Thread: GE Dishwasher drain problem

Sounds like something is jamming the drain flapper open or the lingage..or the timer is feeding voltage to the drain coil at all times. Next time it does this pull the wires off of the draincoil to see if it will close...so you can see if it is mechanical or electrical...

I am currently struggling with this same problem. How did you resolve the issue? I have done the following: With cycle not in process, the drain solenoid plunger moves up/down freely and the drain flapper moves freely. After that I figured it was a timer issue. Bought it, installed it, didn't fix the issue. After further investigation, I've confirmed again that the solenoid is powered correctly, pulling the plunger down, thus opening the flapper. What I observed last night is that the coil is powered (confirmed by it feeling it's downward force) for several seconds then actually is turned off (plunger now freely moves up/down). However, after the solenoid is de-energized, the flapper stays open! What is holding it open now? I reached in and could not manually move it. Meanwhile, the pump is running, and eventually the fill valve opens to bring in the next cycle's water only to be pumped out immediately!
At the back of the washer is a screen covering a check valve. I believe this is called the drain check valve. Is this correct? How does it work? When the drain flapper is opened the pump discharge appears to go back to this device. The check valve looks like it would "check" and keep the drain water from going up through the screen and back into the tub. Is this correct? Could this check vavle not functioning correctly cause back pressure to keep the drain flapper open even when the solenoid is deenergized?

Please HELP

Repair or replace your Drain Checkvalve. I did this and it fixed my problem. In the back of the tank, remove the filter screen (only 4 screws). You'll see the check valve. It's threaded in and is easily removed. Mine was gunked up with soap residue which didn't allow it to "check" freely. After cleaning and replacing, I noticed that during the drain cycle the volume of water entering my disposal has increased and that the drain time is decreased (makes sense). What still isn't clear to me is how the check valve was causing some back pressure on the drain valve that would not allow it to return under its spring force.
Hope this helps somebody else before spending $60 on a timer and/or $30 on a drain solenoid kit.

Good Luck!

Sorry I wasn't able to get to your post in time, but thanks for coming back to inform us about your fix.

Jake

That piston and nut assembly back there is one of the most common failures/ repairs I do on these. oh, and the motor and pump assembly.