Question about Kenmore 24 in. 16309 Built-in Dishwasher
Hello all, Kenmore mdl 16309 Dishwasher My Dishwasher is about 1 yr old. It used to work perfectly, but now it is like the dirt particles are not draining out with the water. I have a collection of sand like particles in the small pool of water at the top of the glasses when they are on the top rack. If I wash glasses on the lower rack, they are fine. Basically most anything I wash in the top rack have these sand particles on it when it is done. How can I fix this? Is there a filter that I can clean?
1. Remove the top rack and lower rack.
2. Remove the lower spray arm by holding the top of the center hub and rotating spray arm counter clockwise.
3. Remove water tube feed from the back wall of the dishwasher by unclipping at top and back. Pull towards you and lift tab at the bottom on the big tube to remove the plastic clip from main water feed.
4. Remove the main water tube by turning quarter turn clockwise, then lift off. Keep the center hub from falling out so you don't lose the plastic washer.
5. Using a star tip screw driver; remove the four screws and lift off the filter cap assembly. The assembly consists of the screen filter and the food trap grate (The outer edges look gear like).
6. Look down inside this area and clean out anything foreign. usually there will be seeds, paper, and other gook. I used tweezers, toothpicks, and needlenose pliers. I remove from my dishwaser quite a bit of paper, two wooden match sticks, lots of undissolved soap etc.
7. When you have removed as much as you can, put everything back together in the order you removed it.
8. When you run the next cycle, you should immediatly hear more noise to indicate that you have cleared the pathway that allows water to flow at its intended pressure.
Posted on Nov 13, 2008
I think I know the problem. I have the EXACT same problem. Only on the top rack. For me, it was because the top-rack sprayer was not spinning freely. I used a screwdriver to unscrew the screw (it's reverse threaded!) and checked for stuck food...no stuck food BUT the plastic washer which allows it to spin freely was cracked, causing friction. If the top rack sprayer doesn't spin freely, you are basically spraying less frequently with each pass, and like a paint sprayer you're depositing food particles inside your top-rack dishes.
Posted on Sep 10, 2008
Several things can cause this problem: Detergent - Old, clumped or poor quality detergent can cause this by not completely dissolving. Make sure you're using a high quality detergent, and that it is stored in a cool dry place (ie, not under the sink!). Also don't purchase large quantities at once - A good rule of thumb is to purchase about a month's supply at a time. Water temperature - Without proper hot water temperature, detergent will not be dissolved or will not be activated, thus food soils won't be properly removed. Water heating dishwashers require a minimum of 120 degree F inlet water, and non water heating dishwashers require a minimum of 120 degree F inlet water. Run the hot water before starting the dishwasher, in order to clear the line of cold water. Degree of water hardness - the proper amount of detergent should be based on water hardness. A general rule of thumb is one teaspoon of detergent per gpg of water hardness (with a minimum of 3 teaspoons). If water is too hard (15 gpg og higher), a mechanical water softener may be required. Loading - Glasses should not be placed over the tines. Pots, pans, dishes and bowls should be carefully loaded so as not to cover the center spray tower. Items should not protrude through the rack where they could block the wash arms. Soiled surfaces need to face the center. Water level - After filling, the water level should be about even with the heating element in the bottom of the dishwasher. If it isn't - - check for low water pressure - Be sure the dishwasher is level. - Avoid other hot water usage activities while using the dishwasher. - Ensure that the drain hose is at the correct height. If it is too low, the water may be draining out during the wash. Mechanical - if none of the above helps, there may be a mechanical problem - call a repairman.
Posted on Apr 09, 2006
Also if your dishwasher is equiped with an air gap, it could be the air gap is clogged with debris, or else where along the discharge tube. I had our counter replaced and the contractor dropped bits of ground down counter into it with out me knowing and it clogged on the first use. I popped the cap of the air gap and it was full of junk. I used a screw driver to clear it, but had to actually run the dishwasher on a drain cycle with the discharge hose removed from the airgap and dumped it and the other debris into a 5 gallon bucket.( Just make sure you have one big enough or can shut off the drain cycle:) )
Posted on Jun 25, 2007
Hi, I have a Kenmore 665 experiencing the same problem for which I still don't have a solution. The generic solution which has been posted (and also included in the troubleshooting section of the manual) didn't work for me. However, I would like to share a solution for the following similar problem: Food particles remained on all the dishes of the top rack, especially inside the cups and glasses. After investigation, I found out that the manifold that connects to the water feed tube was loose. The water was then leaking and caused the water pressure that goes out from the sprayarm very low. This is what caused the upper rack dishes to not be washed properly. I only had to readjust the manifold and BINGO. Thanks everybody
Posted on Jul 13, 2006
Hi there,
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Posted on Jan 02, 2017
SOURCE: dishes not getting clean
brittgee, there has been a number of service flashes on this model. One that has to do with the upper spray arm assy. Complaint is poor washability; gritty glasses, food redeposited on glasses, especially in the corners. They redesigned the upper spray arm to improve water spray to all corners of the upper rack. The new part number is 8269022. They also redesigned the third level spinner for more consistant rotation and better washability. This was also under a service flash. Part number.8193768. Other reasons for poor wash would be; low water temperature, rinse aid disp. not working, loading etc. Catriver...post back.
Posted on Nov 25, 2006
SOURCE: Kenmore elite dishwasher leaves food particles on dishes
If someone is putting dishes in the washer and obstructing the spray ams that would cause food to stay on dishes. After loading dishwasher and pushing in baskets make sure the spray arm doesnt hit any of the dishes causing them to not clean properly. If that doesnt work or is definately not your problem try removing the spray arm and seeing if it has food inside of it. Some times they get food build up in them and need to be flushed out.
Posted on May 12, 2009
SOURCE: Kenmore Dishwasher Not Cleaning
Hi, I have an older dishwasher also and recently my wife also complained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I am tried in vain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installed them in minutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also found that if the heating element goes bad then that also can mess things up bad... So I would buy new spray arms, and also check out the heating element to make sure it is working... Here is a tip that will help you with the online buying...
Dishwasher Spray Arms not Spinning
How to Buy Appliance Parts Online
A bad heating element causes many problems in dishwashers...
Dishwasher Problems The Heating Element not Working
Dishwasher Maintenance
heatman101
k;kjguit
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Dishes on top shelf do not come clean
I am having the same problem. We found this in our dishwasher about a month ago and have had problems since. I can't find anything on the web that mentions this little part. I am thinking that it goes in the feed tube, but don't know. My husband is insisting that it isn't part of the dishwasher since I can't find any info. Help!
I have a Maytag and it has sand on all the dishes, yuck. I do not know what to do to fix it.
DJ
Pataskala Ohio
Am having the same problem. What is the "air gap"?
the dishes on the top rack come out with little particles all over them and then i end up washing them by hand.
The glassware and china never gets fully clean.
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