MDB7979SHZ1 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

Follow the u tube instruction. Replacing the pump was very simple and easy. The hard part was getting the dishwasher out of the cabinet and back in again.

Followed instruction via YouTube video. The video instructs to pry on the tabs to remove the dispenser - actually, just bend them out of the way with a screwdriver or putty knife. Once the dispenser is out, you can use pliers to bend the tabs back before installing the new dispenser. The only thing I would add is how to re-install the seal strip along the top edge. It has a groove in it that must be installed over the top edge of the outer cover BEFORE you screw the inner door to the outer cover. This was not clearly explained in the video.

First, I bought the door balance link to replace the broken links that connect to the springs.

Because I didn't have enough slack to simply pull out the dishwasher far enough to reach the springs, I had to disconnect the water line and electrical wiring.
The only reason my repair took as long as it did was because there was so little room underneath the dishwasher for disconnecting the water line. I had to buy a shorter adjustable wrench. Also, I had leaks after reconnecting the water line. I had to tighten the compression nut as far as it would go. The nut wrapped around a white substance that had been applied to the threads (I believe this is called pipe tape), which did the trick for sealing the leak.

The repair was a complete success! The parts arrived fast and the information from other customers on the the PartsSelect website was invaluable.

Removed the inner panel, remove electrical connection to dispenser, remove dispenser, metal tabs that hold it in, are a bit hard to pry metal tabs, and when installing net dispenser tabs are also a little difficult to pry tabs to install but doable. So far works like it should.

Carefully took apart the old one, paying attention to how the new one would be placed. I only had to order the outside part, nothing else was broken. Cleaned the inside, and then carefully attached the two together as I held it onto the rack. (Took the rack out to work on the countertop, in order to slide the rack out, need to open the ends of the gliders) Then once the parts fit well together on the rack, I screwed the screws in firmly.

My wife hired a local repairman when the right side spring cable broke (I was out of town). He took two hours to fix it (and two appointments). The door would then pop open when running. He came back and replaced the latch. Problems persisted. I then ordered new hinges and replaced both in half hour or so. Would recommend doing all of these repairs yourself. None of these repairs are that hard and definitely not worth paying hundreds to do it. Trickiest part is pulling the dishwasher out from the counter without impacting the electrical or water connections. Disconnecting the power is important on all repairs. When you take the screws out of the door to get to the hinges, make sure you have a helper just to hold the door up while removing the last few screws. The left side hinge was really bent (when the right side spring cable broke) - caused the door to be out of square and thus would not effectively close. This was obvious after a 5 minute search on this this and other repair sites. Process that I used: 1. remove screws from both sides holding dishwasher into counter (may have screws into countertop as well). 2. turn off power, 3. pull out dishwasher far enough to see hinges and springs (careful of connections), 4. remove front door screws, 5. take off front panel, 6. remove spring cables (pull cable taut and remove "hook" from hinge)., 7. unscrew two screws holding hinge to door, 8. bend metal fingers around hinge pin to be able to remove hinge., 9. attach hinge in opposite path. 10. repeat on other side (if necessary), 11. reconnect things in opposite order...test door prior to reattaching door panel. Make sure you level the unit with the adjustable feet. Make sure screws in sides of cabinet aren't too tight as it can take the unit out of square pretty easily...

pushed the new retainers in the holes and we are set to go

Due to the way I installed the appliance originally it was not necessary to disconnect supply water nor the drain connections. When the cord broke the spring came out of the point of connection to the appliance. It some "finagelling" to reattach the spring.After some "select vocabulary" it hooked into the correct spot and the rest was history.

These wheel assembly that came on the lower rack of my dishwasher were junk! They started falling off within 6 months. I put them back on to the point that the pin in the center of the wheels would no long stay in place, thus the frustrating situation of the wheels falling off often.

Assembly was easy peasy!

I had a common issue on many dishwashers, the final drain cycle was not draining but the pump was trying to turn. Also, the drain pipe was clean. This issue caused a burning smell, like a circuit board heating up. Half plastic smell, half electrical. I bought a replacement pump, followed the pump replacement video instructions from PartsSelect, and it was replaced in under 15 minutes without any tools.

Pulled washer out far enough to put 2x4’s under front feet. Removed front panel, I clipped wire connector and unplugged it. Pushed plastic locking lever in and twisted unit counterclockwise. Wiped inner rim and reversed above procedure to assemble.

My husband did the repair. It was very easy. He basically just popped off the old wheels and popped on the new ones.

removed kick panel with screwdriver, 90 degree turn of screw. Put towel under drain pump. Disconnect drain hose by loosening spring clip with pliers to provide access to pump. released spring clip on old motor while turning counterclockwise to separate pump from drain reservoir. inspect drain reservoir from inside machine to remove any foreign objects. Installed new pump by indexing attachment flanges to notches in reservoir and turning pump clockwise until locking tab makes audible click. reattach drain hose insuring hose is contacting "stop" ribs on drain hose pipe. Run wash cycle on machine to insure there are no leaks. Re-attached kick panel.

pulled the dishwasher out (took the most time-1 hour) and 30 min. to install new door balance kit and springs. Replace both sides while the unit was out.

Initial inspection of the issue and research suggested the door latch was malfunctioning / broken. I bought the part and expressed it home. The installation involved removing the door screws on the inside of the door, separating the front and back panels, unplugging the door latch, removing it from its niche and popping in the new one. Reverse the take apart and it was done. Very simple swap. Hardest part was juggling the two halves of the door and preventing the door for trying to close in the process as the bulk of the weight is in the outside half of the door.

The new part did not fix the issue. The door strike was the next part that could be broken / malfunctioning. I ordered that part as well and replaced it. In the process of replacing it I found that the original door strike had been installed upside down. I am guessing it was installed at just the right pitch, or maybe even bent at the manufacturing facility, so that it latched. No idea how it managed two years like that. I installed the new one correctly and the door latches perfectly. Both parts I removed from the unit I will retain if my new parts should fail in the future.