Dishwasher doesn't spray

I need help diagnosing a dishwasher problem. Frequently my dishwasher will run through its entire cycle but not wash the dishes. When started, I hear it drain, then it fills water and then nothing. At some point it does dispense the detergent but no water is sprayed so the detergent just sits there. My machine does have a countdown timer on it which runs. So it looks like it is running through its entire wash cycle but it's never spraying the water. Any ideas what might cause this.

My workaround is to use the reset buttons to reset it, pulling out the racks and pushing them back in and then slamming the door shut. Then restart it. That usually fixes it. But yesterday it took many attempts before it worked.

It is Kenmore Elite, model 13959. I was told it's actually made by Bosch. It's 7 years old.

Is there some sensor which deactivates the spraying?

 

Could be as simple as a clog in the water line that feeds the spray arms, or more likely a clog in the arms themselves. First, I would remove both racks and run the dishwasher, and check to be sure water squirts out of the two nozzles along the back of the DW. If so, then the issue is a clog in the arm(s). Little bits of food can get stuck in the holes, which prevents them from spraying/spinning. You can use a pick to pluck them out and/or take the racks outside and use a garden hose to flush them out.

 

Are you sure you are getting water coming into the unit. Dishwashers can sound like they have filled when they actually haven't.

A dishwasher can not fill for a number of reasons but these are the main ones:

1) Defective inlet valve
2) Overflow protector is malfunctioning.
3) If you have a turn dial, you may be turning it too far, past the water inlet stage. That can sometimes just be 1/16 inch too much turn on a dial and presto, no water.

A quick check is to fill the dishwasher and confirm there is lots of water in the bottom of it but not being pumped up through the washing arms.

I can't really see the entire washing arm being clogged. Perhaps, but unlikely and if it pumps the water out of the dishwasher the pump is working so it should pump it through the washing arms. So I suspect you are just not getting enough water at all, coming in.

 

Thank you for your replies.

My washer doesn't have a dial; just buttons.

I have had this problem for many years now. Sometimes it goes months without a problem. Other times it happens every other run. Three days ago was the first time it had ever not resolved itself after a single reset. It took 4 or 5 resets and some banging before it worked.

Next time it happens I will see if there is enough water inside or not. In the past when the problem has occurred I've heard what sounded like water draining and then filling. But next time I'll actually check for water.

 

Your model number is either 630.13959010 or 630.13959011. Both are made by Bosch for Sears.

These are not easy machines to work on. Bosch does things differently. Some basic parts are the same. It does have an overflow float that can become stuck and not allowing proper fill. This machine uses at least one wash pump and a drain pump. I was trying to find a tech sheet so you can check the processor. There may be one behind the lower kick panel.

searspartsdirect.com/model-number/63013959010

 

Thanks for that info @PJmax. I can confirm that my unit model is 630.13959011.

So the problem happened again just now. This time I did check to see if there was water inside and indeed there was. It seemed like about an inch or two of water. I did my usual procedure of reset, turn off, move racks out and in, turn on, slam door shut. And it is now running and spraying.

 

The problem happened again. What exactly was that ?
How did you know from the outside that it wasn't working ?
Maybe the wash pump wan't running ?
Two inches may not be enough water.

 

Dishwasher sounds like it drains and then fills, but after that it doesn't spray.

By sound. I know that a few minutes after the draining and filling sounds I should hear water spraying. I do wait 5 minutes or more and if the washer is all quiet I know it's no doing its job. When I open it up I can see that water hasn't been sprayed. Sometimes I've waited a long time before checking and in those cases I find the detergent pod has been dispensed and is just laying there undissolved.

This washer also has a digital 'time remaining' countdown display (which I can only see when the door is open) and the time displayed is less than it was at the start. On some occasions I've forgotten to make sure it's working and it's gone through its entire cycle without spraying. In those cases the countdown timer is at zero.

So it still goes through its motions of running the cycle even when its not spraying.

I suppose so. Could one reason for this be that there isn't enough water? What are other other things that would prevent the wash pump from operating?

I don't actually know how much water there should be under normal operating conditions. Maybe I'll stop it when it's properly working and see how much water is there.