[Lmsewell]

My understanding is that this Kenmore Elite model is a rebranded Bosch.

My dishwasher abruptly stopped cleaning dishes. It still appears to go through the cycles, seems to have plenty of water coming in and draining out properly. However, when I open the door suddenly during the wash cycle, the spray arms is never moving, and the water appears to be coming 4 or 5 inches above the spray arm (which seems a bit weak to me). Also, I had always heard water sloshing around inside the dishwasher during its cycle, and now I only hear a faint mechanical hum. I do not know whether this is the normal sound of the motor since the sound has always been covered by the sound of water.

I tried cleaning it out. I removed some popcorn kernels and bits of rice from the spray arms (indicating that food particles had escaped into the recirculation system) and am now able to see water flowing through the arms freely. The flat screen filter was fine; the cylindrical filter had some debris in it. After I removed both of those, I found a few popcorn kernels in the bottom of the bowl, near the intake for the recirculating water. After removing the kernels, I reached into the area (could not see anything) and was able to move what I think is the impeller in a sort of push-stop-push motion. I do not know if this is normal. None of this solved the problem.

We have a couple of ideas about what might be going on.
1. Could there be some food debris clogging the water line that recirculates the water?
2. Could the impeller be blocked by food debris?
3. Could the circulation motor that drives the pump be damaged either by food debris or age?

We now have the dishwasher out of the cabinet and on its side, but no idea of how to get into it to check the pump, motor, or water line. I would love some guidance on possible causes and how to access the circulation system. Thank you.