[mtds]

My Bosch SHX 68P 0 5UC/53 dishwasher is not cleaning the dishes.

At the end of the cycle, the dry soap/rinse tablet is laying in the bottom of the dishwasher. I interrupted a cycle and there was water in the base and dripping from the racks. I checked the base filter and both spray arms and they look clear.

Two questions:

1. Short term, can I manually insert the tablet at some point in the cycle to clean the existing load?

2. How can I identify the source of the problem?

I have fixed a previous dishwasher and a washing machine with your help. I am a retired electromechanical tech.

[Gene]

Hello,

Open the door during the wash cycle to see how the spray arms are rotating and how much water is inside the dishwasher. Post the results.

Gene.

[mtds]

Originally Posted by Gene

Hello,

Open the door during the wash cycle to see how the spray arms are rotating and how much water is inside the dishwasher. Post the results.

Gene.

Thank you, Gene, for replying to my post.

I ran the machine and opened the door a few times. Each time the spray arms had moved from the position I set them in before closing the door, but were not moving when I opened the door. (I would have guessed they would still be coasting to a stop after opening the door, but they were not moving.)

Water filled the bottom of the machine.

John

[Gene]

Hi John,

Try to add 1/2 of gallon of water and check the spray arms again.

Gene.

[mtds]

Originally Posted by Gene

Hi John,

Try to add 1/2 of gallon of water and check the spray arms again.

Gene.

Hi Gene,

Thank you for the suggestion, but I think adding more water will make it overflow. When I interrupt a cycle the sump is full, as well as the shallower area around it. Also, the racks and "ceiling" of the washer are dripping, and the spray arms spin freely with a light touch.

On one of my test runs yesterday I put a soap/rinse tablet in the dispenser and at the end of the cycles it was completely gone. That was different from recent uses, when the dishes were warm and wet but not clean, and the tablet was lying in the bottom of the machine, still dry. Maybe the problem has something to do with the timing of the release of the tablet?

I'm thinking that today I might take off the dress panel and look at the wax motor and linkage to the dispenser. Maybe I'll find a bad connection, mechanical or electrical. I could also do a resistance check on the wax motor (2150 ohms, right?). Does that make any sense to you?

Thanks again for trying to help me with this.

John

[Gene]

Hi John,

If the tablet was laying on the bottom that means the dispenser did open.

You said

...Water filled the bottom of the machine...

How deep?

Gene.

[mtds]

Originally Posted by Gene

Hi John,

How deep?

Gene.

Hi Gene,

Measured during the wash cycle, right next to the "Large Object Trap/Filter Assembly", the water was one and one-quarter inches deep.

John

[Gene]

Hi John,

It sounds like there is not enough pressure in the wash system. It can be caused by insufficient amount of water or a bad circulation pump performance.

I don't think you will overflow the dishwasher by adding some more water. Add 2-3 cups and post the results.

Gene.

[MrD]

I had a similar problem where the soap packets would turn into a gooey mess and remain stuck in the dispenser.

After much research, I stumbled across a description of the function of the wax motor. Based on the description, I came to the conclusion that the motor/actuator system that operates the soap dispenser, ALSO activates the rinse. OR - another way of saying it would be that the FIRST time the motor is activated, it dispenses soap. The SECOND time the motor is activated, it dispenses rinse.

What would happen if you were to interrupt the dishwasher AFTER the soap was dispensed and BEFORE the rinse.

I ran an empty cycle for about 20 - 30 minutes ... interrupted the cycle ... then ran it again.

Yeah ... the problem was fixed and it has been working flawlessly for about a month now.

BEFORE you spend a bunch of money on parts and the labor to replace the unit, try this "free" approach. I hope it works for you like it did for me.