Upper spray arm came off

Most dishwashers dispense the detergent via gravity and the sprayer arms spraying against the soap dispenser once the little door flips open during the wash cycle. Since it sounds like the soap door is opening I would look at the sprayer arms and make sure they are free of food particles or other debris that might be keeping them from rotating and spraying properly. Here are some instructions for performing this check.

Remove the lower dishrack from the unit. Reach into your dishwasher and spin the lower spray arm. Take note of whether or not the arm moves freely or if its movement is restricted. It should not be restricted in its path of motion. Now gently pull up on an end of the spray arm. The spray arm should be free to wobble up and down. Unscrew the arm retaining knob (some of these are left hand threads) and take the arm out for inspection and carefully examine the spray arm seams. If they have split or are damaged, the dishes may not receive the amount of water pressure required to fully clean the dishes or to rotate the arm properly. What’s more, if water is in fact spraying out of the spray arm from its seams, it is possible that it can cause your dishwasher to leak. Make sure there is no debris in any of the holes.



If your dishwasher has a spray tower, pull up on it as far as it will go and then let it fall back down. Again, this movement should not be restricted. It should be a fluid and smooth motion. Also, unscrew the spray tower and examine it for any debris or foreign objects. Remove any that you find.
Gain access to the upper spray arm by removing the upper dishrack. Perform the same tests for the upper spray arm as you just did for the lower spray arm. Keep in mind that the upper spray arm may not wobble as much as the lower spray arm.
On a final note, some dishwasher models have a water tube that meets up with the upper spray arm once the upper dishrack is pushed back. It is a good idea to check to make sure this tube is aligning properly with the upper spray arm and that this has not split or is damaged in any other way.

Hello Alan - Will the spray arm rotate freely or is it damaged? If so, you might have to remove and replace the spray arm assemblies. The top spray arm typically starts to function when the unit is in rinse or wash cycle. If for some reason the top rack is not getting clean, there is a possibility that it is not working properly. The top spray arm is either blocked by pots/pans or not enough water pressure is being pump meaning that the flow of water is not making it to the upper spray arm. If you tap the delivery tube that feeds this nozzle and the water pressure jumps immediately, then the problem may lie with a faulty pump or impeller. Should all basic troubleshooting measures fail contact a certified technician to narrow down the precise issue before investing in parts that may or may not be the root cause.

There could be a couple of things that might be affecting the cleaning ability of your dishwasher.
First,there is a pipe/tube that runs up the back of the inside of your dishwasher. This provides water for the top spray arm. The spray arm has a feeder tube that covers the pipe in the back. If for some reason the feeder tube has come dislodged, the water just drips back down into the dishwasher, never touching your upper shelf. My children used to put large items into the lower shelf and in so doing, would dislodge the upper spray arm feeder tube. Just pull out the upper shelf and check to see that the tube is in the correct position. This should solve the problem.

If not, it could be that the upper or lower spray arms may have debris that keeps the water from being forced through the jets. You'll need to flush the arm with the spray attachment on your kitchen sink. I sometimes use tweezers or a toothpick to dislodge bits of peelings, paper, or bone that manage to get into the sprayer arm.
I hope one of these tips helps. If it does,please come back to fixya and rate my answer.

The upper spray arm is powered by water from a tube that runs up the back of your machine on the inside. If the connection is not aligned, then the water can't get to the spray arm. My children use to knock mine out of kilter when they loaded the lower section. It's easy to see if the supports are not attached to the upper rack and a simple snap will get them back in place.
It may also be that the spray arm jets are clogged.Depending on the model, the upper spray arm generally has a nut or thumb/butterfly screw (plastic) that you remove and then remove the arm. I always soak mine in hot soapy water and then flush with hot water. If debris such as pieces of paper, bone, peelings are in there, you'll need to take a tweezer or toothpick to remove them from the jets. The upper spray arm usually has the same apparatus and you can follow the same procedure..
I hope these suggestions help your problem. If so please come back to Fixya and rate my advice!

Your sprayer arms may be clogged.
The upper arm attaches to a tube in the back of the dishwasher. If the support clamps come loose, the upper spray tube will not be flush with the tube and can't carry water to the sprayer arms. Also the sprayer arms can become clogged with paper remnants, bone fragments, or pieces of peeling. You'll need to remove the sprayer arm and flush it at your sink. If there is a jet that is clogged, tweezers will help remove the residue.
Finally, the bottom of the door INSIDE the washer often get covered with gunk. Be sure and gently wash the bottom of the door INSIDE. You can open the door, spray some window cleaner on the bottom and then gently brush away the 'gunk.' Rinse with hot water from a pitcher or your sink sprayer and this can eliminate some of the residue that is showing on your dishes.
I hope this helps. If it does, please come back to Fixya and rate my answer

First,

See this link for a picture of the upper spray arm and manifold assembly.

http://www.apwagner.com/index.php?main_page=model_lookup&model_num=KUDP02IRBL0&model_id=163723&diagram_id=380403

Referring to parts 1, 6, and 9, make sure everything is attached, secure, and lines up when the upper rack is pushed back into place.

It's possible the pump is obstructed and not delivering water to the upper arm, but the more likely cause is a displaced upper arm feeder tube. If no luck, start checking for obstructions in the feeder tube, manifold and the spray arm.

I just had the same thing happen and fixed it! You might need to remove the upper rack first. In the "Roof" of the dishwasher, you should see what looks like a plastic gear wheel. It will screw off, but you will need to put a little force to get it started. Inside of the gear is a free floating plastic ring with 2 small teeth on one side. Make sure the teeth are facing down through the center hole of the wheel. Hold the ring with one finger, and snap the spray arm back in place. Just screw the assembly back into the washer and all is good... Until it falls out again...

I realize this problem was in March of 2008 but if in the case someone else needs the solution. The Frigidaire website doesn't list this in there troubleshooting list either.

I had the same problem and let the upper spray arm off for a couple of months. My glasses were not getting cleaned as well so I was rewashing everything by hand. What's the point of that if I have a dishwasher.

On the inner roof of the dishwasher there is a round piece that you hook the upper spray arm to. Well it's a pain to try to just snap it on. Unscrew it by hand, get the little white plastic piece so the teeth are pointing out of the hole and snap on it on that way. One tooth at a time and it should go back on. It will be wobbly. Works like new I am so happy !

From now on be careful what you place on the top rack, if the item is too big it will cause it to snap off again. I know I will :)

Thank god I didn't get a repair man in here for something as minimal as that.

Hello--our Kenmore Elite has been showing exactly the same symptoms.  Since it's under warranty I had a technician take a look at it, in fact he just finished putting it back together: problem was accumulated food and junk around the inlet filter to the pipe that leads to the upper racks.  You can only get to this area by removing the lower spray arm, filter assembly, etc. until you are looking at the sump/chopper area.  Any clogging should be self evident at that point.  
This would be an easy repair for anyone with a few tools and the willingness to get into it.  Seems to be working very well.  We will be rinsing more thoroughly in the future...