MDB7100AWB Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

Just took the racks out installed the new ones in no tool required.

I will go through partselect.com again. Had a very good esperience with them.

I ordered and replaced both the door gasket (easy) and inner door seal (difficult) to try and correct a leak during operation. The door gasket was easily replaced. However, the inner door seal was a bit more trouble. After removing the inner door I found that the old inner seal needed to be removed and surfaces thoroughly cleaned of old build-up of dishwasher soap residue, in order to allow the sticky back tape side of door seal to properly stick to the door. There also was a plastic cover over the wire bundle that needed to be cleaned. The inner door seal was the exact length, so proper positioning of the sticky back was very important.
Upon reassemly the leak still existed and I was unable to correct the leak. Further inspection indicated that the basic tub/body of the dishwasher might be slightly distorted due to age and may not create seal with door seal as originally designed.
I guess I need to find a new dishwasher, at this point.
A word to the wise: Check to see if the tub/body is still in good condition.

Observed the way gasket was installed including slight overhang on each side.
I simply pulled out the old gasket, starting at one end. I then wiped down the area with a dampened rag and pressed in the new gasket exactly the way the old one came out. It is important not to stretch it, just push it into place ending up with the same overhang on both sides.
Total time less than 5 minutes with no tools.

All I had to do was to snap the parts into place. I also had someone come here to find a leak in my dishwasher. It was in the latch and seal that kept the soap dispenser closed. They wanted to charge me over $50 when the part only cost less than $9 with shipping. I just ordered it and installed it myself. Piece of cake!

Snapped on new wheels

I suspected that the wax motor had gone bad based on reviews I had read. The repair requires a TORX bit to remove seven screws holding the plastic cover on the inside of the door. I sat in a chair with the door resting on my knees and took the screws out. Once open, the two wax motors are under the cover and easily accessible. You simply pull the wax motors out and detach two wire plugs. You should note how the wires are attached. The wire plugs were a little difficult to pull off but with a little effort they came straight off. Once new wax motors were installed, the soap dispenser opened.

I was also using a gel dishwasher detergent and was told that, for some reason, it might have begun to act like glue and this might also have prevented the soap dispenser from opening. I switched to powder and that did not solve the problem leading me to replace the wax motors. The soap dispenser spring seems a little weak so I have continued using powder.

First off, I must give thanks to Partselect.com for excellent service. They had the parts I needed, a Diagram of how the parts should go into the Dishwasher, and shipping was very quick and reasonable priced. Thank you Partselect.com.


After dinner we heard our Maytag MDB5100AWW dishwasher start grinding during its wash cycle. Needless to say we found this quite concerning, as this is not what a healthy dishwasher should sound like. After fiddling around with it, I started researching the issue and found Partselect.com where it was stated the “Discharge Housing Assembly (Discharge Pump Housing)” was a common failure point. After disassembling the “Pump and Motor” section of the dishwasher, it was confirmed that the Discharge Housing was indeed broken. Since this Dishwasher is over 8 years old, I figured that I might as well replace a few other parts as well, since I'm in there working on it.


Following the blow-up image of the Pump and Motor picture;

Unscrew part 34

Pull out part 1

Lift Part 2, which is attached to part 36

Unscrew part 5 (6 of them) from part 4, be careful not to loose part 3, sitting inside part 4

Lift out part 6 and 7

Unscrew part 8 and lift out part 9

Unscrew part 27 (three of them) and lift out part 11

The bottom plate of this part is the broken part.


Now, since we are in here replacing a part, we might as well replace a few other parts and give this dishwasher a little longer life. I opted to replace the following parts as well, being that my dishwasher was over 8 years old and the gaskets were showing some age.

Part 4 – Pump Cover and Secondary Filter Assembly; I replaced this part because food often gets caught inside the filters and will throw off the balance during a wash or rinse, thus putting premature wear on bearings and o-rings. My filter had a bunch of food on one side, and the only way to remove the food was to slit open a section of the filter, thus damaging the filter screen.

Part 37 – O-Ring that goes inside the Pump Cover and Secondary Filter Assembly. O-rings are rubber and do wear with age. My dishwasher didn't even have this o-ring; now it does.

Part 3 – Lower Spray Arm Seal; I noticed when pulling these parts out that the hard water in our living area was making these somewhat brittle. When ordering these, get two of them, as the picture indicates. If you order one, the package only contains one, and not two was the image shows it should have.

Part 11 – Discharge Housing Assembly (Discharge Pump Housing). This is the part that is making all the grinding noise. The new part will show that it is built a little differently. It appears that Maytag figured out the weak design of this part and made the replacements stronger.

Part 17 – Even though I ordered this, you don't need to order this part if you order the Part 10 kit. The part 10 kit will include this o-ring. Because its an O-ring, I replaced it; as stated above, o-rings do breakdown.

Part 25 – Pump Gasket; This part should really be called the Pump Housing Gasket, as it isolates the Pump Housing bucket and the Dishwasher tub. I bought this because my original gasket was looking pretty nasty and was coming apart.

Part 10 – Seal Kit (Motor/Pump) (Motor/Pump Impeller and Seal Assembly), this kit includes several components that if purchased separately would easily be twice the cost of this kit. Again, seals and Motor Pump seals are a good thing to replace when needing to do work inside the dishwasher.


Continuing on from the previous dis-assembly list;

Unscrew part 12 and remove part 14, 15 and 16.

Unroll part 17 (o-ring) and remove part 18.

