I'm visiting my mother and trying to fix her dishwasher. It is a Frigidaire model GLDB957JB0. It had a few inches of water in the bottom for a very long time (weeks) because it wouldn't drain and she didn't know what to do. I added bleach and let it sit to kill the mold. I sucked the water out. I sprayed water in and sucked that out also (twice). I removed a clog at the disposal, which fixed the drainage problem somewhat. I removed all of the interior parts and cleaned them. The holes in the arms are not obviously clogged.

When I run through a cycle, I hear the pump and water filling. At the end, the gel packet is half dissolved in the bottom, there is about 1 inch of water in the bottom, and the dishes are not clean. We re-ran it and opened it in the middle. The water is hot and sitting at the level of the element. No water is on the dishes so apparently none is coming from the arms.

I've got vinegar sitting in it to see if the water in it might have left deposits. I tried adding a gallon of water manually but what I added seemed to drain right back out.

I'm hoping it's not the pump (I'm hearing it) but I'm not sure what should force the water through the arms. I'm also not sure if there should be that half inch or so of water in the bottom when the cycle is complete. Sorry I've written a book but I'm not sure what is relevant and I wanted to list what I've tried and observed. Thanks!