GE Dishwasher - Troubleshooting a dead user interface

In this video, I demostrate how to troubleshoot a dead user interface on a GE dishwasher, Model GDT695SMJ2ES. To watch my tutorial on replacing the user interface control board, click the following link:

I am not a professional repair technician. This video is for educational purposes only, and I assume no responsibility for any repairs that you attempt on your own. Please only attempt repairs that you are comfortable performing, and always disconnect the power before working on any appliance.

Thanks for watching!

[maxm]

Great video! But why are SO many of us having this same issue? Any class-action lawyers on here wanna get something going? Assuming the 65K views of this video (as of today Jan 3 2023) are people watching it multiple times to get all the details, that's still THOUSANDS of us apparently having this problem. And I am so FURIOUS that this issue only started for me EXACTLY after my 5 year extended warranty (yes, I am that sucker who buys warranties) expired. WTAF. Thank you Matt for your amazing videos.

[rickdobry]

Great video. Our dishwasher is less than 3 years old and we encountered the same problem. Thanks to Matt I was able to identify the problem as the UI. Problem is, the part is on backorder at GE and they. kept pushing the ETA back by weeks and weeks. After waiting for over a month and with no confidence the part would EVER arrive, we bought a new Maytag. We will NEVER buy another GE appliance. The company is owned by the Chinese (Haier) and they are sourcing all these components from China. Enough said.

[KeithWong-jr]

I have GE Model DDT595 and I just spent the past two hours reviewing your videos to figure out what my problem was. I was definitely not looking forward to attempting to remove the door and replace the UI board. Luckily, after turning the power off and on through the breaker, (which didn't seem to do anything) I decided to randomly hold the Cycle select and Start button. Light came on and displayed error code 817. I googled the code and discovered that I need to follow some steps to reset the computer module, and it WORKED! Hopefully, this will help some people with their GE issue. What a pain ! but i'm so glad I didn't need to go through all the steps in the two videos!

[wyomikey]

Great video! Your symptoms were identical to what our dishwasher was doing. Did the tests and sounds like I'm ordering a new User Interface board.

[joeymullen]

Bought a replacement board on eBay for $60 and replaced my old one and it fixed the issue. Thanks for the video!

[jgreat]

Thanks for this walk through! I have the exact same issue: No power, not working, slowly happened over 6 months and now won't start. Flashing green light on the controller. But It has 120v and the it has the 13.5 volts to the harness. So I think the main controller is fine. Gotta to take the door off (your trick didn't fix it) because it's either the harness or the User control board. We'll see. But thanks for the tip about NOT trusting the service light!

[shootsnscores-cja]

Great set of videos (this troubleshooting one plus the repair one) for this problem. I have the same dishwasher (different color) and had the exact same problem at the 3-year mark, like so many other owners. As I was taking it apart, simply unplugging the cable that goes from the door to the main unit and then plugging it back in reset the UI and it lit up (at least temporarily). This will buy me some time to find the new board and replace the faulty one. I took the dishwasher all apart just to practice and am fully confident now with the repair once the part arrives. Thanks again for your help with this detailed tutorial.

[rje]

So... I had all these symptoms, did all the power resets, and was getting ready to replace the UI board but held off until I got the old one out to verify p/n. In the meantime, I had a power outage and ran on my generator...lo and behold... the dishwasher comes back to life! It has been running for 2 months now... still showing the random lighting of the panel. My generator is from the 70's and I'm over speeding it for voltage drop and spiking the Hertz.

[HenryTLam]

Excellent step-by-step instructions. I successfully chnaged the control panel with your directions. Savings and total gratification satisfied. Thank you!

[tashabekan]

Your videos are great and very easy to follow. Thank you for making them. I have the exact same model and successfully changed the user interface with no problems.

[jphogs]

Great help. Thanks a bunch. Helped me realize it was the control board and not the User Interface control board.

[dynesanddesigns]

Thanks for this very informative video! Just wish I had found your video sooner because I already replaced the mother board and the problem seemed to go away but then came back, so that was $120+ down the drain...

[cpht-vfdmed]

My washer has had the same exact issue over the past 2 years. Finally stopped resetting w breaker flip about 6 months ago. Just came upon this video. I will have to try and see what results I get. Also same make/model i believe as yours.

[briandriskell]

Can you add detail on what it means if the light IS blinking on the main control board?

[c-ho]

Good video, I have been repairing appliances for 27yrs. I constantly see these issues. Usually a tech sheet underneath tells what the flashes mean. I have had 2 that flash rapidly which says not corresponding with UI.

[hobbitchef]

Posting thia as a top level comment for others that find this vid.
If you still have your manual/original docs there should be a service manual sheet and there is a table that tells you what the different blinking patterns indicate (which board is the issue or if something has tripped etc)
If you dont have that you can probably search for your model's manual on the Internet or via GE's site

[xBRVTALx]

Thank you for these videos. I've got a GTC535 model and i checked the voltage my main control board was sending to the display UI and it was bouncing between 6 and 18 volts, so I bought a new control board and it was doing the same thing. Bought a new display UI and watched your video on that to replace it. As soon as I got the door back on and the connector plugged in I heard the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, the dishwasher beeped and powered up after months of being out of commission.

[jonh]

Great video. Helped me diagnose that our user interface board was bad. Saved us lots in buying a new dishwasher. Thanks

[metalshopfantasycamp]

Great video. Best one after all of the things I have looked at but confirms the current condition of my dishwasher. I replaced the door switch already and that solved the problem for a day or so and then back to no power. Won’t even turn on now. It’s Xmas eve day so ain’t finding no parts today.

[AeroIchthys]

Ed E
I had the same problem at 4 years: sporadic music, then eventually total darkness of the display. Troubleshooting took some time, but it appears that I reached the solution. Turned out to be the plug inside the box where (the wires are connected to power). It was giving intermittent power to the panel, and when jiggled a bit in just the right way, would restore power to the view panel and the dishwasher.
However, this jiggling was not a permanent solution. Since half of the plug is built-in to the circuit board, and I could not detach one of the plugs to the board, I could not remove the board to work on that part. After closeup photos of each side of the plug (that on the circuit board, and the other which plugs into the circuit board) I could see nothing amiss with the either half. What tipped me off to both the original discovery of the bad plug and the final solution was seeing arching through the semi-transparent white plug when it was plugged in with power on. I reasoned that the intermittent arching over time had deposited metal oxide dust within the switch. What to do? I used the red flexible plastic tube on my WD-40 can and squirted the oil into each side of the switch multiple times. Hopefully the insulating dust particles are now washed from the plug, and it will be smooth sailing. The plug seems to restore the display immediately each time the plug is plugged in now. No arching visible at least. Everything works now (it still plays a tune every so often, but at least we can wash dishes without disassembly).
😊