Dishwasher i have fixed the fridgadair dishwasher so that i can see what it is doing with the door open; water is coming out of the spinner arms but the arms are not spinning ; it seems that water sprays about 4 inches in air; the top is feed water off and on but not constant.

It would help if you provide the model number.
Usually the problem is with the wash distributor circuit. The water alternates between bottom and top spinners (wash arms). The distributor may be faulty assuming the arms are clean and you have checked this. Some models use the same pump for wash and drain using impeller. In that case the problem could be the impeller is clogged and not allowing water to get in the arms. See this diagram.

Model number will help identify the part.

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

Dishwasher Residue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

Asker

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

Dishwasher Residue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

residue..... check lower spinner arm and clean any bits from insideit by back washing with water, also check the pump inlet and filters.....

as for soap still in container, does the soap recepticle door open... if not just place the required amount of detergent on the lower half of the door..

If the door does open and there is still soap ing the recepticle there is definitely a water problem...

you can also try to remove both the upper and lower spinners and run the dishwasher for a couple of minutes to flush out any debris or buldup inside the lines.

A good quality dishwasher cleaner may also be wothwile trying....

Good luck!

Yes it is easy to replace and inexpensive. Here is a video that will walk you thru this. There is also tutorials of other models but they are all pretty much the same. http://appliancehelponline.com/dishfloatwaterinletvideo.html

This just happened to me. The spinner arm fell off. It left behind two pieces of plastic attached to the roof of the machine: a grey sunburst shape, and within that, a white circle with two prongs. It looks like the spinner arm should snap onto the white circle with prongs . . . but you can't just press it back on, because there is no resistance on the other side and the white circle just becomes displaced instead of snapping together.

But the good news is that the grey sunburst screws on and off! Unscrew it until it comes free from the roof of your machine. Now snap the white circle and the spinner arm together, with the grey sunburst between them. Give it a test spin to make sure it's all together and working, and then screw the whole assembly back onto the roof of your dishwasher.

Apologies for the lack of pictures . . . this must sound crazy to anyone who's not looking at what I'm looking at--but it worked!

check the water line to the unit and take it loose from the solinoid there might be some trash in the line or calcium build up

Without the model number of your Maytag number, I can not determine if when you order a wash pump motor you also get the impeller.
Sounds like you are on the right path to getting your dishwasher to wash dishes again.
Oh, while you have the dishwasher open, check that the heating element has not failed using a Multimeter.

Good Luck!

1. No waterMake sure you get water to the dishwasher. Check to see if the water shut-off valve (located under the sink) is open. If you get water to the dishwasher, but there is still no water inside during the fill cycle, the problem might be with a faulty water valve (located at the bottom of the dishwasher, behind the kick panel, on either side), in which case replace the water valve.

2. Not enough water
If there is not enough water, the dishes would not get cleaned. This could be caused by a partially closed water shut-off valve (located under the sink), or a faulty dishwasher water valve (located at the bottom of the dishwasher, behind the kick panel, on either side).

3. Clogged spay arms
There is usually two, sometimes three spray arms in a dishwasher. Make sure there is no debris blocking the holes inside each spray arm.

4. Water temperature is too low
To get the best results, the water has to be at 120 degrees Fahrenheit when entering the dishwasher.

5. Not enough soap
If you only fill one part of the soap cup, try adding soap to both parts.

6. Smoky film on dishes and glasses
This problem occurs due to excessive calcium build up inside the dishwasher. Try cleaning you dishwasher using a dishwasher cleaner. 

no this means that your bottom arm of the machine is not working correctly and the water pressure therefor is to low to get the soap out.
Clean lower arm (spinner) and all filters. You will see that will help the problem