GSC820S04 General Electric Dishwasher - Instructions

Opened door, removed screw holding down metal plate that presses against interlock switch when door is closed. Removed plastic cover thingy that is over interlock switches. Removed the interlock switch by pressing the plastic lock thingy away from switch. Pulled the wires off each end of the interlock switch. Removed new interlock switch from plastic bag and reversed above procedure. Done, shut door and the dishwasher works.

Saved a bundle over the cost of a new dishwasher. by ultimately replacing the entire motor/pump assembly with one ordered from PartSelect.com And a bonus was a much quieter operating dishwasher!!

Here's what I did:

First tried replacing leaking drain valve shaft seal.
Removed entire motor pump assembly. Replaced seal. Still leaked (although less) because drain valve shaft was worn (corroded.)

Next ordered the entire motor/pump replacement assembly. The parts arrived in 2-1/2 days. (Should have replaced entire pump assembly to start with - all of the same labor to replace just the drain valve shaft seal.)

Anyways, instructions were very clear and well illustrated. This replacement took less time than to do the drain valve shaft seal.

Very simple repair:
1) Shut off water supply, electric power
2) remove front bottom insulated dishwasher cabinet cover grills.
3) disconnect drain hose and catch water in shallow dish.
4) disconnect water supply at solenoid valve.
5)disconnect electrical inside junction box and remove cable from dishwasher.
6) remove two under counter screws to top of tub
7) slide dishwasher out from under cabinets.
8) place soft carpet to cushion left side of dishwasher to avoid potential damage to water inlet to tub..
9) lay dishwasher onto left side. (Not right side, as jet dry reservoir wiill drain empty all over floor.)
10) unfasten motor support rod, power connector, and drain solenoid power connector.
11) unfasten motor ground wire.
undo pump inlet and outlet boot clamps.
12) remove old motor/pump assembly.
13) prepare new motor/pump assembly drain hose adapter stub reducer diameter to pump drain outlet. (tighten two hose clamps provided/)
14) place new motor/pump assembly into inlet and outlet boots.
15) fasten inlet and outlet boot clamps firmly tight.
16) install new, longer motor support rod (front)
17) install motor ground wire and new, fine thread grounding screw,
18) connect motor power to new power pigtail and plug new pigtail into motor power connection,
19) install wire wrap tie threaded through the support rod to front frame hole and support motor power wires/
20) install wire wrap tie through drain valve solenoid metal support holes and loop around solenoid power wires to support them.
21) tilt dishwasher upright and slide back under counter cabinets. Guid power and water supply lines to right under side of pump motor, and drain hose to left side.
22) reattach drain hose to new motor/pump drain stub reduce adapter, tighten hose clamp.
23) support drain hose with wire wrap tie looped over frame on left side.
24) reattach water supply to inlet water solenoid valve and tighten firmly.
25) redo electrical power supply connections to dishwasher hot, neutral, and ground (120VAC).
26) check level of dishwasher tub and adjust front and rear leveling legs on left and right sides. BE SURE LEVEL, OR WATER MAY SPILL OUT TUB WATER INLET OPENING DURING OPERATION.
27) remove inside tub drain trap screen (two screws) , and pull out sump baffle. Check for and remove clear any foreign objects inside tjhe sump.
28) replace sump baffle (flat baffel towards fromt. and tub drain screen cover.
29) Turn on water supply and electirc power supply.
30) Test wash a load of dishes and check for leakage.
31) reinstall fromt lower insulated cover grills.

Wow, the new motor/pump assembly operates very quietly compared to the old one - this is a pleasant and unexpected bonus.

No problems encountered.

Total time was about 2.5 hours to do all of above.

I removed a front access panel below the door and found a broken steel cable going to the spring assembly which helps lift the door. I ordered a replacement from PartSelect which arrived quickly. To fix the problem, all I had to do was attach one end of the cable to the springs, route the cable across a nylon wheel, and slip the eyelet end of the cable onto a mounting post. Then reattach the access panel and I was done. Problem fixed.

I called the repair guy, and he told me I'd have to replace the motor/pump assembly. He said he could do it for around $250 to $300. I logged onto this website for a look and saw the seal available. After reading the other responses, I figured with a seal and the cheap push-nut (that sometimes gets mangled upon removal), it would be worth a try.
I pulled the dishwasher partly out from under the cabinet; disconnected the front support mount, the drain hose, and the two water boots; dropped the motor/pump assembly; removed the solenoid; removed the e-clip, push-nut, shaft, and old seal; and then reinstalled everything. The hardest part of the repair was the tight working conditions. I wonder how many people pay hundreds of dollars because of this $15 part.

