Maytag dishwasher fills on 1st Cycle but not on following cycles

Dishwasher Repair
1

To All:

I have a Maytag Dishwasher Model MDBH979AWW3. It fills on the first (pre-rinse) cycle, cycles through and drains. There is a pause when it is supposed to fill. No water flows into the machine but the detergent dispenser opens. Therefore, it must know where it is in the program. If left unattended, the pump works but no water sprays on the following cycles as there is no water in the machine. I started opening the machine after the pre-rinse cycle, filling it manually with water until the float valve rises to its proper height. I then close the door and press the “resume” button. It then runs through the wash cycle. After it drains, there is a pause when it should fill. As before, I then manually fill it with water, close the door and press the “resume” button. It completes the rinse cycle, progresses through the drying cycle and shuts off as normal.

Obviously, the fill valve and the float switch work or it would not fill for the pre-rinse cycle. All other functions work properly. The detergent dispenser opens properly, the heating element works, the drain and spray cycles work. The float valve is free, the machine is clean inside. Everything seems to work except the fill cycle on all cycles following the pre-rinse cycle. The issues are the same in the heavy, normal or light wash programs.

Since everything seems to work except the fill cycles following the pre-wash cycle, I suspect the circuit board is defective. Should I purchase and install a new circuit board or is there something else that may be the cause.

Thanks in advance for any help that may be offered.

Tom Hawk

2

To All,

On Jake’s recommendation (another forum) I replaced the fill valve. All is ok!

Tom

3

Thanks for posting the “fix”.

So many people get their appliance repaired, but never tell anyone how it was done or what the real problem was.

I didn’t see this post before or I could have told you to check the water valve.

I’ve seen it many times before. I even spent more than an hour one day, laying on a guy’s kitchen floor watching a dishwasher fill and drain and fill and drain waiting for it to fail. I’d checked it twice before and it worked just fine every time. Then the next day or so, it would fail to fill while I wasn’t there and the customer would call me again.

The last time I was determined to wait till it failed so I could prove it was bad. Sure enough when it finally stopped filling the water the valve coil tested “open”.

The coils have very fine wiring in them and they can develop a hairline crack in the winding that has continuity when cold, but opens up when the coil warms up.

Gas dryers have the same problem with their gas valve coils.