Thanks. I ordered the part and did the job myself. It took longer than
expected, because I should have carefully studied how the 3 internal plastic
pieces of the latch mechanism were assembled. Embarrassingly, it took
probably a few hours to figure out exactly how 3 of the plastic pieces were
supposed to be put together: 1) the semi-clear plastic piece that the wax
motor pushes on, and 2) the tiny semi-clear plastic piece that is pushed by
the latter piece to move the latch and open up the dispenser while
simultaneously causing 3) a white plastic piece to slant downward to
dispense some rinse aid.

I did not get around to testing the dishwasher yet (will wait a day or two
until there are a *few* dirty dishes), but I'm 100% sure it was leaking
through the latch gasket due to the soap buildup in the mechanism, and I'm
99% sure I did wind up putting the mechanism back together correctly.

I think there is a good chance I fixed the leak, but will know for sure when
I test it in a couple of days. I'm not too impressed by how this dishwasher
was designed because of the fact that it needs this type of latch gasket in
the first place. Am I correct in thinking the washers that the don't have a
visible latch are less prone to leakage in this area? The GE dishwasher in
the house I just sold had a cup that swung open in a circular motion and it
did not have a visible latch and, if it had a gasket, I suspect it was
something less prone to eventual leakage. (However the GE didn't clean too
well.)

With this Maytag dishwasher, I still wonder if (even after the repair) water
could still make it's way into door if there isn't enough internal pressure
on the flat base of the gasket. In other words, while the gasket fits
snugly around the latch, the flat base of the gasket needs to be snug
against the inside of the plastic door panel. I assume this, by default,
should be the case as long as the mechanism was assembled properly...and I
believe that it was, but I'll find out for sure in a couple of days when I
test the dishwasher.

Jay

You'll see how it installs, it's pretty straightforward. You
have to pull the dispenser wax motor(s) and linkage out
to get to it, but just take your time and you'll be surprised
at how easy it is. You'll find a lot of 'gunk' - mostly
detergent residue - in the area that'll have to be cleaned,
and that usually takes longer than the actual boot
replacement.