[meat42]

After running a complete wash cycle, there is an orange/yellow discharge around the bottom of the washer door and what appears to be some sort of drain. Not sure on that one. Take a look at the pictures. Any ideas?

[denman]

The "some sort of drain" you mention is the overfill protection.
The part you removed is a float. If the unit overfills the float floats and releases a switch (under the tub) that stops the water flow.

Clean it up and see if it re-occurs.

Could be that the detergent type you are using is reacting with something in the water and causing this.

The best detergent is still the powder type.

[meat42]

Thanks. I have cleaned it up several times and it inexplicably reoccurs. I thought it might be a food residue so I even pre-washed all the dishes on several different occasions and again the same residue showed up on a load or two. I do use a powdered detergent already.

[denman]

Could be it is some kind of residue from manufacturing.
Try cleaning those areas with isopropyl alcohol.
If it then feels sticky or rough, try varsol/mineral spirits.
This stuff is stinky so be sure to wipe it off fully before running any dishes.

Could be it is something growing there.
Try washing the area with a 20% bleach solution.
Be sure to wear old clothes unless you are into the bleach blotches look.