FIXED KITCHENAID KUDS30IVWH3 with intermittent panel lites blinking, or coming on after cycle completion

[fixmiester]

Model Number

KUDS30IVWH3

Brand

KitchenAid

Age

6-10 years

Been having strange issues with not being able to start wash cycle, because one or more control panel lites mysteriously come on, either steady, or blinking. When this happens, I cannot clear the lite(s) with the Clear button. I initially had some success with unplugging the power cord for an hour, and it would sometimes solve the problem. But then it would come back. Started searching on line, and saw there was a diagnostic procedure I could run. Found my product support sheets inside the kick panel and read them carefully.

I did the full diagnostic cycle, and found that all the lites were functional at first, but there were a few discrepancies from the flow chart, I. e. some weren't coming on when they should have, and another (Washing) was staying on the whole time. Otherwise the diagnostic cycle fills, washes, drains and heats okay. Unfortunately, this model does not have a digital read out for error codes, so you really have to pay attention to when certain lites should be on/off, or even blink during the 18 different cycle periods (not easy because you can't be certain which period you are in, without a digital readout, and some of the cycle times vary, apparently).

I took apart the drain filter, the food grinder and the different screens and cleaned out everything (no clogs found), and it worked fine for a few days but then went back to same problem modes (which change from time to time). I even replaced the control board, reset everything and ran it through three loads with no problem, except the Drying lite never comes on after the Washing cycle, and it goes straight to Clean, and it is definitely steaming hot, and the heating element has been on..

So my question is this... Is there any way for me to correlate the diagnostic lite patterns to any useful component failure information, or am I just SOL and must resort to replacement roulette, and hope for the best? Any insight or recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Jake]

Hi,

You have a short in your control panel touchpad causing this problem. Seen this many times on my service calls.

Here's the control panel touchpad assembly for your model you can order:
Control Panel WPW10250016


Jake

 

[fixmiester]

Jake, thanks for the quick reply and the expert advice. I am going to tear into it tomorrow, and see if there is anything obvious that I might be able to resolve. If not, I'll be ordering a new panel. Really appreciate your assistance.

 

[Jake]

Glad to help, let us know how it goes.

Jake

 

[fixmiester]

Well I decided to see if I could get it to wash a small load this morning, and it completed in about two hours, without any problems. But a little later the Normal Wash lite came on, and wouldn't clear. So I unplugged it, and then I took the control panel off and performed the Keypad Test, reading ohms and then the diode check as each button was pushed. All buttons tested okay, and there was no signs of corrosion or moisture inside the panel. Bummer.
Then I used the procedure to isolate the keypad ribbon connector from the control board, and see if the drain motor ran for two minutes when the door was closed. It did. So the control board must be OK.
So the problem is intermittent, and I'll have to wait for a hard failure, I guess. But now that I'm more familiar with the test procedures, hopefully I can catch it failing next time. Intermittent problems are a pain!!

 

[Jake]

Yes, the 2 minute drain motor test confirms the control panel keypad is the issue.

The only reason I knew it was bad before you did that 2 minutes drain motor test is because I've replaced about 100 of these on my service calls in the last 30 years, and know the pattern of these control panel keypad failures.

Jake

 

[fixmiester]

Jake, my unit has worked fine the last two washes, so I decided to run the diagnostic and carefully make note of any discrepancies, before I take the next step and order a new control panel. I found that the Clean lite Did Not come on during the intervals 16/15/14, which indicates a problem with the flowmeter. I think I noticed that back in my earlier testing, but I had poor notes back then. The Clean lite does come on for other intervals when it is supposed to. The tub seems to be filling and draining properly every time I've used it.
Is it possible that a faulty flowmeter has contributed to the control panel flashing lites/lack of control issues all along? I appreciate your help (and patience!) Thanks

 

[Jake]

Is it possible that a faulty flowmeter has contributed to the control panel flashing lites/lack of control issues all along?

Not that I'm aware of.

What are you calling the flowmeter? The water inlet valve? I don't see anything called a flowmeter on this model.

Jake

 

[fixmiester]

Note 4 on my Service Diagnostic notes says "If flowmeter is operating correctly, the control will turn on the CLEAN LED when the flowmeter counts 3 or more pulses during these intervals." I have seen a few articles online mentioning a "Turbidity" sensor, but there is no mention of anything like that in my product tech document. But during several Diagnostic test runs, I have never seen the CLEAN LED come on during the intervals mentioned.

 

[Jake]

I'm attaching your tech. data sheet below.

Look at the top at P13-2 and P13-3 its says FLOWMETER--->ON SOME MODELS.

I don't see a flowmeter in the parts list for your model.

Here's the parts diagram for your model:

Parts for KitchenAid KUDS30IVWH3 Dishwasher - AppliancePartsPros.com

Original, high quality parts for KitchenAid KUDS30IVWH3 Dishwasher in stock and ready to ship today. 365 days to return any part.

click.linksynergy.com

Jake

 

[fixmiester]

OUCH!!! I thought these tech sheets were specific for EACH model they came with, silly me. Thank you for pointing that out. As I have run the diagnostics several times over the past week, I see that the OWL sensor (Note 6) sometimes tests okay for all three checks, and sometimes it fails the clean water and/or the air detection tests. Should I be concerned about that? All the tests have been done with an empty dishwasher.

 

[Jake]

You may want to remove the OWI sensor and clean the lens on it FIRST, another member did that and it fixed this problem, Watch the video below to access it. Turn the breaker to your dishwasher off first.

Here's the OWI sensor for your model:
Turbidity Sensor WPW10705575

Jake

 

[fixmiester]

Thanks, I will give that a try. I hope that I can get to it without having to pull out the whole dishwasher. Some videos show it easy to reach, others require a complete pull out and tip over.
You've been a great help Jake, and I really appreciate it.

 

[Jake]

Yes, you can get to it without pulling the dishwasher out.

Take your outer door panel off, then you have better access to those parts under the tub.

You will need a T-15 torx screwdriver: Remove 4 screws (long) across top of door, then remove 10 screws (short) on the sides, then the outer door panel pulls off.

Jake

 

[fixmiester]

Replaced the control panel and the turbidity sensor over the last few days. So far, so good. Really appreciate all your help Jake. Now I have a question about how the Vent is supposed to work.