I have an 11 year old Kenmore Ultra Wash 665.1694190 dishwasher that is DOA. None of the panel lights will respond to any combination of buttons. The display is completley black. This occured during the day while we were at work and was not associated with any wash cycle. We came home and it was dead. After researching common problems here in the forum I have checked the following things.

There is power to the junction box and from the junction box to the control panel. Voltage is 120 at both points.

All three micro switches on the door latch check out ok - Normally open and then all closed when the door is shut.

Both the high limit thermostat and the low thermostat on the bottom of the tub are functioning correctly.

I've unplugged the 15 pin connector at the board for an hour. No change. I shut off the circut breaker for an hour, still no change.

I checked all plug connectors all over the machine, unplugging and repluggling them, and they all appear fine.

I did note that there is a small black component on the back of the circut board, behind the 15 pin plug and the coil, that appears to be loose and hot. It has a black base and what appears to be a copper heat sink with a hole in the middle of it sticking out the top. It is smaller than a dime in size and appears to have three pins that come out of it that are soldered to the board.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? It doesn't appear to be a very common model. A replacement control board looks to be $400. I'm not willing to spend that much on an 11 year old machine so I'm hoping for a few more ideas on things to check. Thanks for your help.

Chuck Lanter

That is probably a relay, but you would need the complete control board to fix your dishwasher.

Your right, its like $399.00. I was shocked when I saw that price, thats probably the highest priced dishwasher control board I have ever seen.

11 years is good for the life of a dishwasher nowadays.

It would be better to just invest that $400 into a new dishwasher.

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

Thanks very much for your help Jake. I had a feeling this would be the case. Do you have any opinions or recommendations on what brands or models should be near the top of the list to buy, or those that should be avoided?

Thanks,
Chuck

I made a list awhile back, and its still the same as I would make today.

Here:
http://www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/showthread.php?t=3

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