How do I take remove strainer/ Clean heating element?

Dishwasher Repair
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]Whirlpool Quiet Partner II[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]OK, [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]My mother got a new dishwasher a few years back and it has never cleaned the dishes adequately, they are always covered with a thin film (hard water, soap?), her last dishwasher never did this and it was 15 years old when she replaced it. After much complaining to the store where she purchased it she was told to add vinegar to the rinse cycle, because “you have hard water”. This never solved the problem; additionally the washer has always emitted a strong odor toward the end of the cycle and during the heated dry. (Oh yeah, and the cycles run forever, even on a light wash) Basically it smells like burning plastic, but nothing is resting on the heating element so I don’t know what’s causing the smell.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]So last week decided to take a closer look and low and behold what looks like a plastic bag is trapped beneath the screen/strainer along with some other debris. However after removing the sprayer arm and the screws I can not get the strainer to budge.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]-How do I disassemble this thing without breaking it? The plastic inside feels rather brittle, but this could be just the same filmy residue that’s left on the dishes, right?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]-Also, the heating element is encrusted with about a sixteenth of an inch of mineral deposits, I honestly have never seen this sort of residue on a heating element before, and it smells like, you guessed it… burning plastic. How should I go about cleaning it?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000]Any suggestions would be much appreciated.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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Looks like there are a lot of hard water deposits (calcium), accumulated in your dishwasher which causing poor wash quality and a bad smell.

In order to clean up the dishwasher from hard water deposits I would recommend to use a white vinegar. You can find the complete instructions in one of our previous posts: http://forum.appliancepartspros.com/dishwasher-repair/7757-whirlpool.html

It is very important to choose a right detergent for best performance. One of the most important parts of a detergent you’re going to use is the amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus softens water and helps prevent water spots on dishes. It’s always written somewhere on a box or a bottle of the detergent. If water in your area is really hard (8+ grains per gallon) you have to use a detergent with at least 8.7% pf phosphorus content.

Another thing which could affect performance of the dishwasher is insufficient amount of water. Check the level of water during a wash or rinse cycle. It suppose to be about 1/2" bellow the top of the pump.

The model number you posted does not come up and I’m not able to tell you anything about disassembly procedures. Verify and repost the model number.

Gene.