Unscrew parts 19 and carefully remove part 20, being VERY careful to not loose part 39.

Lift out part 22, which will include the bearing inside of part 22.

Pry out part 24 with a pick (the replacement is in the kit of part 10).

To remove part 25, you must Remove part 12 of the Door Assembly (see the Door image) to reach the motor element.

Next unscrew part 14 of the “TUB” i

Ordered replacement basket online at much better price than available localy. When I recieved it discovered that it did not include the handle, but was suprised to see it labeled as "Genuine Maytag Parts" ( I realy expected a knock-off replacement part for the price difference). I was able to remove tha handle from the old basket and install it on the new one. Job done. No problem

Remove lower cover to expose the motor, valves and electrical connections. turn off water supply and electrical circuit breaker. Disconnect leads from float switch. Remove float switch with a single phillips head screw. Replace with new one and attach leads---very easy.

Remove water inlet electrical connections--remember which goes to which connector. Disconnect hot watter supply with open ended box wrench.
Remove water inlet valve from washer wall by unscrewing two sheet metal screws. Use 1/4" socket and 3" extension for this. Use pliers to release the hose clamp holding the rubber water line onto the valve outlet stem. Reverse this sequence to intall the new switch. Moderately easy. Have sponge and paper towels to soak up spills when you do the disconnects.
.

Once I figured out how to get the endcap off the roller track (allow several minutes, because it was designed by some dork), I slipped the old roller off the track, put the new roller on, and clipped it to the rack. Then I put the track cap back on (really easy once you've figured out how to get it off) and it was good as new.

As for how the cap comes off, it's difficult to describe. But it may help you to know that the cap, despite what it looks like at first, is actually surprisingly long and folded on top of itself. Pulling it directly out doesn't work; you have to unfold it before there's any chance of getting it out.

I removed the two plates located below the dishwasher door to expose the float switch. I removed the two screws holding float switch, I removed screw holding switch actuator, then I removed float assembly.
Installed new float assembly, but could not use the float palnut, it had too small of a hole, I substituted a larger one that fit the float better. Note I fitted the palnut to the float (the nut cuts it's own threads in the float) before installing the float. This made installation easier. Next I transferred the two wires from the old float switch to the new float switch in the same positions as the existing switch wires. Then I installed the float switch. Finally, I cleaned up the float switch actuator and screw so that the actuator moves freely on the screw. I then installed the float switch actuator and ran the dishwasher to check for proper operation. Note: this float and switch control the water level in the dishwasher. If the actuator sticks, the dishwasher will fill with too much water and leak. If the float has collected dirt inside, it will weigh more and the water level will be too high, causing the dishwasher will fill with too much water and leak. If the switch sticks or fails the water level will be too high, causing the dishwasher will fill with too much water and leak. That is why I relaced the parts: float and switch. I don't want to go back and work on this again.
Lastly, after a few days of proper operation, I installed the two plates located below the dishwasher door. Job done!

snapped on new roller and job done

1. I removed the covers below the door and watched during a wash cycle to see where the water was leaking. There was a small pinhole on the rubber connector at the end of what turned out to be the "top shower hose". I was hoping I could just replace that rubber connector, but apparently it is permanantly attached to the entire "top shower hose" assembly.
2. To remove the top shower hose I first turned of the circuit breaker to the dishwasher.
3. I needed to slide the dishwasher about half way out of the cabinet, requiring removal of two screws at the top of the dishwasher attaching it to the counter.
4. I also had to turn off the water and disconnect the water supply hose (at supply valve, not inside the washer) because it had no slack to allow the dishwasher to slide out of the cabinet.
5. I removed the hose clamp at the bottom of the dishwasher.
6. I removed the top dish rack (there are clips on the ends of the rails that can be opened to allow the rack to come out).
7. I popped off the upper washer arm by fiddling with the clip mechanism. Then I removed the threaded "nut" holding the hose in place.
8. As others mentioned, it is good to remember to save and re-use the hose clamp and rubber washer.
9. Removed the old hose.
10. Ordered new hose, waited for delivery. Kids washed dishes by hand for a few days.
11. Installed the new hose. Replaced the rubber washer at the top end and fastened with the "nut." Replaced the washer arm and top dish rack.
12. Connected the bottom end of hose, re-using the hose clamp.
13. Positioned dishwasher back under cabinet and replaced screws.
14. Re-connected the water supply hose.
15. Turned circuit breaker back on.
16. Began using dishwasher again. Observed a few wash cycles to ensure no leaks.
17. Re-attached the covers below the door.
18. Done.

1. Turned power to the unit off.
2. Used a star bit to remove the 7 screws holding the door panel in place.
3. Handed each to my 2 year-old grand daughter.
4. Removed a 1" switch metal retaining plate and a black plastic cover. Removed one screw holding the switch in place.
5. Gently lifted out the old switch and compared it to the replacement switch.
6. Inserted the two black connectors into the new switch.
7. Removed each of the four wires connected to the old switch and connected each, in-turn, to the new switch. Removed the exterior black handle from the old switch and snapped it into place on the new switch.
8. Put the switch into place, reinstalled the black plastic housing cover and long 1" metal switch retaining panel.
9. Set the door cover in place and let the 2 year-old screw in the 7 retaining screws.
10. Don't have to listen to the wife complain about the dishwasher anymore.

Stuck new wheel on, time to find and order part on partselect 2 min, time to open package and install part 1 min.

Total job 3min.