MDB7979SHZ1 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

I watched my son as he pulled dishwasher out part way. The space was a little tight, but he did a fine job of replacing with a new string.

Turned water off. Removed dishwasher from under the counter, replaced hose, reinstalled dishwasher under the counter.

We pulled the unit out and were able to easily see where it broke. We replaced it relatively easy, pushed dishwasher back in; however, somehow the pump seal got broken in the process so now we have to replace the pump. This was totally unrelated to this repair - only can assume it happened when we pushed the unit back into place.

Followed a repair video.

Video was great help. Replacing the balance parts was easy. My wife and I are in our 80's. Mobility is difficult when it comes to working on the floor. Between the two of us we spent the majority of our time just getting up and down,

My 2 yr old sat on the dishwasher door while it was open. It snapped both the links on the door causing the dishwasher door to drop every time it was ajar. It was a real danger to the kids or to anyone else unaware of the door given its weight.

I ordered the part from Part Select based model and some of the posts that it was something you can do yourself. Park Select was outstanding as got the part next day and got direction from others (thank you). I did not have either side of the door working so no real gauge but finally understood how it worked once I did a search online for a picture.

Recommendation: if both links (rope) are broken, you will need to hunt down the springs on side/back of machine. The part with small hole connects to the spring, the other to the door. Make a reverse S with the rope through the pully system for tention. I did not initially do the reverse S and the part popped of the door once I closed it. Otherwise, easy thing to do and certainly do not need a repair person.....if you need picture, do a search on dishwasher door pully system

Hardest part of job was sliding dishwasher out. Put in wood floors so limited free space. Had to lower fron foot pegs first, then remove 2 screws from top that held unit steady. Once dishwasher was out a good 16" cords were easy to replace. Did not replace bracket that came with kit. Cords attach to heavy duty spring.

My husband managed, with some difficulty, to finally replace the broken spring and associated door balance kit. He first ordered the spring from this site. Then, after he had laboriously rolled the dishwasher out about 12" - using flat pieces of wood as support, while he lowered the dishwasher onto his homemade rollers - he realized that the corded door balance kit was also broken. So he rolled the DW back in and ordered the part. This site sent an improved door balance kit, and then he went through the same process again. He had to fish the spring back all the way to the very back of the DW and hook it through a hole, using a rod and masking tape (bad DW design, he says). Then after he rolled it back, he noticed a leak in the incoming hot water connector, at the copper pipe compression fitting. Fortunately, a local plumber, with the right tool and expertise was able to quickly fix that problem. (The plumber explained that compression fittings commonly begin leaking if even slightly moved.) Bottom line: A+ for this site, C for KitchenAid design. He says he'd undertake it again, in spite of the hassle.

took the old basket out and put the new one in

My dishwasher wasn't completing cycles and would start to smell like burning plastic randomly. I determined it wasn't coming from inside the tub but underneath the unit. I replaced the drain pump and the drain hose as a precaution to make sure the check valve inside wasn't getting stuck closed forcing the pump to not be able to drain. It was a very easy repair that just involved taking the dishwasher out of the cabinet and turning it on its side. The old pump just twists out and the new one goes in just as easy no tools required. The video instructions on the product page here were very helpful. The hose connects with a clamp and is routed on the side with some plastic clips. It was very easy and completely solved the problem!

I pulled the dishwasher out just over half way to access the spring area. Unscrewed the old assembly and screwed the new one in it's place. Attached the string line to the spring, wrapped it around the assembly and attached it to the door hook. Repeated procedure on other side. Problem solved.

Pulled out dishwasher to access the sides. Removed onld lines and then unscrewed pulley from frame using socket / nutdriver. Replaced pulleys with new units supplied in the kit and then threaded new lines onto door and springs. Repair complete in less than 5 minutes.

The door balance springs are connected to the door via a nylon cable which snakes through a couple of pulleys. The plastic fastener on the end of one of these cables separated, so the one remaining spring was not able to offset the weight of the door. Easy to fix, just slide the unit out about 15 inches (remove base plate, and undo a couple screws on top) then replace cables. You can buy just the one cable, or for a couple bucks more, both L&R cables and new pulleys. Replaced the pulleys on my unit at the same time (remove one screw and twist out) since the replacement parts were of better quality than my factory parts. Don’t pay a repair guy $250 or more to fix this for you. It’s easy.

Pulled dishwasher and removed existing springs and attached rope. Ordered the part needed and replaced it somewhat easily. There is a lot of tension because of the spring on the door. Once part was installed we were ready to use our dishwasher right away. Even though the rope was broke on only one side - we replaced both sides.

Followed the parts list diagram and confirmed with the link on the other side of door. Hooked the plastic attachment to the door, threaded the string around the plastic pulleys, attached the spring and mount it to the back of the dishwasher. that was it! Very easy to do. Hardest part was sliding the dishwasher out and in.