dishwasher will not wash

[chader]

Our 3 yr old maytag dishwasher fills with water but when it comes to spraying,it sprays poorly from the lowerarm and not at all from the upper.The motor is turning.I don't think the arms are plugged,we have cleaned them recently and everything was working great till the last use.Is the valve a common thing to get plugged and does this sound like a possible fault?I dont know how to check if the pump is working but the tub does drain fine?What makes the arms spin?Is it pressure from the pump?Do the arms come off?ANy ideas would be great,the dishes are taking alot of counter space
Chad.

Model PDB3600AWX

[Repair-man]

Hi Chad;

On your Performa model, it is important that the water level in the tub fills to the bottom of the heater element. If it does not fill properly, you will experience poor wash action and little or no cleaning of the upper rack items. The fill is controlled by the water valve and float switch, but you are only concerned with the valve at this point. Depending on your water quality, sediment can build up inside the water valves, clogging them and reducing the fill rate. Since your dishwasher only allows 2 minutes to accomplish the fill, any clogs within the valve will diminish the amount of water let into the tub during that 2 minutes.

Sometimes you can take the valve apart and clean an internal filter screen, but generally this is not recommended, since it leaves you wide open to leaks if you don't put the valve back together properly. My advice is to replace the valve, since they are very inexpensive.  Your spray arms come off quite easily and should also be cleaned by flushing them under running sink water and removing and grit or debris that you see plugging up the tiny holes in the arm. Further cleaning of the dishwasher with products such as Dishwasher Magic will reduce buildup in the tub and help keep things running smoothly.

[chader]

I will try again tonight,but I think I remember the water level was just below the element.That is correct isn't it?ANy ideay how to check the pump it self?
Chad.

[Repair-man]

"Just below" the element is not the same as "touching". It must touch. If it does not, add some additional water to the tub yourself from the sink and see the difference in wash action by the spray arms.


Yes, you can enter the upper pump by taking off the lower spray arm then removing the screws around the top of the pump cover. Underneath it is a circular screen which filters the water. If this screen becomes clogged with calcite, water cannot pass thru it. The circular screen will lift right out so you can scrub it if necessary, and if it is impregnated  with minerals, place it in a bowl of White Vinegar and use a scrubber to dissolve the residue. That's all the repair you can do without replacing parts.


There is a manual for this dishwasher here on the website...why not read it first then ask questions if you do not grok the manual?

Performa Dishwasher Manual

[chader]

just for the record I got it figured.It was the pump filter all plugged up.The manual was great!Thanx for the help.
Chad