I have a 2-3 year old LG Dishwasher that has started leaking from the bottom left side under the front door. Leaking typically starts around 30+ seconds after the wash or rinse cycle starts churning away. After checking the seals and confirming this wasn't the problem, I tore the door apart and found that water is leaking from the vent that runs down the length of the door. Looking at the assembly from inside the unit, there is a piece that wiggles inside a cage, but I can't tell if it is defective.
Here's the assembly view from inside: http://www.ephotobay.com/share/photo-1-2.html
And the plastic vent where the water runs down to the floor: http://www.ephotobay.com/share/photo-2-4.html
Is this a common problem? I would rather replace this crappy dishwasher than spend any cash on a serviceman, so any help will be much appreciated! Thanks
Dan W's answer didn't solve my problem, but it did put me on the right track (thanks, Dan!).
The leak in our unit was caused by a failure in the casing assembly (LG part #ABT35083801), which is what the black hose Dan describes is attached. One of the functions in this part is to, for lack of a better phrase, push a "plunger" to seal the vent inside the door while water is circulating.
On our unit, the stem on switch which pushes the plunger into place was broken. Therefore, the plunger wouldn't move into place; the water would leak through...you get the rest. The part isn't available through LG, but I found it on Amazon for a little over $40. It includes the full blower assembly--so a little more than I need to really make things work (just replacing the switch would work), but will make the repair simple (replacing the entire unit instead of trying to line up the post on the switch with the plunger, etc.).
Hope this helps someone else as well; I've linked a Google search for the part number below. lg part ABT35083801 Google Search
Hi Jim, I recently noticed exactly the same symptoms with my
LDS4821 which I think is a similar age. After a bit of head scratching and a similar door cover
removal exercise I also figured it must be coming via
that round vent and then on down the plastic duct that
runs to the bottom left vent in the door that you
photographed. Here's what I did which has certainly fixed my leak: 1/ First I cleaned around the inside of the round vent
on this inside of the door. Specifically I removed all
the accumulated crud around the edges of the circular
yellow rubber gasket piece at the center of the vent on
the inside the machine (your first photo). I did this
after untwisting the circular grill that holds that in
place - my vent unit behind that grill also wiggles
around by the way, but only when that round grill has
been unscrewed! I was careful to make sure that the unit
behind the grill was seated properly again when I
twisted the grill back on to tighten it and hold it in
place again. I actually checked this with the front of the
door taken off for this second step below to make sure
there would be no issues with the outer seal around that
vent unit (where it presses up against the inside of the
metal door to form a seal when the round vent grill is srewed on). 2/ This I think is actually the critical step. I noticed
a second black hose that runs down from the plastic vent
structure almost directly behind where the round grill
is positioned on the inside of the door. See the picture I've attached re. the tube I am talking about. Looking at this I figured it's some kind of internal drain (that seems to drain back into the washing compartment itself at the
bottom). Given that I'd seen some crud on the
yellow rubber gasket I wondered if some crud had also
blocked the top of this hose, leaving any water that gets in there to
then run on down and out of that vent at the bottom
instead. Sure enough when I employed the crude (but
apparently effective!) technique of sucking on the
bottom end of that tube to see if it was clear, I soon
enough felt a blockage break and I just had time to aim
the tube away before a bunch of grey crud came sweeping
down the tube, followed by some clearer water. By the
looks of it you might be able to unclip the hose clamp
at the top and do it somewhat more professionally to
avoid the risk of a mouthful of 2-3 year old dish crud
in your mouth! I've just run it through a full 'normal' cycle and it's
back to working normally again - no more leaks. Well dishwashers may **** at times, but apparently I do
too... Hope this helps. -Dan
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The dishwasher may not be levle side to side and front to back.
Se the installation instructions or go www.lgusa.com
they may have the instructions on line.
This will cause leakage at the door.
If the leak is @ the bottom left it may be from the drying vent assembly.
The vent would need to be replaced with an updated vent assy.
1 has the machine been pushed into the cupboard hole,this will push the door away from the front of the machine,does it hit the trim around the opening before the closeing?pull out check under are the legs still straight,some you can remove the lower front panel to look under
I DONT THINK THERE IS A ASSEMBLY MANUAL BUT THE DOOR HINGES IS LOCATED UNDER THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE MACHINE. YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE HINGE PULLEY THEN CHECK THE LOCK.
1. make sure dishwasher is level front to back and side to side.
2. check the main washer arm (WD22X154) on the bottom side for leaks. If you use heated dry, the heating elements can cause the part of the spray arm directly over it to soften and eventually leak. When water comes out that leak it can spray at the bottom of the door, splashing water inside it and resulting in your leak.
3. if 1 and 2 OK, watch how you load the lower rack. If dishes or a bowl direct water from the lower wash arm to spray against the bottom of the door, especially at the center of the door bottom, the resulting splash inside the door allows water to hit the outer door panel and drip out a one or both corners of the door.
I have this same dishwasher,and have had the same problems that have been described in this forum..
LG model#LDS5811.I bought it from Home Depot as a scratch and dent with no warranty available for about $400.00.
The problems I have seen on my own and have read online have been Intermittent leaks on the left side door,as well as both sides.And in some cases,even wiring and motor problems.
In my case,the water was coming from a leaking O-ring behind the evaporator housing in the door,as well as a small hole in the drain hose in the part of the hose on the left side where the hose loops up the side of the machine behind the panel before it comes out of the back.
You will need to take the left side panel off to undo the wire holding the hose in place as well as remove the bottom plate over the motor to gain access to remove the hose from the pump to get the hose off of the machine.Simply replace the hose.You can order online or buy a replacement at an Appliance Repair store as I did.
To repair the door leak,you will need to remove the lower outside panel that is under the control panel.Inside the door,you will need to turn the vent cover at the top of the door counter clock-wise one-forth turn and remove the entire evaporator unit as a whole.You will see a 1.5 inch O-ring.
I repaired this by getting G.E 100% silicone that you can purchase at a Home Repair store like Lowes or Home Depot and sealing around both sides as well as putting a good bead on top of the O-ring itself,and wipe off the excess after re-installing.
I performed these repairs over a month ago,and have had very good success.No leaks to be seen.I am a A\C,Refrigeration Tech by trade,and have done alot of Appliance repair/installation as a side trade from being a maintenance technician at some very large Grocery chains the last 20+ years.
I completely dissassembled this machine and have found it to be a decent product,but some shoddy materials and questionable assembly practices have created these problems,but good sound engineering.
I hope this helps someone with the problems with this machine so it wont be a total loss.
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