Cycle starts then stops and Intake/Drain light comes on

Hey All.

I had the same problem with my Miele g843, and i finally got to the root problem.

My machine would drain ok, and fill ok, but when it tried to start a cycle, it would do nothing. I could hear a relay occassionally clicking until it finally gave up and signalled the blinking red light of death.

I first checked the inlet filter, drain pump and drain pipe but I discovered no obstructions. So I started taking the dishwasher apart, and discovered that the main pump was seized! This may not be the source of YOUR problem, since it could be many things, but this worked for me. Here are the instructions to remove the pump and get it moving again:

Pull out the dishwasher and disconnect the power, water and drain lines.
Empty all water from the unit (disconnect drain line and let the water drain into a low profile container) you may have to elevate the unit and tilt it rearwards to get the remaining water out.
Remove the side panels of the machine.
Lay the unit on its side elevated about 2-4 inches above the ground (be careful you don't put direct pressure on any of the internal components when you support it)
Remove the 4 screws that hold the base panel to the frame of the machine.
You can now see the motor.
Disconnect the electrical connections to the motor and the pressure sensor.
Disengage the clamps that hold the rubber hoses to the motor and slide the hoses off the motor.
Unscrew the single bolt that holds the motor inplace on the back panel of the machine. Pry the rear panel out slightly to release the dowel pins and gently pull the motor towards you (pivoting on the inlet grommet). Once you have the motor out, you can try to manually turn it by rotating the impeller. If it is stiff, you could have the same problem mine had. Using silicon spray with a nozzle extension, spray the seal between the impeller housing and the motor and continue to spin the motor manually until it becomes free spinning. If this doesnt work for you, you may need a new motor ( i never priced one out but it cant be cheap ).

If you get stuck somewhere email me and i can send you pictures: vector006 at hotmail dot com

Cheers!

We had this problem where the drain light would flash and the machine would halt. Check the pan in the bottom of the machine-- you'll have to take off the bottom front panel. If there is any water in the pan the machine will shut down because of a water sensor switch in there. It's not enough to mop it out. you'll either have to let the pan air dry, or use a hair dryer to get all the moisture off the sensor. Ours locked up periodically until I replumbed the drain, disconnecting it from the garbage disposal.

I had the same problem with my G645 Plus: as you turn it on, the machine starts the drain cycle, fills the water and nothing more happens. I called the Miele technician and he confirmed that the motor of the main circulation pump was blocked (by soap become solid and who knows). So, the machine feels no pressure and thinks there is no water, and it stops. (The technician said to me that in older machines this failure stopped only the warming serpentine, and the cycle would continue with cold water, but that in the modern machine this failure makes the cycle stop).
The solution is to manually move a bit the axis of the motor, to free it.
Instead of disassembling the machine (exactly as suggested by Vector006), he tried first to move the motor by the inside, using a long, thin screwdriver he inserted into a small hole. This solved the problem in less than 10 seconds!! And without unplugging the inlet/drain conductures and the machine from its place!

To find the hole I'm talking about, you have to open the large filter at the bottom of the machine (under the place where you put the dishes). There you can see a large opening (from where the pump takes the water and makes it circulate) and, 2 or 3 cm over it, in the middle, a very small hole. That's it. Insert a thin (but LONG) screwdriver into it, sligthly inclined upwards, and gently press it until it reaches the impeller inside. The idea is to make it move just a bit.
If your model does not have this kind of hole, you have to follow Vector006's direction to access the motor axis.
I hope this helps!

If you have this problem (starting then stopping), the first thing I'd suggest is calling Miele. Their customer service person (in the US) was familiar with the problem. They instructed my wife to press a combination of buttons, which causes a selection of lights to display - from which the Miele rep can diagnose the fault.

Apparently, one cause of this fault is if there is a prolonged period when the washer is not used. This causes some component to dry out and become inflexible. In our case, the fault went away after we had been through the cycle of starting and draining by hand a few times. We didn't not have to pull the machine out or change any components and fortunately the problem has not returned

Sadly I don't have the button combination but if anyone finds out this would be a good place to post it.

Just a typical weekend, put the full dishwasher on, left the house and returned to find the dishwasher had gone on and then shut off with the basin part filled partly with water. I immediately looked for the manual which explains to clean the filter, then remove an L-shaped device inside the washer by the filter. Did that to no avail. Tried to remove the water filter at the water supply and since my shut off valve did not close properly, it was not an option to clean that without flooding my kitchen. So I happened to find this page and read about cleaning the drain hose by the food disposal (sink drain) , I removed the aviator clamp took the dishwasher drain hose off at the insinkerator food disposal, ran a screwdriver in the hole a few times to make sure it was clear on both the hose end and the drain end. Put it back together, turned washer on set it to #4 and it runs perfectly!! Another homeowner who got lucky with the remedies posted on this page. I am so amazed that it actually works perfectly like it did before. Mind you I shut the power off and on and ran it thru the initial cycle before it would malfunction. I did this about 10 times, nothing it was not going to work, until I removed the drain hose. Thank you so much for the great advice, times are tough and I really did not have it in my budget to call a high priced repair guy who'd be ready to gouge me because he thinks I have the money to buy a Miele in the first place. Truth is I spent the extra money on a Miele because I thought I would get extra years out of it, while giving value of a quality appliance to my home. Thanks again especially to the guy that said he went to Home Depot to buy a new $5 drain unit and was successful. (Can't find his post now and can't remember his name but if you scroll thru enough of these posts look for his step by step where he talks about the $5 dollar Home Depot part. Thanks Rob Z.

I did what Vector006 did and its works for me too.
If you have not used your dishwasher on a regular basis you probably have the same problem, a stuck pump. Vector006 solution is the best way to solve this problem.

Also, if you call Meile they will send you a small wrench that you can use to try and free the pump. It it fails the only solution is to follow Vecor006.

Another fellow Chuckie1234 did the same thing and it worked for him as well.


Svcaramia