Need Help With Kenmore Dishwasher

[oscarsnapkin]

I have a Kenmore dishwasher that was installed shortly before we bought our house in 2008. It’s worked great up until just recently and I hate to replace it, especially since it seems to be something stupid that is causing issues. Here’s what’s going on: When I press the “Start/Resume” button to start the wash cycle, the green light will blink three times and it will not turn on. I’ve figured out that if I disconnect and reconnect two of the large connectors from the control board and then press the button, the dishwasher will turn on and work perfectly. However, it seems that this only works for one wash cycle, and the next time I want to use it I have to disconnect/connect the wires again. I figured it was a maybe a problem with the door safety switches, so I jumped both of those and it did not solve the problem. My next thought was the control board. By a strange coincidence someone in my neighborhood had the exact same machine in the trash a few days ago so I took their control board and installed it into my machine. Same symptoms. It seems that if I do not run a cycle the start button will work as normal (example: we only run the machine every two or three days. Over that time I would press the button to see if the machine would turn on, which it did, and then I’d press the “Cancel” button since I didn’t need to run it at that time). So it seems like it only acts up after the machine has run a full wash cycle. I guess it is possible that the control board I found is bad, too, but that would be a bit of a coincidence. I hope all that makes sense. Thanks for any help.

 

[HoosierMark]

I have 30 some dishwashers in my apartments. This is not what you want to hear but just replace it. The pumps start leaking or the door won’t seal, etc. it is just a matter of when something else will stop working. Nothing worse then having a leak or tub full of dishes over a holiday or a leak when you are not home. Watch for a sale or close out and replace it. Your time is worth something and piece of mind even more. There are times to fix and times to replace things.

 

[MikeC55]

Other than replacing the control board with a new one, I'm not sure what else you can do. I believe these boards have jumpers and the position of them can be different, based on model. You want to make sure the jumper settings match the original board.

 

[Alinnh]

if you can get to the wiring harness that goes from the door to the housing check to see if any wires are broken or rubbed through. I had that issue and repaired the wires and got another couple of years out of it, the flexing of the wires every time you open and close the door stresses the wires. This was causing all kinds of issues with the controls.

 

[Karl_B]

A model number would help us find specific information. I think you can try to run a test cycle by pressing Heated Dry, Normal Wash, Heated Dry, then Normal Wash. It if starts and runs through a complete cycle, then great. If not, it should give you a signal with the various LEDs.

 

[oscarsnapkin]

Thanks. Model# 665.13719K601

I tried pressing the sequence mentioned above and it did go through a test cycle. At the end there were no lights on. It then allowed me to turn it on and it worked normally. I’m wondering if the problem was indeed one of the door switches. Could it be since I jumped the switches that it doesn’t know that the door is being opened after I run a wash cycle so it doesn’t allow me to start a new wash cycle being that it knows it’s clean? I put two different switches in that I got from the “donor” dishwasher and I will see what happens (they both tested OK with a meter). I have to wait until I run a full wash cycle again to see how it acts.

 

[Karl_B]

A quick search didn't find that any manuals yet, but if the test cycle got it through it's issue, that would be great. Keep us updated.

 

[no704]

Not a dishwasher, but clothes washer would not start another cycle. Bad lid switch. Was not seeing it open.

 

[carcruse]

Found this:
A flashing Start/Resume light on a Whirlpool dishwasher for three times can indicate that Control Lock is enabled or that the cycle was interrupted by a door opening. To resolve this, try holding the Control Lock button for three seconds to deactivate it, or press the Start/Resume or Cancel button while ensuring the door is firmly closed. If the issue persists, you may need to try a full power reset or check for a door latch issue.

 

[BillK]

I have had good luck getting help from guys on this forum:

DIY Appliance Repair Help

DIYers get help from real appliance repair technicians on any major kitchen or laundry appliance problem!

appliantology.org

 

[oscarsnapkin]

FIXED!! So it was one of the door safety switches. I had thought that since I’d jumped the switches that it took them out of the equation, but apparently the control board wants to know that the door has been opened before it allows another wash cycle to start. I replaced the switches with the two that I got from the donor machine. I just ran a full wash cycle and tried to start a new wash before opening the door and the start light blinked just as it did when I was having issues. I then opened and closed the door and tried to start again and it worked fine. Thanks for all the help.

 

[PassnThru]

FIXED!! So it was one of the door safety switches. I had thought that since I’d jumped the switches that it took them out of the equation, but apparently the control board wants to know that the door has been opened before it allows another wash cycle to start. I replaced the switches with the two that I got from the donor machine. I just ran a full wash cycle and tried to start a new wash before opening the door and the start light blinked just as it did when I was having issues. I then opened and closed the door and tried to start again and it worked fine. Thanks for all the help.

Outstanding!
It makes full sense once you point it out but it's not intuitive.
But now it's implanted in my brain and my troubleshooting skills just went up a few points.
That's why you read a thread about Kenmore dishwashers even when you don't have one.