arm extending down from the timer. This piece fits in the top of the arm extending up from the dispensers.

 

[cam2s]

It retracts up at the two dispensing points in the cycle. Here it is in the main wash.

 

[cam2s]

Here it is in the final rinse.

 

[cam2s]

It becomes fully retracted about halfway through the dry cycle and then goes back down.

 

[cam2s]

The cycle programming is interesting on this machine. Pots and pans and normal share the same stop on the dial, so both will get you WRWRR. Pushing the pots and pans button will get you a thermal hold in the prewash, main wash, and final rinse. If you select normal and water heat, you get a thermal hold in the mainwash and final rinse. Putting the dial on water miser will get you WWRR and china/crystal will get you WRR. I've haven't figured out yet water the water miser and china button will do yet though. Rinse and hold will get you two rinses, not just one.