2 yr old Kenmore dishwasher...

Soap dish cover fails to open 1 of every 2 washes.

Any ideas fix?

Thanks

In article ,
LittleF wrote:

2 yr old Kenmore dishwasher...

Soap dish cover fails to open 1 of every 2 washes.

Any ideas fix?

Thanks

Not a fix, but a workaround. Wash the dishes by hand every other time.

LittleF wrote:
2 yr old Kenmore dishwasher...

Soap dish cover fails to open 1 of every 2 washes.

Any ideas fix?

Thanks

Could be any number of things. First thing I'd do would be to look for
loose connections in the wiring harness that feeds power to the door's
wax motor actuator. Second would be to check the motor itself. Your
washer may have a self-test cycle which allows you to test each switch
and actuator -- the big problem is finding how to enter that hidden
mode. Sometimes you will find a service sheet with such information
hidden inside the kick plate or hung underneath the washer but that
can't be depended upon.

Of course when working on such things it is best to kill all power to
the equipment when poking around in the wiring. If the whole thing is
too confusing, then calling out a service tech may be best overall.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:21:53 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
LittleF wrote:

2 yr old Kenmore dishwasher...

Soap dish cover fails to open 1 of every 2 washes.

Any ideas fix?

Thanks

Not a fix, but a workaround. Wash the dishes by hand every other time.

Good idea.

I used to know but I forget now. If you use the tablets, do they go
in the first wash or the second. If the first, the OP can switch to
tablets and the door doesn't matter.

(I even wrote the manufacturer years ago, and it sent me a box of
tablets and a box of two streak eliminators, but iirc, they didn't
answr my questoin!!!

On Aug 19, 5:29 am, mm wrote:
On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:21:53 -0700, Smitty Two

wrote:
In article ,
LittleF wrote:

2 yr old Kenmore dishwasher...

Soap dish cover fails to open 1 of every 2 washes.

Any ideas fix?

Thanks

Not a fix, but a workaround. Wash the dishes by hand every other time.

Good idea.

I used to know but I forget now. If you use the tablets, do they go
in the first wash or the second. If the first, the OP can switch to
tablets and the door doesn't matter.

(I even wrote the manufacturer years ago, and it sent me a box of
tablets and a box of two streak eliminators, but iirc, they didn't
answer my question!!!

Don't bother.
The soap dispenser cover stopped opening on our 20+ year old
dishwasher a long, long time ago.
It appears to be actuated by some sort of electrically operated
thermal strip/catch/release mechanism that allows the cover to
'spring' open. probably gone open?
Since it failed we have merely put the powdered detergent into the
holder and leave the cover open. Whereupon it falls out immediately as
we close the door. Works fine, the waters is hot, dishes are clean,
and have been so for many years.
Maybe during the next decade, we will replace the unit but not going
to spend time and worry on a machine that does a good job..

On Aug 19, 2:58 am, terry wrote:
On Aug 19, 5:29 am, mm wrote:





On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:21:53 -0700, Smitty Two

wrote:
In article ,
LittleF wrote:

2 yr old Kenmore dishwasher...

Soap dish cover fails to open 1 of every 2 washes.

Any ideas fix?

Thanks

Not a fix, but a workaround. Wash the dishes by hand every other time.

Good idea.

I used to know but I forget now. If you use the tablets, do they go
in the first wash or the second. If the first, the OP can switch to
tablets and the door doesn't matter.

(I even wrote the manufacturer years ago, and it sent me a box of
tablets and a box of two streak eliminators, but iirc, they didn't
answer my question!!!

Don't bother.
The soap dispenser cover stopped opening on our 20+ year old
dishwasher a long, long time ago.
It appears to be actuated by some sort of electrically operated
thermal strip/catch/release mechanism that allows the cover to
'spring' open. probably gone open?
Since it failed we have merely put the powdered detergent into the
holder and leave the cover open. Whereupon it falls out immediately as
we close the door. Works fine, the waters is hot, dishes are clean,
and have been so for many years.
Maybe during the next decade, we will replace the unit but not going
to spend time and worry on a machine that does a good job..- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I would not assume that because this works in your DW, it's going to
work, in all, or even most. It depends on how the cycles are set
up. Many DWs first do a short fast cycle without detergent to just
rinse away any easy to remove, larger stuff, etc. If the powder
detergent goes in an open dispenser, it's going to be gone in that
brief initial cycle. And in many installs, the hot water line to the
kitchen is long enough so that the water for that first cycle is
barely warm, which doesn't matter if it's a rinse, but would if it
becomes the main wash cycle.