KDSS-20 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

Srewed it back on. . . Very simple!

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!

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.

Tranfered wheels from old rack to replacement rack. Silverware caddy was a bit too big for the replacement. I gently bent the prongs on the rack a little and its fits perfect.

Finally listened to advice of others online and decided to replace inlet valve. Btw, the problem is NOT the inlet screen. It was completely clean in my case. Issue is with internal seals that swell over time and restrict flow leading to low water level.

Unplugged unit, removed lower front panel (two screws on outside upper corners), undid compression fitting on inlet supply line, removed two screws holding valve bracket to frame, disconnected electrical connections to valve, used pliers to compress hose clamp to remove valve outlet hose, used adjustable wrench and some elbow grease to remove small inlet elbow (its on tight!) from valve inlet, put teflon tape on elbow threads to reinstall on new valve, reverse removal instructions to put everything back. All done! MUCH cleaner dishes!

screwed it in. Closed the door. Voila, it works!

Repair was fairly easy, had to swith the mounting bracket from the old valve no problem. Install reconnected the water and the dishwasher works great now!

I was trying to avoid having to buy a new dishwasher before the holidays. I went on YouTube and found the dirty dishes may mean bad water inlet valve. So, I used my meter to see if the valve was bad and sure enough it was. I ordered the part from Part Select. Once I received the part I removed the old one. Be sure to put a towel down to catch the excess water. The bracket that came with the new prt was a different configuration, but i swapped the new with old and it worked. I addition to the valve being bad the dishwasher upper and lower arms were somewhat clogged. I looked online again and followed YouTube instructions to clean. The dishwasher is cleaning like it is new. I would recommend to anyone doing work on their dishwasher to use part select and thoroughly clean the upper and lower arm.

Removed the door cover and replaced the bi-metal.

Very easy. Disconnect power to the dishwasher via a breaker or fuse. Open the door and remove just the 4 screws on the inside lip of the door. Do not remove the screws hoding the closing brackets. Remove the front glass and chrome panel between the control panel and the kick panel. This will give you access to the soap cup and bi-metal. Remove the one retaining screw and remove the bi-metal,taking note of the position of the wires. Remove the wires, by grasping the connectors (I used needle nose pliers for this), not the wires, and re-intsall them on the new bi-metal. Re-install bi-metal on soap cup assembly, "cock" the release lever by closing the soap cup cover and manually trip the bi-metal to make sure it will release the lever and open the cover. Re-install the front panel with screws. Restore power and test appliance.