GU980SCGQ3 Whirlpool Dishwasher - Instructions

I removed the rubber boot on the top of the water dispersal unit ( stainless steel wand ) by turning it counterclockwise and the wand came off with ease. I then removed the top unit under it by removing the 8 torx screws and removed it. Under the unit is a cover with 1 torx screw to be removed and removed the cover to access the unit. I was unable to loosen the 1/4" nut on the shaft as it was very tight so I had to remove the unit and lock the motor armature with a piece of wood and removed the bolt. Using the kit I purchased I installed the new parts as required and it works as good as new.

The whole problem started with the upper vent on the door being plugged up with a whole bunch of labels that had been washed off of a bunch of tin cans that were washed prior to recycling them. Te high water float was also gummed up for the same reason and overflowed on the floor, I pulled it up and out and cleaned it up also, it works as good as new.

My wife noted wood floor bucking up around dishwasher - pulled dishwasher out from counter, tipped it on it's side, looked underneath, & noted slight corrosion on top of motor -

Took motor/pump assembly completely off of dishwasher (comes out from the bottom) by flipping four little plastic cams on motor to the side & then took pump apart (starting at top & working down) till I got to the impeller/motor shaft seal.

Found plastic impeller worn through into two pieces & little spring thingy under the grinder-upper thingy broken.

Ordered Drain & Wash Impeller kit - got it a few days later - installed (new motor shaft seal didn't seem to be quite the same as far as fit, so I didn't use it - just used the impeller & new spring thingy)

Put it all back together & runs fine - no more leaks - (now just have to figure out what to do about warped wood flooring - oh well, it's old & is probably time for whole new kitchen floor anyway)

Note: This particular Kenmore model made by Whirlpool - takes Whirlpool parts.

Note 2: Needed only screwdrivers to do this whole thing - would have been a really quick/easy repair if I had known what the problem was & how it all comes apart. took a little time to figure it out. (I am a rank amateur at dishwasher repair)

Removed dishwasher lower faceplate.
Removed hose clamp at the dishwasher end.
Removed clamp at the garbage-disposal end.
Removed hose.
Pulled new hose.
Connected both ends of the hose.
Installed both clamps.
Tested.

Look at the exploded parts diagram, that parts select provides on their website.

You have to take off the nine star pointed screws. So you need a special screwdriver or I had a socket set of them and I used a ratchet to make it easier. I think there are nine of them around the base of the door. Then remove the door and set it on the counter. Flip it over and there is a small plastic cover that has to be removed from the back of it, and it is easily removed by gently pulling on it.

Now comes the difficult part. There is a locking piece on it that holds the latch onto the door by interlocking with a piece on the back side of the door. I took a pair of wire snips and just cut the old interlocking piece off. This way I didn't have to try and slide the two interlocking pieces apart.

When you go to put the new piece on before you interlock them make sure they are put on right. Specifically the latch is pointing the right way to seal the detergent door. Otherwise it can be a pain to separate the interlocking pieces again. (which is why I cut it off the old one).

Then you're done. Just put it all back together.

I used a pair of needle nose pliers to grasp a small section of the broken shaft of the screw and was able to turn it to loosen and remove. the hardest part after that was explaining the part to the local Sears who looked it up based on the model number and orderd the wrong part. thanks to the pictures on your site, i was albe to locate and order the part myself. i paid a fraction of the shipping that Sears had charged me, received the part in less time then Sears delivery and also paid less for the part itself. T H A N K Y O U !

Disconnect power supply to dishwasher. Open door and remove screws on inner door cover. Carefully remove inner cover while watching how inner parts are arranged. Found return spring on detergent cup linkage had rusted and broken causing detergent cup not to open. Installed new spring and re assembled inner cover. Rotated timer dial one full revolution to check operation of detergent cup. Worked like a charm. Re connect power supply to dishwasher and your good to go.