Rather than remove the dishwasher from the counter, I performed the repair inplace, which was much less work (although I did have to lay on the floor).
After turning off the power, I removed the two access panels at the bottom of the unit, disconnected the wiring from the pump and solenoid, loosened the drain hose fitting and drained most of the water out of the unit and into a shallow pan (the drain solenoid was stuck open, so this was pretty easy - otherwise, I still could have manually actuated the drain valve & solenoid to drain water through this hose).
There was alot of water in the unit and my pan overflowed a little. If I was doing this again, think I would have disconnected the drain hose from under the sink and drained out through that into a bucket (I could have controlled that flow better).
Once the water was out, there are just two hose clamps that hold the pump onto the unit (one on top and one in the back), and a stabilizer bar that connects the motor to the front frame. Removed these and the whole unit came right out.
The replacement pump & motor was exactly the same as the one that came out, so I didn't need any of the hose or wire adapters that came in the kit.
Reconnected the two pump connections, motor bracket and wiring, and the unit was good-to-go!

I ordered parts before opening. My theory was to have the parts so that the dishwasher was not apart for longer than necessary, in the hope of avoiding the wrath of momma bear who just wants a new one... Once I opened up the door I realized the spring for the main lever arm had broken its mount. I drilled a new hole and reattached the spring. I did not need any parts. However, the original parts corresponding to the three parts I ordered were all beat up and brittle, so I was happy to replace anyway. I did not even explain, she is happy the cup looks new and is happy with the dishwasher. It even says Cascade on it, almost like an upgrade :). If your cup does not latch I would order the three parts I did and also order the lever spring. It was very corroded after 30 years, so I would have replaced if I purchased it. Next time.. :)

The shaft pulled out of the housing when I tried to get the push nut off. I had to take the pump housing out in order to get the shaft lined up with the valve when reassembling. In the end, the shaft had so much slop that no seal could keep it from leaking. Time for a new dishwasher.

I received my dishwasher as a hand me down, my Aunt never liked the way it cleaned. After it sitting for about 2 years i installed it in my house and found that it leaked all the time from where motor shaft went into the pump housing. After disassembling everything and scouring parts sites online, I found the parts, ordered them. 3 days later i had the parts, and the next day I had a fully functioning leak free dishwasher.

I replaced the top filler tube. (The $65 price for the filler tube is outrageous. Glad I didn't have a service man fix it. With mark-up it would have cost me over $100 for a 3 foot plastic tube. Crazy!)

While I was add it, I replaced the corner tub baffles.

first, I removed the screws holding the dishwasher to the countertop.Then I removed the dishwasher from under the counter. I turned the dishwasher on it's back and loosened the three hose clamps securing the water connections to the pump assembly. I then removed the electrical plug to the motor and the screw holding the support rod to the motor. Then I worked the loosened water connections apart and removed the pump and motor assembly.
Then I removed the hose clamp and plug from one of the orifices on the new pump, and aligned all of the water connections and wiggled the new pump assembly into place. I tightened the hose clamps, Installed the new screw and support bar to the motor, and connected the electrical plug. I then turned the dishwasher upright, reconnected the power cord, water supply and drain lines and started a wash cycle to check the new system for leaks. I found that the extraneous drain solenoid that came attached to the new pump was loose and rattling, so I secured the solenoid shaft and linkage to the pump housing with electrical tape to stop the rattling.

I simply detatched the broken old roller and snapped in the new one. It was very simple and I did not need any tools.

I opened the D/W door, used needle nose pliers to remove the old baffles. They come right out. I cleaned the area using paper towels and installed the new baffles. They just sit in the corners with nothing holding them. Simple job.

Removed the dishwasher, turned it over, removed 3 hoses, 2 clamps, 2 wires and one support. Installed new pump and reconnected. Done!

Shut off circuit breaker to dishwasher and shut off valve to dishwasher under sink.Remove bottom access panel screws on both sides of panel. Remove both screws holding dishwasher to counter.Place old mattboard strips under legs to prevent scratching floor & slide out from under counter. Use a Shopvac to remove water and spillage. Have rags and paper towels handy. Carefully disconnect wires, drain hose and water line to free dishwasher. Fold old rug runner in half to place dishwasher on, turn on side and then gently upside down on rug to access motor. Remove butterfly clamps, hose clamps, electrical connections, and support bracket. remove old motor and pump and place in box to discard. Position replacement motor and pump according to diagrams. Reconnect all clips, hoses and connections. Since replacement motor and pump is smaller, use longer support bracket from adapter kit. Return dishwasher to upright position and reconnect wiring using wirenuts, drain hose and waterline. Reposition mattboard strips under legs and slide back into place. Attach screws to counter top. Turn on power, water and do a test run to check for leakage. Replace bottom access panel. Pat yourself on the back since you've saved yourself hundreds of dollars for a repair or replacement of your dishwasher.

There are 2 switches that should be pressed in when you move the handle to lock door, the switches usually go bad with time. Just take the six screws off on the inside of door, then remove screw on the underneath part of handle. The switches are located on the top part under a piece of 1 inch metal plate held in by a screw, remove that and you'll see the 2 switches, test the button on each one to see if it goes in and out, you'll hear the click to. Just unplug bottom first then the top if you need to replace the top one. Thats it.