MDB7851AWS41 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

seeing as how my husband was out of town, I inserted a regular flatware knife in each of the four slots that held the handle in place on the basket. I then slowly pushed down on the handles of the knives on opposite sides of each other to unlock the handle from two slots on the basket and then went on to push down on the other two flatware knives on the opposite sides...sure enough, the handle came right off...less than 5 minutes in all to take the old handle off from the old basket and then snap it into place onto my newly acquired basket.

I removed the screws around the top and halfway down the sides of the inside of the door. I found that you dont have to remove all 10 screws to access the assembly. Reach in and pulled out the assembly, there was enough slack to pull it out above the door. Pull the connectors off and slide the new ones on. Set the new assembly back in place, insert the 2 top screws first, and then the rest. That was it...very simple to change.

Replacement basket did not include handle so needed to pry old handle off broken unit to use on the new one. Used screw driver to pop loose clips which attached to basket. Had to stick tooth picks broken in half under them to hold out until all four clips were opened at once - then handle could be pulled off. Easily snapped it back on to the new basket and repair was done. Can't get any easier than this!

take handle off old basket put on new basket done

The basket did not include the handle (something I didn't notice when I ordered it). I simply removed the handle from the old basket and placed it on the new basket.

Having utensils falling through was really getting old. This was $25 well spent.

Removed the handle from the old basket and put it onto the new basket. The new basket is great!

Removed ~12 screws holding the inside liner onto the door. Pulled off the two connectors (one with black and one with white wires). Replace the handle and latch mechanism. Redid connections and replaced screws. Viola. (Be sure to buy BOTH the handle and latch mechanism- I don't see how you could easily install the handle on the mechanism myself, and what broken in my case was the black handle).

Took a while to figure out what had to be done. Brackets have to go under the metal frame which involves dropping the compartment. That is done by removing the screws which are hidden under the door gasket. Once I knew what had to be done it was simple.

Turned off water at the shutoff valve. I did not turn off the power, but it is recommended you do so. I pulled the dishwasher out from under the cabinet and used a car jack to lift the front off of the ground. Disconnected the water supply and the rubber hose that fills the dishwasher tub. There are two 7mm screws that hold the water pump to the frame. If you do not have a 7mm socket, the easiest thing to use is an interchangeable screwdriver. When the screw bit is pulled out, the empty screwdriver is a 7mm. Used adjustable wrench to remove the brass water port for the supply line. Teflon tape to all connections and hooked everything back up. My supply line was old and was leaking, so I had to run out and get a new one, so that added about 30 minutes to what would have been maybe a 20 minute repair.

The repair went easy. Just unscrewed the inside door panel and latch assembly. Then put the new one in. The only bad thing was I purchased the latch assembly with out the handle and found out mine was cracked. I looked back on-line and couldn't find just the handle. Everybody sold it with the latch assembly. I thought I would save the 2 bucks buying the assembly without the handle. But in the end the door seals tight and no water leaks.

After disassembling accumulator assembly looking for reasons that washer not washing properly, I noticed accumulator filter had failed. The plastic (or whatever material it is) covering the holes was torn in a couple of different holes. Realizing that this was not the reason for the loss of pressure I investigated a little more and found that water arm going into the docking station was extremely worn with much play. Water pressure was compromised because of it. I replaced filter and docking station and now its like a new dishwasher again. Saved a dishwasher from the landfill!

I pulled out the dishwasher enough to tip it back and put a block of wood underneath the front leveling foot.
This step gave me more room to work on the valve.
I removed the lower cover plates to expose the valve.
I disconnected the incoming water line and unplugged the electrical connection.
I then unscrewed the bracket to release the valve from the case and took off the rubber hose attached to it.
I installed the rubber hose on the new unit and installed the bracket back in place. I then wrapped some Teflon tape on the threads of the valve fitting and re-installed the water supply line. I re-installed the electrical connection.
I then turned on the water to check for leaks. Once I was certain there were no leaks, I re-installed the lower cover plates and took out the wood block and pushed the dishwasher back into place and re-installed the screws that held it in place.
I then ran a load of dishes to make sure everything was working properly.

Removed all the screws holding the inside panel of the door to the door itself. Lifted out the old broken door latch. Pulled the wire clips from the 2 switches located on either side if the door Latch assembly. This is a bit difficult. You have to keep working the wire clips back & forth; Up & down until the clips are free from the switch metal contacts. Reinstall the wire clips on the new door Latch assembly making sure you attach the black wires and white wires on the same side of the new latch assembly as on the one removed. Replace the new latch assembly aligning the mounting holes on the door with the new latch holes. Replace the inside panel aligning the holes and replace the screws. The screws were the star head type so you need a special driver bit. I used the box the latch came in the prop up the inside door panel while I worked.

Removed inside cover.
removed part.
disconnected switches.
plugged wires onto new part.
placed part in.
put inside cover on and screwed down.
Note: be careful of the bottom of the inside cover.

1. Shut off water supply

- Remove water line and drain hose if you need to. I was able to simply move the dishwasher forward some to do this repair without disconnecting

2. Remove access panels on the bottom.
3. Open the door
4. Remove Door Gasket carefully (do not stretch)
5. Use torque 20 driver to remove 6 screws that were under the gasket

- Some of the screws were rusted for me so I had to use kroil, a pick to clean out rust, and a hammer to help get the torque driver in enough to remove the screws. A local hardware store had replacements.

6. Use Phillips screwdriver to remove screws holding mounting brackets
7. Carefully move dishwasher out some (Careful if you have a copper water hose you may want to disconnect it)
8. Remove the strike if it is attached above the metal bar
9. Lift the metal bar and push down on the tub to make room to remove the old mounting brackets (slide them up, forward, and to the side)
10. Put new mounting brackets in place (put mounting bracket under bar, slide over into place)
11. Reverse the order at this point.

Be careful not to stretch the gasket. I soaked mine in vinegar for a bit and gently washed with dish soap to remove deposits.