Now the Dishwasher is broke!

[Rhaine86]

Help! One week after we (finally) got our dryer back up and running, now our dishwasher has stopped! It's a Kenmore (I'm starting to HATE Kenmore!) model #587 1540590. It turns on, you hear noise, but it doesn't sound like any water is getting in- and when we checked, there is no water to be found. Any thoughts?? This forum was so helpful last time I was here I thought I'd try again.
Thanks in advance

[Rhaine86]

I would just like to make a quick note that it appears to be (hopefully) a false alarm. I'm embarrassed to say that maybe we have never stood next to our dishwasher in the beginning of the cycle to actually hear the strange noises it makes--- after a minute or so it does indeed "click" and then fill up with water. We did clean the float switch (?) as recommended and checked the water line which was on....so maybe we just panicked too soon. Anyways I'm glad it's fixed, even though a part of me would rather have a real reason to get a new dishwasher.

[HayZee518]

Tell your wife you got scrunchies on the glassware. These are those little bits of food that didn't make it down the drain. Forget to put in the glassware surfactant and say these are NOT getting clean! Sumtin wrong with the machine!
Honey we need a new machine.

[LazyPup]

Sounds like the water level sensor float is stuck. Open the door and look in the left front portion of the water tub. You will see what looks like an inverted coffee mug without a handle. That is the water level float. On the underside of that float there is a plastic shaft that goes down through a small standpipe and it rests on top of the water level microswitch arm. In normal operation as the water rises in the tub the air trapped on the underside of the float causes it to float upwards until it reaches a preset point where the spring loaded arm on the microswitch allows the switch to open. That turns the water fill valve off and allows the timer to advance to the next function.

Quite often the shaft of the float switch gets coated with cooking fats and makes it sticky. It it happens to stick in the up position the microswitch doesn't function to open the water valve.

SOLUTION. Simply lift the float up and out, then wipe off the shaft and clean the standpipe hole. Then reinsert the float. It only rests loosely in place so you will need no tools and dont have to be concerned about getting it back in wrong.