Hello all,

I've lurked on this forum a couple of times, and finally had a problem that I haven't seen posted before, so here I am. I have a Maytag PDB4600AWX Performa dishwasher, about 5 years old, that won't drain. All other functions appear to be working normally (filling, heating).

When the drain cycle activates, either as part of the normal wash cycle or if I manually start it, I can hear the motor running. However, the weird thing is that instead of water exiting through the drain, it simply seems to recirculate through the upper wash arm (when I open the door, I can watch it finish running out of the upper arm). It almost seems as if the motor fails to reverse (which, I believe, is what it is supposed to do to drain), and instead continues to run forward, recirculating the water via the upper arm. This spontaneously started happening yesterday.

Things I've tried to no avail
- disconnected drain hose to ensure it is not clogged
- cleaned out trap (wasn't obstructed, nor was the hose)
- took apart the lower arm assembly, as well as the pump cover, micromesh filter, upper discharge housing, impeller, suction plate, cutter disc and chopper plate - the only thing I didn't remove was the drain impeller under the chopper plate; this was done mostly to ensure that there was no junk blocking anything up

Bottom line: none of this worked, and I'm not sure what to do next. I have the service manual, but it hasn't helped. Automatic Test Function came back with no errors.

One thing I'm not sure about is that, during the disassembly, there was a small green plastic check ball (about 1/4" dia) inserted in a small "neck" in the suction plate. It was quite hard to remove (jammed in quite good) - I'm not sure if this should be free-moving or not, and the manual doesn't specify.I cleaned it off, and put it back in - still not moving freely, and it seems to me that perhaps it should. Another possibility: I suspect that there may be a sticky/faulty solenoid, but I have no idea where it is.

Previous repair history on this dishwasher: I had to replace the drain hose about a year ago (fairly easy); and about 3 years ago, the motor failed to work at all, although timer functions seemed to work normally - turned out that one of the wires leading from the control panel in the door to the motor (blue wire) had been stressed at the hinge and broke internally - repaired by replacing said wire. No other issues.

Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated. I have a VOM for testing, but am somewhat a newb - so if your suggestion involves testing circuitry, please speak slowly and in short words

Thanks in advance,
Czum

Hi Czum,

Yes, on this model the motor reverses to drain.

This may be abit more involved than you think, it would be impossible to go step by step with you on just a repair forum like this, without me actually being with you to show you how to run the tests.

You'll need to run the field service test on page 3-5 here:
http://www.servicematters.com/maytag...s/16010622.pdf (you can print it out)
You can also test the motor with a test cord for the drive motor test on page 1-3 & 1-4.

Here's the control board for your model:
Manufacturer's Number: 99002829

99002829


Here's the pump/motor assembly for your model:
Manufacturer's Number: 99002481

99002481

Jake

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Hi Jake,

Thanks for your quick reply. I've tried the Automatic Function Test listed in the repair manual, with no errors coming up. I don't think the manual test will be any more informative. As you've surmised, it's likely either the pump itself, or the control panel, but I'm not sure the best way to diagnose it. If I remove the control panel, should a local technician be able to test/diagnose it if I bring it in to them? Same question regarding the pump. Or is it best to have someone come in and diagnose it in the intact dishwasher?

Another possibility is the wiring harness leading from the control panel to the motor - as I mentioned, I previously had a problem with a wire breaking due to flexing at the hinge. However, there was no outward appearance of damage other than a compression of the wire insulation - the wire had broken internally due to flexing. I suppose I could try to test for continuity in the wire regulating the drainage function of the pump - from my read of the schematic, I believe that this is the red wire.

Do you know if there is a relay or solenoid behind the access plate that regulates a drain valve that may be faulty/stuck? Or does water simply flow to the correct hose (recirc vs drain) due to the inherent design of the pump assembly, depending on the direction of the motor rotation, in which case there would be no need for such a solenoid/relay/valve? It is unclear from my reading of the service manual.

Thanks again!

Very good questions, but I know the answer to all of them.

I don't see this model here in the states, so I don't know.

Its probably best to have a local service tech. come out in your area.

Jake

__________________
Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
Wards Appliance Tech. 11 yrs. 1990-2001
Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
Jake's Appliance Repair Nov. 2005-present

If you need more repair advice help on your appliance, click Here

Look-Up & Order Parts

Shop Home Appliances