Pump & Motor Assembly

Pump & Motor Assembly

GARY from WA

The main circulation pump had become very noisy. A sign it was failing.

Channel locks for pump hose clamp, 5/8 end wrench for hot water connection, 1/4 inch socket for hose clamp and lower front dishwasher panel screws, and cordless drill with three inch 1/4 socket holder for dishwasher side holding screw removal, flat cardboard to protect the floor and several bath towels for water that runs out during disassembly.

Top of line KitchenAid approximately 10 years old. Replaced the entire circulation pump assembly. Videos on YouTube make it look easy. The most difficult part was getting the pump assembly to seat into position. Liquid soap, or Vaseline type lubricant is a must. Also, helps to have another person to push and hold the assembly while someone inserts three white plastic hold clips. If it's your first attempt in life to repair an appliance be prepared to have an abundance of patience and watch those online videos. Problems I did not anticipate were when I pulled the dishwater out from it's installed position, I did not realize the hot water hose was only long enough to reach with the dishwasher installed. Had to then disconnect it from the bottom of the dishwasher, connect it to the hot water outlet, then reconnect to the dishwasher intake. Also, the builder/plumber/electrician directly hardwired the dishwasher to the electrical rather than utilizing a the 20 amp plug to the outlet the electricians had installed under the sink. Not a huge deal, but annoying. There are two screws placements holding the dishwasher left and right along the inward sides. Reinstalling the dishwasher side holding screws was a nightmare, so I abandoned the original screw for a 1" screw with a washer...that's where the cordless drill came in handy. Disassembling the interior water supply to the top rack was a discovery mission as to how it was attached to the back interior wall. It is held with a squeeze clamp. Then reassembly required some forceful effort. After 3 hours, some bleeding, and choice words, the dishwasher is basically new. I also replaced the drain pump while I had it apart. Certainly worth the time and small expense rather than a new $1500 dishwasher.

Pump & Motor Assembly

William from VT

Kitchen Aid dishwasher getting increasingly loud - very bad whining sound after filling when cycle would start. Dishes still getting cleaned but dishwasher so loud we knew something was wrong

Basic tools - phillips screw driver, 5/8" open end wrench for water suppy line

Diagnosed by reading various forums and other online parts suppliers. Watched a couple videos about how to replace the whole pump assembly. Parts Dr was much less expensive and shipping was SUPER fast! Followed all steps in videos: unplug electricity, disconnect water supply, pull out dishwasher, flip on back, disconnect electrical harnesses, twist to remove sump pump, push entire assembly up through from bottom, flip dishwasher upright and slide into place a little, remove entire assembly, wet gasket of new one, push into place firmly, pull dishwasher back out, replace three retention clips and all wiring harnesses and twist sump pump into place, make sure assembly is well sealed in place, put everything back. Should take about 1.5 hrs. But for the first time it probably took 2-3 hrs. Plus I had to run into town to buy a new water supply line.

Pump & Motor Assembly

Jason from TX

Dishwasher made loud screeching noise during operation.

I used a phillip head screwdriver, pliers for hose connection new wire nuts and electrical tape.

The longest part of the job was removing and re-installing the dishwasher from the cabinet. Replacing the pump was fairly simple. All electrical connections and hoses were easy to remove. Using dish soap to lube the seal made installing the pump assembly into the base easy. Watching the repair video online was very helpful. Parts and connections fit perfect. No more noisy dishwasher.