Our GE dishwasher developed a "ticking" sound over the last few days. I removed front panel, then the top panel and found that some screws holding down one of the straps circling the drum had come loose. I tightened them, fixing the clicking. I put the front and top panels back on. I plugged the dryer back in and everything lit up fine. I pushed the start button and immediately, the lights on the left side of the panel flickered and sparks came out of the bottom of the control panel, accompanied by smoke that "electrical fire" smell. I immediately hit "stop", which stopped the problem, and unplugged the dryer. I took the front panel off again looking to see if there was some wire caught or cut but didn't find any issues. The wires to the door switch and lights all look fine, and there was no sparking there that I could tell. I did not disconnect any wires after removing the front panel, I simply spun it that side and set the panel against the wall.

So, any ideas on what I might have done to cause this? Any trouble shooting steps?


Thanks,

Michael