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Dobermann  
#1 Posted : Wednesday, November 5, 2008 8:35:09 PM(UTC)
Dobermann

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Joined: 11/4/2008(UTC)
Views messages in topic : 48

I never have good luck with dishwashers. None of ours have ever washed even so much as a butter knife (flatware evenly spaced in basket, too!). We've tried not washing before putting them in to leave food protein, jet dry liquid & baskets, recirculating hot water pump, Cascade, Electrasol All-in-1 packets, etc. Arms spin, water shoots, dishes remain dirty. Avacado stains bake on. The only thing that works is babysitting the machine by constantly adding a large, large pot of boiling water every time it empties, then adding vinegar to this for the final rinse. Needless to say, it has become an expensive dish rack!

It does "fill" with water, but not quite 100% coverage of the heating element. It just does not seem to wash anything unless we have added the boiling water to fill it to the max before overflowing. Then you can hear water swishing around in it and the dishes come out clean, but as before, we have had to pre-wash all the dishes and flatware.

We have a no-salt softener ( http://www.hansonwater.com/mag.html ). I know this system really does something, as all our water goes through it and the water does not leave the salt and mineral circles on the porch and rocks when exterior plants are watered like what happens at the neighbors.

This machine is such a joke in our household. We complained from the start when we got it. Maytag sent out several repairmen, but none of them could get it to wash proper.

To add insult to injury, the top lights where you select the settings have gone dead. The front "start" button and time remaining lights are dead, too. Yet, it will run if you know to press the start button on the front. But you cannot select anything or cycle - it just runs on what it seems to remember from the last time. Recently, though, it has taken to stopping mid-cycle or stopping just shortly after starting. I think it is flipping me off.

I spent so much on this DW because it was supposed to do such a good job cleaning, what with all the 40-some-odd jets it has. What a joke! I have a friend with one like it that swears by it. Husband can't help but sweetly remind me of this every time we try to use it.

I would love to sell it to someone (with full disclosure) and buy a new one. I could then hold the seller to the fire and not let them off the hook until the new one worked satisfactorily or else they can take it back. That's what I should have done in the first place, but I did not think of it then. I guess I wanted this DW to work so badly that I was not rational.

Anyhow, what should I do (besides fill it with lighter fluid and see what happens)?

Cheers,
Dobermann
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richappy  
#2 Posted : Thursday, November 6, 2008 1:35:43 AM(UTC)
richappy

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Joined: 9/10/2007(UTC)
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Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)
Check both spray arms for clogged holes, clean out if necessary.
The side holes, if clogged, prevent the spray arm from turning. You can open the door a few times to verify spray arm is turning.
irpgal  
#3 Posted : Friday, November 7, 2008 5:04:15 PM(UTC)
irpgal

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Joined: 11/7/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1

I have a Maytag Model MDB4100AWW that I bought used. It was doing such a bad job I felt like trashing it; instead of cleaning, it just seemed to be spreading the mess to all the dishes. But I looked at the diagrams on this site, dismantled part of the spray arm and motor in the bottom, and soaked all the parts in vinegar at least 24 hours to get the caked on hard-water deposits off. I also poured a lot of vinegar on the parts that I did not take off. I just put it all back together last night and now it washes GREAT! I may still buy the secondary filter that I could not dismantle to thoroughly clean, but right now, performance is truly impressive compared to before.
Dobermann  
#4 Posted : Saturday, November 8, 2008 12:02:46 AM(UTC)
Dobermann

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Joined: 11/4/2008(UTC)
Views messages in topic : 48

IRPGal, that's good to hear it worked well for you. I guess this weekend I will be taking it apart somewhat myself to have a look around, although I cannot imagine that it is caked with hard water, what with all the vinegar that we pour in it when we do use it. But... you never know until you take it apart.

But first I would like to find a schematic or something, but they do not have the manuals here or any parts for this model. I have sent an email a few days ago, but have not heard anything back yet. I guess they are busy folks!

Cheers,
Dobermann
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