Amana ADB1400 Stops and Drains before completing normal wash

[bg02578]

After about 15-30 minutes my Amana dishwasher will stop mid-cycle, drain, and then shut off (including all of the indicator lights on the panel).

When this happens, the red drain LED turns on as if the Drain/Cancel switch had been pushed.

It appears to be doing this regularly, but I was able to get it to run a full cycle once  by cutting the power to the dishwasher for a minuter or two.

The switches are membrane switches.   Do they go bad?  The Drain/Cancel switch seems to function correctly (push it the red LED turns on and a drain cycle starts).

Where can I get a service manual?

Can the dishwasher control program decide to activate  "Drain/Cancel" for some reason?

I see this identical problem posted elsewhere, but no solutions are offered.

Thanks

[Bailey]

We all run into problems we haven't seen before. This is an unusual one. Sounds like a problem with the board. the only other thing that comes to mind would be a stuck key on the membrane switch. Some wiring diagrams will include a way to check continuity of the membrane matrix.Often you just have to narrow down the suspects and make a educated guess.

[bg02578]

Bailey,

Thanks for the suggestions. I was thinking the same thing.  I will repeat an experiment I tried - which is to lock out the buttons (an option on this model).   This seems to have worked once last night for a 1 hour, no hi temp, no heated dry mode with the lock feature turned on.

The dishwasher (over 2 years old and outside any warranty) belongs to a friend.  I have a couple of Kitchenaid dishwashers installed in 1984 which have never given me any trouble.

Is the control program in the dishwasher smart enough to detect a problem, drain the dishwasher and cancel the wash cycle.
If not then, as you said it has to be a control board/membrane switch problem.

Too bad I can't just plug in an OBDII reader in to the dishwasher and find out what is wrong like in a car.

The control module  is  a W10319897 - I think.
 How long does it take a pro to replace the control board? 
Would I learn anything by running a manual test/ field service test on the dishwasher?

I have been fixing appliances all my life 65+, so I will give it a try.


Barry

[Bailey]

Some boards n give you a failure code but can't recall one being smart enough to cancel and drain on its own.It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to replace the board.

[domain]

LG top loads drain (dr) when left paused or errored out for *8 minutes for safety

[bg02578]

Locking out the buttons doesn't work.

The problem is just intermittent.  Failed again and then ran OK and turned on the clean LED.

I will try a few more things and then replace the control board.

I see that I can buy a re-manufactured control board for $45.00 and the seller claims to additionally fix other known defects.

It would be useful to get a replacement that would last more than two years.   Do the manufacturers rev the boards to make them more reliable or do they just not care and go for the cheapest possible products.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

[bg02578]

So after a couple of cleaning cycles (using Lemi Shine) the ADB 1400 runs normal wash cycles to completion.

So I'm guessing that:
1) Some sensor was causing the premature cancel/drain cycle;


2) The controller was programmed to generate a service call after the warranty period had expired (when I called Amana they said to replace the controller board for $150); or

3) The controller board is very flaky.
I remember this dishwasher had some strange initial startup problem which was resolved by removing power from the dishwasher.




Hopefully the problem will not return (as described above by another ADB 1400 owner "The problem resolved on its own and has never returned. No repair needed.")

[domain]

So after a couple of cleaning cycles (using Lemi Shine) the ADB 1400 runs normal wash cycles to completion.

So I'm guessing that:
1) Some sensor was causing the premature cancel/drain cycle;


2) The controller was programmed to generate a service call after the warranty period had expired (when I called Amana they said to replace the controller board for $150); or

3) The controller board is very flaky.
I remember this dishwasher had some strange initial startup problem which was resolved by removing power from the dishwasher.




Hopefully the problem will not return (as described above by another ADB 1400 owner "The problem resolved on its own and has never returned. No repair needed.")

I can not see number 1 being possible. I am not sure if number 2 is a Joke ? Number 3 is your most likely problem....

[rheinz]

I have the same issue.  Only the heavy cycle works completely, and occasionally the heated dry never completes.  I could just continue to only use the heavy cycle, but it is probably using more water than a normal cycle which is just wasteful.

I figured it had to be the control panel, so I got an affordable part on ebay from somebody who claims it was from a new machine that had to be replaced because the tub was damaged during delivery.  The installation was easy, but it didn't solve the problem.  I could return the part, so I don't think the seller would be trying to scam me.  If you order the part from Whirlpool, they will not accept returns by the way

I'm thinking the control panel would be the most expensive part, so I wouldn't feel too bad calling for service knowing that it won't cost me more than $200 to fix.

Please post the solution when you figure it out.

[AJ]

If you order the part from Whirlpool, they will not accept returns by the way

For what it's worth both our parts affiliates http://repairclinic.com and http://appliancepartspros.com let you return any part for any reason for up to 365 days. If you installed the part and it did not fix the problem, simply return it. Easy as that...

[PARTech]

Is the 'Clean' light steady, or flashing? If it is flashing does it have a pattern?  Like 3 flashes and a long pause then 2 flashes long pause, repeat?