MDB8949SAW1 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

pull out the dishwasher
lay it on its side
use a 1/4" drive socket with extension and a universal joint to undo the the hidden bolt,
twist the motor 1/4 turn. this is the hard part you have to pull fairly hard and rock the motor around a little to get the o-ring to let the motor slide out.
lube up the new motor with jet dry or soap and insert back it, turn it back 1/4 turn, install the bolt and plug the motor control wires back in, then reinstall it back under the counter

Very easy to repair with the replacement wheel assembly. Popped out the broken one, popped in the new one. Price was nothing compared to having an professional repair person come to the home. Glad I found you on line!

If your not getting clean dishes this is an easy check to make that will likely turn out to be your problem. If not, you need to get this far anyway and it's an easy check to make. Remove the top and bottom rack. The bottom and top sprayer are connected together as an assembly by the water transfer pipe the goes up the back side of the dishwasher interior. This needs to be removed. There are two clips that hold the assembly in place at the middle rear of the washer and the top of the washer. Grasp the water assembly with your hand at the location of the clips, top one first and give a twist that rotates the piece out of the clip. Once the assembly is free from both clips hold the assembly at the lower rear where it starts up the back of the washer and move the whole thing to your right to turn the base clockwise. The whole thing will release from the bottom of the washer and come out as one big piece. Set it aside and you will see four torx head screws that were hidden under it. Remove these screws and the round screen assembly that they are holding to the bottom of the washer. Set that part aside as well. Now your looking at the well area where water collects to get into the pump. There will be a little standing water there, it's normal and not a problem. To the left side of the well an inch or two under water you will see one Torx head screw. It's one bit size smaller than the other screws. Remove it and pull up on the cover that it is holding in place. Now you are looking at the chopper assembly, it's a four bladed knife that rotates across the face of a screen. If you can rotate the knife blades and not have the shaft behind the screen move, it bad! Grasp it by the top of the screen and lift it slightly and pull it toward you to remove it. The shaft that turns the blades has worn away where it connects to the blades. It doesn't turn anymore so the screen is plugging and no water is able to get to your dishes. Order a new one and put it back in the same order you took it apart. It helps to have a little screw driver to lift the knife blade away from the screen when your putting in your new part. Load up the washer and give it a test run. YOU DID IT!!!

just had to remove 4 screws on the top of panel and disconnect the plug

Everything worked perfectly---thanks to the suggestion of your call center agent. She suggested that since the replacement door handles were no longer available, I should consider repainting them--it worked like a charm. Please tell her she was a life saver. We rent that house in Fl and my returning tenants had complained about the discoloring refer handles. Thank you

all 4 wheel units needed to be replaced, popped them off and installed need wheel units in roughly 10 minutes, no tools needed.

When the top rack stopped cleaning, I tracked down the problem to the food shredder/chopping blade, and then to the impeller that drives the blade. The knob on the impeller had sheared/broken off. That meant removing the motor, and replacing the impeller. Four hours, a band-aid, and a trip to Home Depot later, here are my suggestions

1. Look for videos – this site is awesome, but they don’t have a video on this particular repair. I found 4 that got me close to knowing what I was doing.
2. Do all the “remove internal stuff” - you had to anyway to find the issue with the shredder/cutting blade
3. Take pictures as you move along, you’ll need them when you have to remember the placement of the water line, drainage hose, wired connections etc.
4. You need a 1/4 inch socket set. A 3/8 drive will NOT work (it won’t fit between the shroud and the base). Don’t start working on the repair, unless you have a 1/4 in socket with about a 6" extension
5. Someone at Kitchenaid should be shot for having the waterline connection facing the back of the unit. Use a short adjustable wrench
6. The order comes with a washer, but when you take the impeller off this model, you’ll see you don’t need it.
7. Placement is everything – there was zero clearance between the bottom of the unit and the floor. Placement of the water line, drain hose, and power line was critical – had to re-position the unit about 7 times to get it to “play nice”.
8. Hindsight – only needed to remove the wire harness for the motor (take pictures)
9. Hindsight – gloves are a great idea – sheet metal is unforgiving

I removed the dishwasher from under the counter. This took the bulk of the repair time along with disconnecting the water supply and electrical connection. I had enough slack in drain hoses that I could turn the dishwasher over to replace the motor. I was surprised that there was only one bolt that held the motor in place. I put the motor on, turned the dishwasher upright and slide it back unde the counter and began the long process ofreconnecting everything. I am sureit could have gone faster if I were younger and did not need glasses for close work. Start to finish took me four hours. This was the fourth time I have replaced motors in dishwashers of various makes.

Removed old gasket, cleaned track thoroughly, then followed instructions from video on Part Select order form. Instructions very clear and precise. Getting the new gasket was a little tedious at the corners but take your time and work the gasket with your fingers as shown on the video.

A Mouse friend had seen fit to chew through the original drain line. I used my Model Number, and was able to order the correct part . It arrived the next day. The job itself is fairly straight forward. You will need to access the rear of the machine. This may include shutting off, and disconnecting the water supply line. (Adjustable wrench). Mine is under the sink, on the "Hot" side. You may also need to un-plug the unit. (recommended) . A pair of (Pliers) will be needed for the spring clamp.

followed video instruction

Looked at other side of top rack which still had the stop. Just had to orient the direction of the stop and push it firmly onto the rack arm. Took a couple tries, but it went in and locked. Works perfectly. Inexpensive and easy fix to to very annoying problem.

1.Check the lines for any obstruction. Gunk can easily build up. I have used the dishwasher for approx. 10 years. I do rinse/scrap dishes prior to loading.
2. Drain all remaining water.
3. Unplug the dishwasher.
4. Grab a towel and proper screw driver. Unscrew the bottom protective plate. Remove the insulation plate.
5. The drain pump is located to the bottom left. Have your towel under it. Unplug it gently. Turn counter clockwise to remove.
6. Install the new drain pump (reverse order)
7. Return the insulation plate. Screw back the bottom protective plate.
8. Plug in

I am a 61 year old woman and it took me a total of 2 min. max. Popped it into place and pushed in button that holds it..Taa Daa...perfect!

Unplug dishwasher and slide it out from under cabinet. Remove old broken link (a heavy string between two plastic parts) and replace with new one. Slide dishwasher back and plug it in. Very easy and no tools required.