MDC4809PAW2 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

Removed dishwasher from cabinets replaced motor which was easy to do reinstalled in cabinets and ran cycle. All was good. No noise and no leaking.

Long story short, noticed one of two leaks and came to conclusion there is no workaround since sump pump gasket seems to be hermetically sealed to sump pump. Which is understandable because of water in area. Wife helped by soaking other parts that were removed and replaced, because of calcium buildup. Which we hope will extend life of dishwasher. I put 1 to 2 hours because I took my time and made sure all parts fit correctly and were back in their original place. Didn't want to take any chances in not covering bases. I am no expert, but definitely a diy'er. I believed I saved myself anywhere from $200 to $300 in labor costs by repairman. By the way, thanks Parts Select your info and site are awesome!!! The second part I had to order was the water inlet valve and your phone representative was a big help over the phone, please don't eliminate those positions. Overall total price of parts approximately $130 w/delivery. Well worth it, since a brand new halfway decent dishwasher starts at $550.

At first, I figured the noise was coming from underneath, and took off the bottom front plate. I noticed there was a leak from the center of what I later learned was the "pump" assembly. So I unplugged the dishwasher, disconnected the water and drain from under the sink, unscrewed the screws holding it under the counter, and pulled it out from under the cabinet. Then I laid it on its back, and realized where the leak was coming from. At this point, I thought the noise had been coming from the motor. So I detached the motor (required use of a socket, and realized it was "free", so thought the problem must be further up inside. Reached my fingers in where the motor mounts and found part of the chopper assembly. The "chopper" had torn itself free from the screen. Realized at that moment I needed to disassemble the pump from the top. Took off water distribution system, bottom water rotor, pump plate (required use of "star" screwdrivers, two different sizes), foreign object plate, and chopper assembly cover. Getting the chopper assembly cover off was hard; had to pry it with sharp l-shaped poker; it was adhered with calcium deposits. Finally got it off, found rest of chopper assembly (screen with hole in the middle where chopper had been), ordered chopper from PartSelect, took 3 days, installation was easy, the reverse of removing it. (It is not necessary to remove motor to replace chopper assembly.) However, it is still leaking from the bottom, and I'm at a loss as to how to fix that.

I removed the upper dishrack easily by removing the end clips and sliding the tray out. Removal of the revolving sprayer was easy as it just clipped on to the bottom of the rack. The rack was not the rack that was ordered and I was informed that this was the correct rack for the dishwasher even though the description and picture was different that what I received. There were no instructions with the rack to explain how to attach the "flaps" that can go over lightweight dishes to keep them from flipping. Every way I tried to attach the flaps did not work. When I was able to attach one it would pop off if I raised the flap to place a dish underneath it. I finally gave up on the flaps and reinserted the rack onto the rails and put the end clips back in place. The rack works fine other than it is not the one that was described and was not the rack that I wanted.

laid dishwasher on its side and unscrewed element. returned unit upright & replaced element. reversed process and reinstalled unit under cabinet

checked all the plactic tubes for clogs used water hose and they worked ok checked into top of pump found chopper assembly had come apart replaced washes like a new one

Watched a video and seen how easy it was to repair. Just disconnect the power, water and return drain. two bolts and replace element . The difficult part was removing and replacing the dishwasher...piece of cake.

After several weeks of decreasingly clean dishes on the top rack of our dishwasher, I did some digging & found that my chopper assembly was broken (the washer had come off & the parts were loose). I ordered a new chopper assembly here. Once I received it, the entire repair took less than 30 minutes. I removed the old chopper assembly, used a shop vac to remove the excess water & food particles, then reinstalled the new chopper assembly using the instructional video provided. The dishwasher is back up & running like brand new. The top rack is getting cleaned thoroughly once again. PartSelect made the process extremely easy & affordable!

