Over the past six years of owning this whirlpool, have had to replace the water inlet valve four times, due to top rack not getting clean. It has happened again. Does this sound reasonable? Any ideas on what else might be going wrong? Water inlet valve part number is AP317861.
Seems very high.
Before replacing the valves did you check that the screen filter on the input side of the valve was clean.
Remove the valve from the unit and check/clean the screen filter.
Do not permanently remove the screen filter from the valve as it is there to keep crud out of the valve which could hold it open and cause a flood.
Check the voltage across the valve when it is being activated, should be around 120 volts.
Haven’t done anything yet with the inlet valve because i wanted to try some more things before buying a new one. I manually filled the dishwasher, probably too full, and noticed that the top arm is not getting enough water to spin at all. The bottom and middle arms are moving, but seem rather slow to me. What other things can i check before putting more money in this unit? Thanks for your help.
Here is a manual.
The pump should be the same as yours.
I hope the unit is a close match to yours as there is no manual for a 2500.
Whirlpool 8178741 2008 Undercounter Dishwasher Service Manual - ApplianceDigest.com
You have to join the site to download the manual but it is free and this is a very good site for manuals and other info for the appliance repair DIYer.
Check the pump filters, chopper etc.
After replacing water inlet unit and cleaning the guts of the unit (chopper was clean), still not getting enough water pressure to the top impeller. The bottom impeller seems nice and strong, the middle impeller will turn, but only sprays 3 to 4 inches upward, and some water comes out of the top impeller in pulses, but not enough to make it turn. Also ran the unit with vinegar and dishwasher magic, but neither made much difference. What is the next step? Thanks again for your help.
We are running out of options.
Try adding a quart or 2 of hot water after the fill to see if the unit will run OK.
This is a long shot but who knows since you have had a lot of valve problems you may not have plumbing problems.
Check the rear water feed tube (Item 1 in Section 10).
Check the connecting probe (Item 9 in Section 10).
Sorry but I could not find ‘connecting probe’ (item 9 in section 10). Section 10 of what guide? Thanks again for all the answers.
Sorry about that I did not give the link.
Replacement parts for WHIRLPOOL GU2500XTPQ3 UNDERCOUNTER DISHWASHER | AppliancePartsPros.com
Regarding adding an extra 2 quarts of water - that does help - water will start flowing from the top impeller. Re the water feed tube and probe, both were fine. One thing i noticed with the extra water - the pump seems to pulse, is that expected? Is there any way to adjust the water level sensor to let more water in? Thanks again for all your help.
[COLOR=“DarkRed”]noticed with the extra water - the pump seems to pulse, is that expected?[/COLOR]
I do not know but since it now pumps OK I think there must be a problem in the filling of the unit but that is as far as I can go.
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Is there any way to adjust the water level sensor to let more water in?[/COLOR]
No. The float is just a safety device to prevent floods if the valve stays open.
The fill is just a timed event and there is not way to adjust it.
I’ve noticed there is a lot of water leaking through the top impeller (cheap plastic piece). Do you think replacing that piece would add more water pressure?
PS: denman, thanks for getting up before 6 am on a saturday to answer questions. You are amazing!
It is worth a try.
Perhaps you could jiggery pokery something to stop the leak temporarily just to see if it works before replacing a part.
Anyplace there is a leak will cause wash problems so I would also check the spray arms for cracks etc.