I turned off the circuit. I removed the interior side of the door and then the plastic covering over the electrical wires and switches (I counterbalanced the door with a couple of half gallon juice containers). I removed the wires attached to the switch on the door handle and the door handle itself. The handle and switch parts disassembled and I replaced the switches (part of kit). I cut off the singed wire and the other three beyond the damaged portion and stripped the wires and connected the extensions (part of kit). I attached the new wires to the switches and closed up the interior door. Lastly, I turned the circuit breaker back on. All was well!

removed old parts and re-installed new parts. The spring is a little hard to get to the right point without a jewelers screwdriver, after that everything worked fine.

Diagnosing the problem, i.e. finding the source of the leak, was the hardest part. The best clue was the leak only occurred well into the cycle when the water was hot and steam was coming out the vent. I then assumed there was a bad seal and steam & condensed water was leaking down into the door. I replaced the vent duct & seal, a broken drip cover (an internal part in the door), and replaced a missing rinse aid cap. This stopped the leak.

After doing some research in a repair book I decided to take a stab with a water inlet valve. With expedited shipping I ordered the part and within three days it was delivered. I installed it and the dishwasher seemed like it was trying to fill but still would not. After much cocnsternation I turned the water supply valve to the dishwasher a partial turn to close and I felt the water rush through the valve and the dishwasher then filled. Apparently the shut off valve must have been clogged plus it now leaked. I then replaced the shutoff valve and the copper pipe to the water inlet valve with flexible 3/8" tubing and the dishwasher thus far is running fine without leaks.

The only difficult part was taking out (relatively easy) and returning (hard) the clips from the rails. This required bending the end of the metal rails with pliers. Otherwise the dishrack just rolled in with no issues.

The spinner is somewhat lower than the one it is replacing, making the clearance over items in the lower rack to be serviceable but marginal.

Water was not being sprayed thru the arms. I opened the dishwasher, removed/unscrewed the spray arms and wash impeller (black plastic wheel that directs the water) and then noticed that the part below the wash impeller had broken into pieces. There was only a metal ring and it was supposed to have a spring attached to it. I replaced the ring/spring below the wash impeller using the part from the Drain and Wash impeller kit. The dishwasher works great now.

It was my first mechanical fix. Use the web to diagnose, find the specs of the appliance and use common sense and you can do it yourself too.

By the way, the parts from this site arrived the next day.

The dishrack came in one box I opened the box snapped on the rollers and the bumpers and put it in the dishwasher, could not have been easier Thank you partselect

I removed all the ( what my Husband called star screws ) star screws and removed the housing panel ( holds dish detergent cup and silverware basket ) I discovered everything accross the bottom was all gucked up with detergent soap accumulation. I took the part to the kitchen sink and used the sprayer hose on the part with hot water and it cleaned up beautifully, and the detergent latch then worked ( the spring that operates the latch was all gucked up with detergent accumulation ).
I am the wife and did all of this myself and it only took around 5-10 min. My Husband had to help me figure out the type of screws because they turned out to not be phillip screws, but as Hubby called them.."star screws".
Soooo, I did not need to use the Latch Kit I purchased, so will store it in my parts supply! :)
Happy repairs to you..
Judy Estes Park, CO

After hearing ominous grinding sounds and water leaking around the gasket, it was about time to rehab the dishwasher. This is usually the point where I say "t'hell with it, buy a new one". I am glad I didn't.
The Kit to rehab the impeller and such had EVERYTHING I needed. Right parts, right price.
Removed the upper arm assembly, T15 screwdriver, the screen strainer, the impeller, T25 screwdriver, the food grinding spring and impeller (the grinding noise, spring was sprung), and finally the post and impeller thingie (had to break it off, very brittle). The pieces went back on a lot more smoothly than it took to get them off!
Use your digital camera! I took pictures of every stage of the parts removal and what I removed. I got confused with some little balls that were inside and the pictures told me exactly where they went.
Door gasket? I should have replaced it YEARS ago, so easy and cheap with PartSelect parts.