Part
Dispenser Latch
Product Rating
Customer
Eric from TX
Problem
The latch on the soap dispenser on Whirlpool dishwasher broke . The tip on the end broke off.
Tools
Screwdriver.
Repair & Advice
The soap dispenser on the 2015 Whirlpool dishwasher does not accommodate the regular Cascade detergent pods. They are too fat. When you push the door closed, the latch which is supposed to swing over and click shut cannot hold the door closed and the tip broke off. Removing the outer sheet metal door of the dishwasher allowed us to access the dispenser mechanism and find the broken tip as well as the arm which is connected to the solenoid which "unlocks" the door to dump the detergent. The latch which I got from Parts Dr. was a perfect fit. Its amazing how much some places charge for a 25 cent molded plastic part. Anyway, I couldn't figure out to to alight the latch inside the solenoid arm without using excessive force, so I called a repairman who used excessive force and get the part installed and is working perfectly. The $ 127.00 service call negated the savings from the Parts Dr., but at least I didn't break anything. I learned two things 1. Throw the pod of detergent into the bottom of the dishwasher and don't worry about using the detergent dispenser. If you are OCD about using the dispenser, switch to Finish Quantum Powerball pods which are much thinner.
2. It would have been far cheaper to buy the entire dispenser assembly from Parts Dr for less than $ 100.00 and just install the whole kaboodle at once. I would have saved the service call charge, but I would probably have broken the latch again since the service man advised me about the Cascade too fat pods which caused the problem in the first place.
Story submitted on April 28, 2020