Part
Soil Sensor & Thermistor Assembly
Product Rating
Customer
Stefan from CA
Problem
Error F8E1 (slow drain).
Tools
Screwdriver.
Repair & Advice
My Elite dishwasher had a series of leak problems that necessitated replacing several key parts including the control board. After executing the diagnostic cycle, I could see that all the original errors were corrected, but a new error code (F8E1-slow drain) appeared. According to the manual this could be due to a damaged pump, stuck check valve in the drain line or plugged drain line. I checked all those factors and found the pump and drain line OK. Even though I kept getting the F8E1 error, the dishwasher operated perfectly & to me the drain time seemed the same as always. So I carefully reviewed the service manual and asked myself: "how does the machine "know" that the drain is slow?" The control board records how long it takes for the water level in the sump to reach empty as reported by the OWI sensor. The only defect in this logic is that it assumes that the OWI sensor is operating properly. So if the OWI sensor responds slowly, the control board concludes that the drain system is malfunctioning. So I figured that my drain problem might actually be the OWI sensor. I changed the sensor, and the error code disappeared. Please note that while replacing the OWI sensor is extremely easy, the recommended way to do this is to pull the dishwasher out and tip it on its back to access the mechanical parts on the underside of the machine. This is a more complex undertaking & probably takes me 30 minutes or so to disconnect the machine and pull it out (and a bunch of time to put it back in). Having messed around with this machine quite a bit, I discovered that it is possible to remove the kick plate, reach under the sump and replace the OWI sensor without moving the machine. To do this YOU MUST TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE DISHWASHER because the components under there are directly connected to the L1 "hot" circuit whenever the dishwasher door is closed. Also, if the OWI sensor (which is released by a quarter turn) is stuck, there is no room to get a pliers or wrench under there to get it unstuck. Nevertheless, I successfully replaced the sensor without pulling the dishwasher out. I reasoned that I had nothing to lose because if I was unable to replace the sensor that way, I would just pull out the dishwasher and do it the "correct" way. With my non-traditional approach, sensor replacement took about 10 minutes.
Story submitted on March 30, 2021
Part
Soil Sensor & Thermistor Assembly
Product Rating
Customer
Bruce from WA
Problem
Whirlpool WDT790SLYM3 reporting error code 6 or 6-6, Turbidity/Thermistor problem.
Tools
Pliers to turn assembly CC wise. Couldn't do it by hand.
Repair & Advice
This is error code number 2 out of 2 errors. First was 7-1 heater element, element checked ok resistance wise but could go intermittent when current applied. Replaced heater and then second error came up, soil sensor & thermistor assembly. Replaced both and now dishwasher working like it should.
Story submitted on November 22, 2017
Part
Soil Sensor & Thermistor Assembly
Product Rating
Customer
Mike from AL
Problem
Not heating
Tools
Basic tools
Repair & Advice
Simple change out
Story submitted on March 15, 2017