[pavansut]

Hi, My dishwasher is acting up. The dishes do not get cleaned properly. The dishes in the upper rack do not seem to be getting water but the dishes in the lower rack are also left dirty. I have done a little investigation and have found that the water flows in with good force, but as soon as the water starts to rise through the spray arm, the drain opens up.

I have cleaned the drains - there is nothing stuck in them and water seems to drain just fine. I have opened the float and float seems to move up and down quite nicely.

My guess is that there is not enough water in the dishwasher to spray to the top level. Probably the same reason why the dishes are not getting cleaned. I tried to put some additional water and it seemed to create sufficient spray to reach the top rack. Some postings seemed to indicate that the float switch may be at fault, others talk of the solenoid. I would appreciate some assistance in diagnosing the problem.

Thanks!

[denman]

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for GSD950 models | AppliancePartsPros.com

I have done a little investigation and have found that the water flows in with good force, but as soon as the water starts to rise through the spray arm, the drain opens up.
The drain should not open when the wash starts.
How do you know it is draining as the below seems to indicate that the unit still has water in it?
On the left hand side of the pump assembly is the wash/drain solenoid.
What is it doing.
Up is wash, down is drain.
It should stay up.
There is a little rubber seal in the center of the wash/drain flapper perhaps this is missing. Click on the picture of the pump in the parts and a new page will open with more views. Look down the throat of the pump and you will see it.

My guess is that there is not enough water in the dishwasher to spray to the top level.
The below will only apply if there is not any water draining out of the unit while it fills/washes.
If this is the problem the most likely cause is a partially clogged screen filter on the input side of the water valve.
Remove the valve from the machine and check/clean it.
Do not remove the screen, it is there to keep crud out of the valve which could hold the valve open and cause a flood.

[pavansut]

Hi Denman, thanks for your detailed reply. After your reply I opened up the screen filter and cleaned it out. Still no change in diswasher behavior. So, I took a video of the whole thing to show you exactly what is going on. Please review it - its only a few minutes long - to see if I have stated the problem correctly. Thanks for your time.

Dishwasher Problems - GE Potscrubber GSD 950

Pav

[denman]

I compliment you, your video was very good.

Take a look at the pump, you will see a solenoid on the left hand side of the assembly.
This should be up (plunger).
If you start a cycle it should stay up as this is the wash position.
If it pulls down then there is probably a problem with the timer.

Just watch it.
It should not pull down till after a wash cycle.
One way to check would be to disconnect power from the solenoid.
Start a wash. If it fills and washes OK then you know that the solenoid is getting power when it should not and as far as I know the only thing that can do that is the timer.

The way it works is there is a flapper valve inside the pump assembly.
When the solenoid plunger is up, the flapper is in the wash position, the water is directed up to the spray arms. When the solenoid is down, the flapper is in the drain position, the water is directed out to the drain.

So when the unit is filling with water the flapper should be up in the wash position. The unit fills with water and sprays the dishes.
When it is time to drain the water, the solenoid is activated for about 10 seconds, it's plunger is pulled down, the flapper is moved to the drain position and the water pressure keeps it in the drain position till the unit is empty. The springs on the plunger then pull the plunger up back into the wash position ready for the next fill.

Hope I did a decent job of explaining this.

[pavansut]

Hello Denman
Back after a hectic holiday season - I checked your explanation and just as you said, the plunger does pull down within a few minutes. I looked up the model number, and it is different - GSD3830Z02WW. Would you recommend just replacing the timer, or is there any other test that I can run to confirm the timer problem?

Thanks for your help.

Pav

[denman]

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for General Electric GSD3830Z02WW Dishwasher | AppliancePartsPros.com
Timer is Item 904 in Section 1

If the unit does not refill right after the first drain then my guess would be the timer. Note that the first wash cycle is fairly short on most units.

Only other thing I can think of is perhaps the float/overfill switch is getting pushed up and sticking so the unit thinks it is full of water when it is not.
I doubt this is your problem as the rest of the cycle seems yo run OK re: final rinse.

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner but was at the lake and got stuck there due to a storm.

[pavansut]

Denman, thanks. I have ordered the timer. Lets see if replacing it does the trick. Thanks for your guidance.

[pavansut]

Denman,
I received the timer, replaced it and the washer is still not working right. Still the same problem of water draining too quickly. I guess the timer is not the problem. Would you have any other suggestions? I checked the float, and while the float seems fine, the water does not rise high enough for the float to even function.
Earlier you had mentioned something

There is a little rubber seal in the center of the wash/drain flapper perhaps this is missing. Click on the picture of the pump in the parts and a new page will open with more views. Look down the throat of the pump and you will see it

I wonder if this is worth exploring.
Thanks for your help...
Pav

[denman]

DAMN

I would have bet money that it was the timer since it is not filling after the first pump out.

I checked the float, and while the float seems fine, the water does not rise high enough for the float to even function.
On most units the water should fill to just under the heating element. The float/switch assembly only comes into play when it overfills as it is a safety device to prevent a flood.
You can check this by adding a quart or two of hot water just after it fills and then see if it washes OK.


Earlier you had mentioned something
Yes this is a possibility. If the little rubber seal is missing then the unit will pump out some water while it is washing as the flapper valve is leaking.
Part number: AP2616850



If you click on the picture, more views will open, click on the middle one of the 3 views. If you look down the throat of the pump you will see the little black seal/post in the center of the flapper.

[JuneK33]

I apologize for jumping in, but I have a question. I have seen others advise scleaing the "screen on the water valve". Where is this screen located? Is it on the inlet side of the water fill valve, or is there another water valve?

I am having similar problems with my dishwasher (GSD980T) and don't see a screen on the water fill valve.

Thanks.
If you'd prefer I not hijack this thread, I'll start another.