KDC-20A KitchenAid Dishwasher - Instructions

Removed 4 philips head screws on bottom front plates (2) under the dishwasher door, removed old springs and inserted new springs. Then replaced the plates and screws. Replaced both springs even though only one broke. Springs should always be replaced in pairs - as the old good spring will not be as strong as the new one.

Remove power, either unplug the unit or locate and turn off the circuit breaker. There is power under the dishwasher even if it is not running.

Use the nut driver to remove both lower panels to gain access to the bottom of the dishwasher.

I suspected the overflow switch and used the ohm meter to discover the resistance of the switch, with no water in the washer, measured anywhere from a couple of ohms to 40 ohms or more and of course it should be less than one ohm.

There was no sign of any leakage or other problem so I wanted to keep the job simple and replace only the actual micro switch.

Problem! The micro switch is mounted on the back side of the float stem kit and visibility is severely limited. About all you can see are the switch terminals and the head of the phillips screw that holds the microswitch on the rest of the float stem kit.. You'll definitely need a small mirror.

I first pulled the wires from the microswitch terminals. Then I used a small phillips screw driver to remove the screw holding the switch and the first thing that happened is the small white float lever fell out. (I didn't know that it was even there because of the poor visibility. Ugly surprise!)

I spent 1/2 hour or more studying how the lever went in and found that the cirular end of the lever fits into a circular depression in the assembly body and was HELD IN BY THE SWITCH. (Now it's really getting ugly!)

The problem then is how to get the lever back in place and have it stay there while placing the micro switch back in place. There just isn't any easy way to do that. If only the switch and lever were one piece it would have been so simple.

Aha!

I placed and aligned both the lever and the microswitch on the float assembly body that I received. Using a couple of small pieces of electricians tape I taped the microswitch and lever together so they were one piece. Then I carefully (very carefully) removed the switch/lever
"assembly" that I made and eased it into position onto back side of the dishwasher float stem assembly body. When the switch is almost in place there is just barely room to get the tip of your finger in there and seat the rounded end of the lever into the depression. After seating the lever, carefully replace and tighten the phillips screw holding the switch in place. Then remove the electricians tape.

Replace the wires on the micro switch terminals, replace the front panels, put your tools away, and by golly, you're done.

This repair is not for the faint-hearted nor for those with fat fingers or who tend to be klutsy. It took me three or four attemps and a couple of hours to get the microswitch and float lever into place. But I think it was worth it as I didn't have to remove the dishwasher, play with water lines, or remove the full float assembly thus avoiding creating other problems that might likely result in water leaks and additional repairs..

If you decide to try this repair, good luck. It can be done but it is tough.

I turned off the CB for the DW and the water supply to the DW.
I disconnected the electrical connections on the water inlet valve. I then removed the panels from the lower part of the dishwasher, I pulled the water inlet line off and then the water return line off.

I replaced the valve. The only problem I ran into is that the inlet portion required a new brass "ell" - the one that was on the old piece would have of course been ok, however, it was solidly in place in the old water inlet valve

the only other issue, and one that would probably be commonly encountered - when I first went to turn off the water supply to the DW, the valve leaked - I was fortunate to be able to take the valve apart, clean it and put it back in place

Hello -

Upper rack fell down unexpectedly one night while loading the dishwasher -- evidentally the rollers had been deterioraring for a long time.

Orderd the new ones from you folks and installed them.

The problem I had was not with the replacement parts received, but making sure they were the correct ones 'on line', ( called as well ), and then not having a thin enough wrench to hold the nylon nut while unscrewing the bushings which required a large width screwdriver.

I have already sent you an e-mail saying how happy I am with the new pieces.

Just another example of how the right tools can make everything go a lot smoother, but we everyday consumers often don't have them.....

First I removed two lower panels at bottom of dishwasher beneath the loading door using nut drivers. There had been a problem in that the dishwasher was not filling with water during any of the cycle. I closed the water supply. I removed the old water inlet valve completely using pliars to open the hose clamp at the outlet anbd remove the hose. Then used a I/2 "" wrench to remove the copper inlet line. Then I used a screw driver to remove the inlet valve mounting screws. I put the valve in my garage vise to remove the pipe fitting. Everything was reusable on the new valve. I just cracked opened the water supply to make sure water pressure was available to the valve inlet side and reassembled everything. Started the dishwasher and problem solved.

Fairly simple to replace the valve. Water input side was a rubber hose that required pliers to squeeze the ring seal and slide it down the hose. Copper pipe on the output side was attached with a 3/8 compression fitting.

I did need to transfer a brass elbow from the old part to the new one.

It was easy to remove rack from dishwasher. I screwed on rollers and it was like new!

We have a remote cottage in Canada with a dishwasher over 30 years old. Since you have to get there by boat we didn't want to have to get a whole new dishwasher installed. The plastic rollers from the top shelf had fallen apart and the top rack would fall off all the time. My daughter found your company online and ordered the exact parts for me! I couldn't believe it. For about $20.00 my dishwasher was fixed by my husband in less than a half hour. It was easy to order the parts from you, they were shipped immediately and worked perfectly. Thank you so much for your help with our dishwasher parts. I was laughed out of Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears and H.H. Gregg when I took my old parts there looking for help with replacement parts. I would recommend your company to everyone.

Closed water supply--Turned circuit breaker off to dishwasher--removed lower panel on dishwasher--removed the two wires from water inlet valve--disconnected water supply line--removed angle fitting from old valve & installed in new valve--reinstalled new valve & connected water line & 2 wires--This fixed problem.
I ordered part 11:00 1/15/09--Recd. new one 10:30 next morning. VERY FINE SERVICE & PRICE from PARTS SELECT.COM--Thanks.

Took front control panel off and discovered that door interlock switch was mechanically damaged. Repaired with epoxy but realized it was only temporary fix. Searched and found the replacement on PartSelect, after install, washer works fine.

we used hot water to soften the ends of the tube and then slid it onto the two ends of the parts in the dishwasher. It did take a little bit of "push" to get it on one end, but nothing we could not handle. I would say anyone with common sense and willingness to fix something them selves would have no problem. I would like to say the part I ordered was of good quality and saved me a lot of money.

I put a whirlpool tube on my Jen more dishwasher . Fits like a glove.

followed the tutorial video and just removed the old one and the new one slipped right on.

ReplacING the tube was not a big job but the old tube had come apart and pieces had lodged in the sprayer arm. I used a toothpick and nut pick to dislodge the pieces and restore full water flow.

Woman who took my order suggested buying extra wheels, just in case we broke one. Good suggestion, we broke two in getting them off the original rack. Soaked the wheels and adjusters in hot water for 10 minutes as someone else suggested in notes. All went well, got a nice, new rack!