Dishwasher, Whirlpool, old

I’m pretty sure that the model 303522 timer in my very old Whirlpool Dishwasher has gone bad on me. There was a strong electrical burning smell, and now the dishwashes will run for just a few seconds and then stops and the knob is moving, so I know the timer protion is ok. I took the timer out and can see that there is some sign of arching on some of the mechanical contacts. I tried cleaning the contacts with emery cloth but I can’t get in there to clean the lower contacts. The timer assembly itseld is $120. and I’d hate to guess wrong on this. It’s set to be running now and all it’s doing is running in the wash cycle for about two seconds every 5 minutes or so.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I would check the motor. It is more likely to produce a burning smell.

Also it may be overheating and tripping it’s internal overload protector.
That is why the unit only runs for a short while.