OK Gene-that info was valuable.
with the dishwasher set to Normal cycle it filled with water for 85 seconds. During this time, only 1.06 US galons of water entered.
i then tested the volume of water that could enter before teh fill turn off switch would activate with the float. in this case, when 2.12 US galons were put in the dishwasher, then the float switch would click, indicating that the water would turn off. when the water is in the dishwasher it is still below the heater.
so based on the above, i am thinking that the water line or valve is not large enough for an adequeate/required amount of water to enter. i will have to replace them. The pressure is around 60 psi. no other water sources were on.
The other thing that confuses me a bit, is that you indicated that i should measure how much water i can put in to the machine and that it should be about 5-6 US galons. Just to clarify, this 5-6 US galons is for the entire cycles and not just the 1 cycle. however, if i have this wrong and it takes 5-6 US galons just for the normal washer, please let me know.
thanks again.