No water heat or heated dry in a Whirlpool dishwasher

We troubleshot a weird no-heat complaint on a Whirlpool-built (Kenmore branded) dishwasher. This was Whirlpool's newer Global Wash System (GWS) platform dishwasher. Come watch and troubleshoot with us!

[gassanali]

Just before you wrapped things up, I doubted your conclusive decision, but after seeing that the customer reported the device to be functioning correctly, I realized the effectiveness of your troubleshooting method. You had full trust on your diagnosis. A Parts Changing Monkey wouldn't have stopped there, he would've took the whole thing apart, broken some delicate parts, to wind up at nothing in the end. Your bulletproof troubleshooting power is a true inspiration! Thank you!

[jivepatrol]

I like the way you pulled the schematic diagram and followed the manufacturer guidelines for resistances etc. It is the right way to do things and this was very informative for a Whirlpool dishwasher I have. Thank You!

[teknotech]

Samurai, you are very very good!! I enjoyed hearing you present your logic. I recently installed a Whirpool and saw the tucked-away schematic. I found none in our Kitchen-Aid. I bet they are the same production line. 7-1 error, and it was hot inside when my wife opened it

[danglesener]

Great Heating Element T/S. Saved me dis-install I was trying to avoid. (RESULT) Also possible messing with connectors improved sub-optimal contact affecting logic.

[karlhungus]

Thank you sir! I ran into exactly the same situation. Not enough heat during the cycles. Pretty much took apart and tested all the components just to discover that they are fine. And finally I gave a shot to the service mode. Boom - heater is working again and all dishes are shiny. THANK YOU! Apparently, reboot fixes not only routers. Dishwasher - Whirlpool wdt750sahz0.

[frankcranmer]

Very good instructional video. Well done and very concise. Helped me fix my issue. I had just replaced a burned out heating element on a Whirlpool dishwasher, and it wasn't working. I checked the H/L thermostat, read continuity from the control board, and then did the Service Diagnostic 'warm reboot'. That did the trick! All good; the dishwasher is heating like it always did. Thanks so much!

[periloustactic]

I toyed around with the idea of calling a service tech. So, long story short. I did a good cleaning with vinegar and baking soda and rest the board and it works great. Thank you. This video saved me probably $300-$700. $300± was repair costs I'm guessing and $700 was replacing the unit with not wanting to be bothered. BTW, this was on a WDT720PADM3 Whirlpool. Thank you for your time.

[edh]

great technician!!!....and not to be a fans of reading ohms it's a great tip.... your multimeter can read the right value in ohms but your amp meter will tell you the truth.

[edgarriver]

Ive been doing appliance repair for a while with a company this taught me so much i sold a board but will check sensor before i do install thanks again 👍

[t]

I believe a Frigidaire tech once told me it happens due to the water temperature. If the unit isn't able to heat up the water fast enough the board kicks off the heater, which just doesn't sound right to me, but that's what they claim. They recommend the water temp coming into the dishwasher be at a minimum of 120 degrees, which usually means the customer's water heater needs to be set at around 140. After running diagnostic is always starts working again but after some time it can happen again. I always recommend to the customer that they run the hot water at their sink before starting a load.

[rfgator]

Very good and informative video.
I ran through the same troubleshooting techniques you described.Every item checked out fine. Just like you, I had the unit start working properly only after entering the service mode. 😃

[kennethjohnson]

This was very helpful. After verifying continuity and resistance of both the heater and turbidity thermostat circuits, replacing the controller board (around $250) fixed the heater not energizing.

[daytonnobles]

Hello Samurai Great Video I have a very similar whirlpool dishwasher that only heats for 2 cycles after using diagnostic mode ? I have replaced the PCB in the door and the TURBIDITY SENSOR same thing still happening? Any ideas?

[timtmo]

This is an excellent diagnostic how-to that I've put into practice. If @SamuraiRepairman is still reading comments, what's your guidance when the OWI Thermistor doesn't show any Ohms across Pin 4 and Pin 6? I can replace that OWI assembly, but would like to understand when the Control board is to blame/needs replacing. My error code is 7-1 and the heating element and hi limit thermostat are good/in-spec. Heated Dry fails to come on--otherwise the washer works as expected.

[charleslivingston]

I have a GE Dishwasher GDF530PGM0BB (very similar to the whirlpool you are working on. The dishes don't dry and come out with a white film. I tested the heating element and the High Limit Stat (TCO?). The element was good but stat did not have continuity. I replaced the stat and harness that came with it. The dishwasher worked (heated) for once cycle but did not work the next time we used it. I checked again and found no continuity at the stat, and came to realize that it has a reset button. Reset it and again the dishwasher worked for one cycle and then quit again. I replaced the turbity sensor (thermistor) and that did not help. I then replaced the control board and that did not help. Each time I reset the stat and it would work for one cycle. So something is causing the stat to trip out. I have run the diswasher through the service mode but that didn't help either. Please help.

[davejohnsonnola]

"The Healer has lain his hands upon your unit, and all is well again."

[leecroft]

Great video. If you have zero ohms on the p1-p3 leading to the turbidity sensor, will that give you a no heat scenario? I have continuity on both the heating element and thermostat. However, the dishes are wet and often still dirty.

[bobdelmar]

On a brand new dishwasher the dishes come out dripping wet. Whirlpool says I need to use this rinse product and I maintain the old(noisy) dishwasher dried the dishes using heat and would actually put steam out of the vent--dishes were warm to the touch and dry. They told me to try the Sanitize Button to see if the element is being heated so I have to wait a few days to get enough testing material. I hate to use the now 3 hour cycle to test the heat! Go figure, Nice video and I will try the sanitize method then call them back to dispatch a service tech.

[destrodesigns]

Rxcellent video, what i found was the thermistor wasnt getting resitance. If the thermistor isn't reading any resistance, is the problem with my element as simple as that?

[sajidrafique]

I have changed the heater coil and checked the thermal fuse to be working . It didn't help and I stopped because i dont know much . So how do I 'Reset' the logic circuit ??