I have been having problems with this 1 year-old dishwasher lately. Problem is that small bits of food are left on some of the dishes AND soap scum left on glasses.

Here's what I have done so far:

1) Chopper and filter cleaned out. Check valve looks OK
2) Ran Tang in dishwasher to dissolve some of the lime build-up
3) Ran Vinegar through dishwasher (same reason as above)
4) Reset the dishwasher by going through the diagnostic cycle

I noticed that the cap on the rinse-aid dispenser had partially melted. I went to Sears Parts Department and they said this happens often. Why would the cap on the rinse-aid dispenser melt? Sounds like a fire-hazard to me. I have the hole in the cap plugged for now until I order a new one. I also took apart the soap dispenser and got all of the water out of the rinse-dispenser.

My wife has started using the new Cascade phosphate-free detergent in the light green box. I am starting to suspect this may be the root of our problem.

However, the biggest question is this:

I ran the dishwasher this morning through a cycle with NO dishes and NO soap as a test.

About 1/4 through the cycle, I opened the door and saw soap suds!! Where is the soap coming from? Again, the dishwasher was empty (it had drained completely), no water at bottom, and I did not add any soap before starting the cycle. Is there a screen someplace that I don't know about?

Thanks for any advice. Hope all of the above info points to a single problem that can be fixed.