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.

The soap dispenser on our Bosch SHU66C doesn't open on every wash cycle. From reading the forum, it looks like I need to replace the dispenser. Is it also necessary to replace the gasket at the same time? And, I've been reading about problems with the tabs that hold the dispenser in place. Is there a trick for dealing with those?

Thanks.