How to remove sump & seal to reach motor

Dishwasher Repair
1

I have disassembled my less than 2 years old Kenmore dishwasher but cannot figure out how to remove the sump and the seal around it to reach the motor and the pump underneath it. I am looking at the sump from inside the dishwasher (a built in type) which is in place under the kitchen counter, I would prefer not to have to remove the dishwasher from underneath the kitchen counter.

I am attaching a line diagram of the sump.

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.

Matt
Sump.jpg (12.2 KB)

2

I just went though the same thing. I have model# 665.13869K602. This manual (Whirlpool) details the steps:
https://secured.whirlpool.com/Service/SrvTechAdm.nsf/2cd44500d572193285256a45004fd9d6/52521bdbd0ef763c85256cbc00520548/$FILE/8178022.pdf

(this dishwasher is manufactured by Whirlpool…I’m sure you know this already.)

<< MAKE SURE TO CUT POWER !!! >>

Start at bottom of page 17 for removal of feed tube and spray arm (my feed tube clips in…not screwed in as in manual). See page 20 for pump/motor removal:

Here’s what I did (after removing inside parts):

  1. remove access panel under door (2 screws).
  2. remove pump motor (pg 21) on right-hand side under pump assembly…has a clip…press clip w/ thumb and turn counter-clockwise a quarter-turn. (may want to put a shallow pan underneath before doing this…water will drain out)
  3. remove drain hose in bottom front…pull clamp back…then pull drain hose loose…more water will come out.
  4. This one is fun…reach way in the back underneath the right center of sump and pull out plastic clip in rear center of assembly. There’s 2 more…one in front and one on left side (you can probably see these 2).
  5. lift the whole assembly up from inside the dishwasher…remove wiring harnesses from motor and OWI (optical water indicator).
  6. everything should be unhooked now…work the whole assembly up and remove from inside of dishwasher.

I found some rust on my motor…looks like the rubber seal leaked water onto the motor and rusted out the bearing. Sounds like a 757 taking off…

Hope this helps.
Mike

3

addendum to previously posted reply (from mearly):

just had repair tech out to replace my motor…it was still under warranty for two months (2 yr warranty on pump/motor assembly…yay…).

Instead of leaving the dishwasher in place and removing pump/motor by working underneath, he disconnected the water line from under sink, pulled the dishwasher out and laid it on its back. This made it much easier to work on bottom of dishwasher.

I guess this is easier…although doing it with dishwasher in place is not that bad.

Best of luck.

4

Hi Mearly,

Your replies have excellent and relevant info, these are greatly appreciated.

I noticed that the chopper assembly is very poorly designed and assembled, it falls apart easily, unless they intend this to be replaced every year or so.

Where can I find if my Kenmore has a 2 year warranty on motor and pump, like your Whirlpool ?

Thanks again

Matt

5

Here is a link to your owner’s manual. Warranty info is on page 3.

http://www.managemyhome.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/L0603133.pdf

See the section titled “TWO-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY ON THE ULTRA WASH WASH SYSTEM” (covers pump, motor, etc).

Mike

btw…my dishwasher is a Kenmore Elite…just like yours. They are both manufactured by Whirlpool…Sears just slaps the Kenmore brand name on them.

6

Thanks for pointing to the warranty info. I noticed that warranty for the second year is limited to the part only. So I assume you had to pay for the labor. I would like to know how much it cost you. I added my ICQ number to my profile, you can use that to send this info to me, instead of posting it here.

Thanks again

Matt

7

I don’t have ICQ, so…anyway I don’t mind telling you here…It cost me a total of $165 in labor (that’s the diagnostic fee and labor to fix). Luckily, he had the whole pump/motor assembly with him. He replaced the whole assembly instead of just the motor. The cost of the whole thing on this site was around $199 after shipping and tax…so I came out to the good using the warranty and paying for labor. The cost of replacing just the motor yourself is about the same as what I paid (for the whole assembly to be replaced under warranty).