KitchenAid Superba dishwasher won't start

[cmcarter]

Hello, I have an 11 year old KitchenAid Superba dishwasher, model number KUDS24SEWHS. For the last few months it would not always turn on the first time you pressed the start button.Sometimes you had to press the start button multiple times to get it to run. Now, it won't start no matter how many times you press the button.

I haven't been able to get a tech out to check it yet, but was told to replace the control board, switch membrane or the motor will run somewhere between $150 and $400 plus a $60 service call.

Is it worth investing this kind of money into a 11 year old dishwasher? We have not had any other problems with it. It has always been very reliable until now. I am willing to put money into the dishwasher if it will last, but don't want to if it is likely to break down again.

Thanks for your help!

Carolyn

[Dan O.]

cmcarter wrote: was told to replace the control board, switch membrane or the motor will run somewhere between $150 and $400 plus a $60 service call. Is it worth investing this kind of money into a 11 year old dishwasher?
How much was the machine when new and/or how much would it cost to replace with one with similar features?? If the repair will be more than half that cost, leaning toward replacement might be the way to go.

Otherwise, if the rest of the machine is in good shape, it may be worthwhile to have repaired but I don't know if it needed all those parts. Why was replacing the motor suggested? Was it noisy or not performing?

By your description, it just sounds like the control panel switch may have been the problem originally. Now maybe the thermal cutout on the electronic control (see the following link) or the door latch switch failed making it totally inoperable?? But I guess could be a problem in the electronic control itself.

LINK > KitchenAid KUDS24SEWH Thermal Cut Out (http://www.appliance411.com/data.php?rc=679704)

LINK > KUDS24SEWH Control Panel Switch (http://www.appliance411.com/data.php?rc=747493)

LINK > Overlay, Switch Panel, white (http://www.appliance411.com/data.php?rc=747518)

LINK > Door Latch Switch Kit (http://www.appliance411.com/data.php?rc=2713)

By the looks of the door switch kit which is now being supplied for your model, it might be a common possibility for a failure?

JFYI

Dan O.
Appliance411.com (http://www.appliance411.com/?ref411=KitchenAid+Dishwasher)
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[cmcarter]

Thanks for your help. A tech was finally able to come out and look atthe dishwasher. At this pointit was working intermittently.

When the tech removed front of the washer containing the control panel , two red wires were so loose that they came off as the panel was lowered. When those wires were reattached, the washer worked fine. Buttons such as "Rinsh Only" which hadn't worked in monthsnow worked again.

It seems that the problem was just a loose connection. If it happens again and the wires are not loose, then the tech wants to replace the control panel.

Thanks for your help - I was trying to determine how much money to sink into the washer if something expensive had been wrong!

Have a great day.

Carolyn

[Dan O.]

cmcarter wrote: When the tech removed front of the washer containing the control panel , two red wires were so loose that they came off as the panel was lowered. When those wires were reattached, the washer worked fine.
You just never know what you are dealing with until someone actually looks into it. That's why most repair companies are very apprehensive of giving estimates 'over the phone'. They hate to turn someone off a repair with a worst case scenario when maybe the problem is just a burnt wire or a loose connection?

Glad to hear it was a relatively inexpensive repair. Thanks for the follow up.

Dan O.
Appliance411.com (http://www.appliance411.com/?ref411=KitchenAid+Dishwasher)
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[Bill Zucker]

We've got Model KUDS230BWH0, with these symptoms: Won't start, with "CYCLE COMPLETE" lit solid. I'm guessing these models are pretty similar.

When I took off the upper and lower front panels, I found a 3-inch white nylon piece suspended vertically between the door handle and the main switch assembly that had been pushed back, out of place. Normally it activates a metal slider inside the main switch assembly, but with it out of position it couldn't activate the slider.

When I simply moved it back into place and the slider operated, there were a couple clicks and the dishwasher reset itself correctly.

Looking at the particular geometry, I could see how this piece would lose torsional rigidity over the years, allowing it to hang up in the wrong place when the twisting force was applied. Won't know for awhile if simply moving it back was a final solution or not. Might make sense to order the part - can't be that expensive - to make sure it's fixed, and perhaps squirt some lubricant on the upper surface of the slider so over time it would slide easier and easier. There was a little corrosion on the slider.

[Jake]

Hi,

Do you mean your latch assembly#4 here:
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/sect/i/r/p/irp79xqtjj.gif

Here's a link and photo of it:
Door latch assembly
Manufacturer part#9741590 is RepairClinic item#747231 (http://www.repairclinic.com/referral.asp?R=1265&N=747231)
http://www.repairclinic.com/dbImages/00000150/00043334.jpg (http://www.repairclinic.com/referral.asp?R=1265&N=747231)9741590

Jake

[Bill Zucker]

No, but it's the complicated thin nylon piece that would touch the top of the nylon part at the very top of the close-up view you included in your reply, when view sideways like that. I didn't see the piece in the larger parts diagram you gave a link to.

[Jake]

Here's another parts photo, do you see it now?
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/sect/r/z/g/rzg4wyp2jj.gif

Jake

[Bill Zucker]

Yup - Part 5. Thanks for checking.

[Jake]

Ok, sounds good.

Here's Part 5:
Push-button switch resetting spring lever
Manufacturer part#9742256 is RepairClinic item#747389 (http://www.repairclinic.com/referral.asp?R=1265&N=747389)
http://www.repairclinic.com/dbImages/00000042/00012565.jpg (http://www.repairclinic.com/referral.asp?R=1265&N=747389)9742256

Jake