Kenmore Dishwasher Repair

Gritty dishes or a film on glasses from a newer Kenmore dishwasher are more often a maintenance issue than a broken part. Whirlpool-built models, which carry a 665 prefix, moved from a hard-food disposer to a manual filter that sits under the lower spray arm. Once that filter clogs, the water recirculating through the wash gets steadily dirtier and redeposits what it picked up.

Earlier 665 models kept the disposer, a small chopper blade that grinds soft food before it reaches the drain. A cherry pit or a sliver of glass can jam it, and the machine answers with grinding or a steady hum. Frigidaire built other Kenmore dishwashers to its own design, and Kenmore Elite versions often added a stainless tub and more features. Each maker uses its own diagnostic codes.

Beyond the filter, the repeat failures on Whirlpool-built units are drain pumps, worn wash motors, inlet valves that clog or stick, and touch panels or boards that stop responding. Frigidaire-built ones lean toward door gasket leaks alongside their own pump and motor faults. Mineral scale common in Tampa water can crust the inlet screen and spray arm holes, slowly starving the wash.

Read the model number from the tub edge or the door liner. With power off, pull the filter or screen from the tub floor and rinse it, spin the spray arms by hand, and look under the sink for a kinked drain hose. A newly installed disposal with its knockout plug still in place will stop drainage completely. If water is on the floor, close the supply valve under the sink.

We confirm the maker and run its test cycle, then check the wash motor, drain pump, heater, inlet valve, door switch and controls. On well water we pull the inlet screen to look for sediment. Pumps, valves and filters are sensible repairs. A failed control or wash motor on a basic plastic-tub model may approach replacement cost, while Elite stainless-tub units justify more.