Customer Support 7 days a week

Welcome Guest! You can not login or register.

Notification

Icon
Error

Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
wdt710paym3_broken  
#1 Posted : Sunday, December 20, 2015 7:29:36 AM(UTC)
wdt710paym3_broken

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/20/2015(UTC)
Posts: 4

Whirlpool WDT710PAYM3.

The very top (little) arm spins and the bottom (big) arm spin, but the middle arm (under the top rack) does not spin (leaving dishes dirty).

I replaced the main circulation pump - no change.

I checked the float switch - working properly.

I checked/cleaned all the arms - no obstructions, seem fine.

I checked the inlet water screen - clean, no obstructions.

I rigged a switch so that I could trick the unit into thinking the door was closed and I could run it while watching (with the door open). The bottom arm spins, but the middle arm doesn't spin at all (but water does come out the holes in it).

The water fill level was below the heater element, so I tried adding about a gallon of additional water. Now, the middle arm does spin, but spins very slowly (is that normal?).

I have sufficient water pressure to the solenoid, but it seems to just dribble into the tub. Is it possible I have a solenoid that isn't opening far enough, leaving me with insufficient fill? Isn't the purpose of the float valve to make sure it doesn't stop filling until it gets enough water into the tub?

Any thoughts on next steps?
Sponsor
See inside of your appliance - diagrams and part photos for virtually every model.

powered by AppliancePartsPros.com
 
wdt710paym3_broken  
#2 Posted : Sunday, December 20, 2015 8:09:04 AM(UTC)
wdt710paym3_broken

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/20/2015(UTC)
Posts: 4

Update:

I hooked a multimeter to the wires leading to the float switch to see if it was ever getting a "tub full" signal.

The fill solenoid opens for 70 seconds, but the float never gets high enough to trigger the float switch.

For reference, I disconnected the fill line and measured the amount of water coming out in 70 seconds - it's slightly less than 1 gallon.

When I add approximately 1 additional gallon to the tub, the float switch does get triggered, and this stops the fill cycle prior to the 70 second limit.
denman  
#3 Posted : Sunday, December 20, 2015 8:13:58 AM(UTC)
denman

Rank: Advanced Member

Groups: Senior Expert
Joined: 2/29/2008(UTC)
Posts: 19,638

Thanks: 1 times
Was thanked: 11 time(s) in 11 post(s)
The float switch is just a safety to prevent an overflow.

The fill is just a timed event.

It does sound like the fill valve is bad.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
wdt710paym3_broken  
#4 Posted : Sunday, December 20, 2015 8:59:33 AM(UTC)
wdt710paym3_broken

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/20/2015(UTC)
Posts: 4

Thanks, denman. I pulled the fill valve out and tried to check it. If I stick a screwdriver in one side (to depress the plunger and open the valve), I can easily blow air through it. When I hook it to 120VAC, though, it appears that the plunger doesn't move as far - I can blow some air through it, but with much greater restriction.

I'll replace the valve and see what happens.
wdt710paym3_broken  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, December 29, 2015 6:41:20 PM(UTC)
wdt710paym3_broken

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 12/20/2015(UTC)
Posts: 4

Update: The new valve (finally) arrived. I was initially worried, as my "try to blow through the valve while it's energized to assess flow rate"-test didn't show any difference (compared to the one I had assumed was bad). But when I actually hooked it up to water, approximately 2x the flow rate was observed. This has, in turn, fixed the problem with the upper spray arm not rotating.
denman  
#6 Posted : Wednesday, December 30, 2015 3:32:14 AM(UTC)
denman

Rank: Advanced Member

Groups: Senior Expert
Joined: 2/29/2008(UTC)
Posts: 19,638

Thanks: 1 times
Was thanked: 11 time(s) in 11 post(s)
Thank you for getting back to us.

Now when others search for a similar problem they will see what actually worked instead of just suggestions about the possible cause.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
Users browsing this topic
Forum Jump  
You can post new topics in this forum.
You can reply to topics in this forum.
You can delete your posts in this forum.
You can edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You can vote in polls in this forum.