After disassembling the entire motor assembly, I discovered the chopper assembly was broken. This could have been accessed from the top. in any event, I found the problem and fixed it with a new part. After re-assembling the unit there was a small leak coming form the edge of the motor assembly this was resolved by removing the gasket and smoothing out the contact surfaces that were damaged by the removal of the motor assembly.

tom boy single Mom- not too difficult! Follow the video and installation procedures. My only problem was lining up the chopper blade, with the need to install on an angle and connect copper assembly with the motor, and align with groove, needle nose pliers did not work for me, due to the fact, pliers seemed to angle the chopper assembly and did not received equal pressure between the blade and the screen.( I did not have a collection of needle nose pliers to chose from) I used a fork to give even pressure distribution and keep the assembly even and it slipped right into position, remembering to line up all connections between the motor and the chopper assembly, the fork give me the ability to angle the assembly. Its like having a new dishwasher, I use the light setting now when washing a load. Saved $$$$$$$ and X-mas is on the way!!! Thanks Parts Direct!!! Will re-order when the next appliance repair occurs.

The repair was very straightforward. I followed the excellent video provided by Part Select and the repair went exactly as shown in the video.

The only minor challenge was removing the dish washer from the cabinet, and disconnecting the utilities (electrical, water, drain), as these elements of the repair were not covered by the video. Fortunately Part Select included a copy of the installation instructions that come with this dishwasher; those instructions gave me the information that i needed to "uninstall" and "reinstall" the dishwasher as part of the repair.

Unplug (disconnect power)
Shut off water
Disconnect water supply line
Clean up any water spills
Remove clips holding air gap hose and wire inside cabinet.
Open dishwasher door and remove two screws that secure dishwasher to cabinet (these are at top of door opening).
With door closed, remove panel under door (this has a screw clamp on each side that requires a quarter turn to release).
Lower the dishwasher as necessary to provide vertical clearance by adjusting leveling legs.
Pull dishwasher out from under counter (grip from under door) far enough to expose springs (one on each side). Take care to feed all connecting lines smoothly through cabinet opening.
Note how existing springs are installed.
Install new spring in the same fashion as the old spring was installed.
Test the door operation.

Push unit back under counter taking care to draw connecting lines back through cabinet opening.
Readjust leveling legs as needed.
Reattach unit to counter top.
Reattach water supply and open valve.
Check for water leaks both at valve and under unit, fix as necessary.
Replace panel under door.
Replace any clips inside cabinet.
Reconnect power

My husband did this. He turned the dishwasher upside-down, disconnected the wires,and unbolted the heater.He put in the new heater (bolted,wired) and tested the current. Voila!

removed the upper and lower baskets, removed the lower wash arm by rotating the center bearing assembly (its the flat piece in the very center of the lower wash arm) by the way it has a reverse thread...not righty tighty and lefty loosey... it is reverse the normal rotation.. i unlocked the upper arm assembly from it's clip on to mount as well as the clip on to mount on the back wall, looking at the very center pump cover strainer, you will see that the assembly that goes from the pump area to the very top of the machine needs to be rotated clock wise where it locks into the pump strainer assembly. now remove the four star type screws from the face of the strainer, now you can lift out the entire bottom of the machine you will see the half round cover in the bottom of the well, remove one smaller size star screw. simply remove the chopper assembly and install the new assembly as indicated in the instructions provided, be sure to use the trick with the open end wrench as per instruction sheet, makes it easy. now follow the bread crumbs you left on the yellow brick road to reassemble.

After reading customer notes regarding the same problem I was having I ordered A new Heater Element & a High Limit Thermostat. I also ordered a Heating Element Nut and Rubber Washer in case I needed them. It took me quite some time to remove the dishwasher from under my counter. Once the unit was out and prepared to service it actually took only a few minutes to install the new Heater Element. I did't need the washer or extra Nut. I also decided to try the unit without replacing the thermostat. I cleared the diagnostics by pressing the "HEATED DRY, "NORMAL", "HEATED DRY", "NORMAL" buttons. After the controller reset the dishwasher was ready to run.