Dishwasher not draining

[ohiost90]

Our 10+ year old Maytag dishwasher isn't draining. The drain pump starts to come on when I hit the "drain" button on the front panel but quickly turns off. I've check the drain line and it isn't clogged. Neither is the garbage disposal. The wash pump seems to be working as it starts that cycle fine. Actually the drain and the wash pump are one in the same. Any tricks to diagnose the problem with the drain cycle? New pumps are about 150 to 200 but Im not certain that its the pump as I said, the wash cycle seems to be running fine. Thanks.

[motodoc42]

You might check the round float in the bottom of the tub near the front. We had a problem like yours and a measuring spoon was hiding under it preventing it from working properly.
Good luck,
Motodoc42

[ohiost90]

Yeah, the float seems to be ok. It actually drains when I select the "rinse only" option but not when any of the clean cycles are selected. I'm thinking it might be the control panel?

[reggiesimpson]

Had similar issue recently. It turned out there was a small piece of glass just under the wand where the water drains. It kept falling back into the drain hole clogging the line. Ended up calling for service. That cutter is verrrrrry sharp!

[Tom_T]

Just as an aside, we also have a 10-year-old Maytag, and every so often, I have to clean the mesh filter at the bottom. When that filter gets clogged with food particles, etc., it prevents water from properly draining, which also causes the bottom spray arms to be covered with water. Result = dirty dishes.

[jwtietz]

http://www.partselect.com/ look up your dishwasher, they have some good repair info. It also has some diagnostic info too. Prices are about average.

[wjwhitney]

Yeah, the float seems to be ok. It actually drains when I select the "rinse only" option but not when any of the clean cycles are selected. I'm thinking it might be the control panel?

That's a key piece of info. Shows there is nothing wrong with the pump, float etc. A problem with the controls is a good guess.

I buy parts at http://www.repairclinic.com

[MathWizard]

I would not repair if it is not something simple/cheap, you are at or near the
expected lifespan of the product. A new dishwasher is probably about $500, and
will probably clean better and/or quieter.

From:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5640478_life- ... ances.html

"Dishwashers and trash compactors both have predicted lifespans of about 10 years."

[Higman]

As mentioned above – it could be your control panel. I have a GE Profile washer that had a control panel problem once – all control lights would light up at once. While this condition was not in the troubleshooting section of my users guide it was added to their website. I had to shut off power to the unit (via circuit breaker in my case) for one minute. It then reset itself upon power up. Good luck.

[tjwolf]

Had the same drain problem. The tub would get full during the cycle and the unit would shut down. Pulled the washer out to get at the pump and hose. Decided that I did not want to tackle a tear down, since I would have no parts to repair the unit.

Called a repair shop. He came out and attached a wet and dry vacuum to the drain hose entering the disposal. The vacuum "groaned" a little, to remove the clog, then ran free. Re-attached the hose tested the system and said --- that will be $75.

Unit has run fine ever since! Will disconnect the hose and attach the vacuum hose myself, if it happens again.

Tom