Door Spring

first i removed the 2 holding screws fron the underside of the counter then oulled the dishwasher out about a foot. i then removed the side panel that hold the front plate in plase on the right, below this were the screws that held the door hinge assembly on the right. i then proceeded to remove those bolts. and replaced with the new one. replacing the spring and the linkage came next no tools required. i have to say that the diagram when i ordered helped emensly. i am a 45 yr old woman and fixed it by nyself thanks to your ordering diagrams. life is good!!

Thanks to repair stories about door leaks on partselect.com I ordered parts for the detergent/rinse dispenser in addition to the door gasket. The installation of the door gasket is really easy, simply remove the old gasket starting at one end. I needed a small screwdriver to get the old gasket end out of its channel, then pulled the entire gasket out. I cleaned the channel with water and simply pushed the new one into the channel, starting at the left bottom and continuing around. It is important not to stretch the gasket and also to have it equal length on both sides of the tub. Total time less than 10 minutes.

The replacement of the detergent grommet requires removal of the inner door panel. I removed the seven torx-head screws along the edge of the plastic panel and lifted the panel away from the outer metal door. There are wires attached to the detergent cup motor. I tried to remove them but found it was easier to simply snap the motor out of it's retaining clip, leaving the wires attached. The inner door panel can now be removed. The detergent/ rinse aid module is removed by taking out two hex-head screws. It lifted away from the door and the grommet is right on the front, surrounding the detergent cup latch. I removed the old grommet, cleaned the residue of old detergent and water hardness from the latch and the backside of the inner door. and placed the new grommet over the latch. I used a little water on the new one to make it slide on easier. I then reattached the module to the inner door. Be sure the grommet is centered in the square hole and evenly tighten the two hex-head screws. Re attach the soap motor by snapping it in place being careful to align its plunger correctly with the soap module. There is a groove in the plunger that fits into the plastic arm of the module. Re assemble the inner door and tighten the torx-head screws evenly. This job took about 30 minutes and completely solved the leak problem.

The broken spring linkage requires partial removal of the dishwasher. First, I turned off the power and water as a precaution. I removed the undercounter philips head screws, removed the lower access panel and kick plate using a nut driver. To access the door spring mechanism, the dishwasher must be pulled out from the cabinet about 10 inches. I had flexible electric and water lines so they didn't need to be disconnected. If the water and electric are rigid, then they have to be disconnected. This may require a professional. The replacement of the door springs and linkages is very easy once the dishwasher is pulled out. Keeping the door closed and locked, simply hook one end of the spring on the linkage, attach the other end of the linkage to the door and attach the other end of the spring to the hole in the dishwasher base where the old spring was attached. It is a good idea to replace both springs and both linkages to keep equal tension on both sides of the door. Slide the dishwasher back to it's original position and replace the undercounter screws and the lower access panels. Total time less than 15 minutes.

Took off bottom plate for access. Slid part that holds bottom of spring forward so I could reach it without pulling dishwasher out of position. Hooked spring to bottom attachment, then connected door spring linkage to holder that is attached to the dishwasher frame. Adjusted the tension with the tension screw and buttoned up bottom plate.

This was really easy. I just took out the two screws securing the unit to the counter top and slid it out about 6 inches. Broken plastic spring linkage was obvious and easily accessible. I didn't know there was one on each side, I would probably have went ahead and ordered both and replaced them at the same time.

Attaching the part to the door only took a few minutes but getting the dishwasher out over the hardwood floor that was installed after the appliance was put in was a pain. I had to remove a piece of the hardwood floor and use some technique to get it out of the opening so that the springs were visable. There is no problem after that. I would recommend using work gloves to stretch the spring over the retaining notch on the door so that you don't pinch your hand.

After pulling dishwasher out both springs easily installed using plastic connectors on the bottom left and right sides. Pliars were used to stretch the springs. It took fifteen minutes at most.

I pulled the unit out its bay and saw that one spring was missing. I looked up the parts online and ordered replacement springs and linkages. Using the existing spring and linkage as models, I easily installed the new parts. I ordered spare parts in case the other linkage broke.

We hired a handyman, who recommended we go online to order the parts. They arrived
at my door in less that 24 hrs! Luckily, the handyman was back the next day as well, and
he installed the new springs and spring linkage.

***BEFORE STARTING BE SURE TO TURN OFF THE POWER!!
THE SPRING TENSION WAS GONE THAT WOULD KEEP THE DOOR FROM FALLING. KEEP IN MIND THERE IS A DOOR SPRING AND LINKAGE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR. SO BUY 2 OF EACH AND RETURN THE ONES YOU DON'T USE. IF YOU REPLACE THE LINKAGE ON ONE SIDE YOU MIGHT AS WELL CHANGE THE OTHER ONE SINCE IT'S ONLY A SMALL PLASTIC PIECE.
FOR ME THE SPRING WAS GOOD - ONLY REPLACED THE LINKAGE. REMOVED THE PANEL AT THE BOTTOM AND THE 2 SCREWS THAT HELD IT UNDER THE COUNTER TOP. I DIDN'T DISCONNECT THE WATER BUT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE UNIT OUT JUST ENOUGH (10 INCHES OR SO) TO GET TO THE SPRING. HELD IT IN PLACE WITH THE VISE GRIP SO IT DIDN'T FALL BEHIND THE UNIT. FYI - YOU MIGHT HAVE TO ADJUST THE TENSIONER ON THE BOTTOM IF YOUR SPRING TOOK A WALK WHEN THE LINKAGE BROKE. BE CAREFUL PUSHING THE UNIT BACK UNDER THE COUNTER. TOOK ME ABOUT AN HOUR AND SAVED SOME MONEY

Unscrewed the 2 screws securing the dishwasher to the counter. Unscrewed 2 front panels. Shut off water valve. Disconnected water intake. Pulled dishwasher out 5 inches. Removed broken spring, replaced it. Checked the door movement. Scrubbed the door rubber gasket of calcium deposits & debris. Replaced the Teflon tape on the water intake. Reconnected water hose. Opened water valve. Checked for leaks at the water intake location. Ran 1 dishwasher cycle again for leaks. Pushed the dishwasher back under the counter. Secured the 2 screws on top of the dishwasher to the counter. Reattached the 2 front panels and enjoyed a glass of wine.