MDB8959SBB3 Maytag Dishwasher - Instructions

Followed a video, pretty straightforward. Be sure to clean all the area. My husband used cotton swabs to clean all the gunk.

I had a repair guide for my dishwasher which helped. First I removed the water distribution system inside the dishwasher and then removed the door panel. Next I removed the front bottom access panel. I placed a pan under the pump and hoses to catch water when I removed the outlet hose. Very important here! One must remove the pressure switch from the outlet port or else you can't get the pump clear of the washer tub. Next I removed the drain pump by releasing the catch and turning the pump counter clockwise. Now for one of the hard steps. I had to remove three pins which hold the pump assy to the wash tub. Two of them are out of sight so you have to weave you hand past all the hardware and "feel" for the back two. At this point the pump assy just lifts out. Remove the motor /pump by removing one bolt and turning it counter clockwise and withdrawing. I put the new one in. Don't forget to put the pump screen in as I missed this and had to redo the job. Reverse all the previous steps being careful to keep the motor guard out of the pump seal area. Use lots of silicon seal grease and check for leaks on first power up. It took me a couple of adjustments to get a leak-free seal.

Removed dishwasher from under the counter and took it to my shop. With the washer on its side, I removed the motor, then the impeller and seal. I then disassembled the motor and replaced the front bearing(purchased separately). This required an arbor press. I then reassembled the motor and installed the new seal and impeller. Reassembled in reverse order. Reinstalled under the counter and made conections. Checked for leaks and proper operation.

This was a fairly easy repair. It took me a little over an hour to complete. First I flipped the circuit breaker for the dishwasher; then I removed the dishwasher from the cabinet and disconnected the supply, and return lines. I removed both racks from dishwasher, the lower washer arm, and the plastic conduit that supplies water to the upper rack. I then turned the unit onto it's side, and pulled the three or so cables that went to the motor, along with the three plastic wedges that held the motor in place. I then pushed the old motor through, into the interior of the dishwasher. This required me to disconnect some additional components to get it to fit through the opening, including the large silver capacitor. I then compared the old motor to the new one, and transferred some of the parts from the old motor to the new one that weren't included with the new one. I then pushed the new motor through the opening. This required a second person, who replaced the plastic wedges, while I pushed on the motor. The cables, supply lines, drain lines, and components that wouldn't fit through the opening were then replaced; the interior of the dishwasher was also reassembled.

My husband pulled out the dishwasher and removed the faulty part and installed the new one. We found info on the parts source website to assist us. Dishwasher works great!!! Someone from the company we purchased it from had replaced it several years ago, and the seal at the bottom had leaked and the motor had siezed because of the water. We also discoved that the water line was severly kinked in 2 places, so we installed a flexable hose. Now my dishwasher is quiet, fills much faster and all this for a fraction of the price of a new appliance. Would recommend this website.

Remove two screws at top that fasten dishwasher to cabinet. Slide dishwasher out to expose the two links that attach the door to the springs. Fit the new links to the springs and door.

I removed the dishwasher from under the cabinet. This is what took the most time. Before removing the dishwasher from under the cabinet I disconnected the drain cable to remove all the water from unit. After removing the dishwasher I tipped the unit on its left side. The motor/pump assembly is held in with one screw. After removing this screw the pump/motor assembly comes out with a 1/8 turn counter clock wise. The replacement pump/motor assembly was put back in in reverse order. After the pump/motor assembly was replaced I replaced the door balance cable kit on the right side of the unit. Next I tipped the unit on to its right side and replace the left balance cable kit. After this all that was left was to return the unit back under the cabinet and hook up the water supply line, the drain line, and the power.

Removed old gasket, cleaned track and replaced gasket-also quit using Cascade pellets and went back to using Cascade powder with a numerical "rating" of 6. The pellets of even 10 caused the washer to leak, obviously too much foam would not float the float to actuate the pump.

I replaced both upper rack tracks because the spot welds on one of the factory tracks failed after 18 months. The welds just rusted away and let go. The other track appeared to be close to failure so I replaced both of them. This repair is actually quite easy, but in order to change the tracks, you must pull the appliance out at least a little more than halfway in order to reach the screws that hold the tracks in place. There are four such screws on each side -- they are fastened through the exterior face of the tub. Here is the process:
Use a 1/4" nut driver to remove the bottom front (kick) plate from the appliance. There are two screws, one at each end. There should also be two screws fastening the dishwasher to the countertop. You'll need to open the dishwasher door to see these and remove them. At the bottom of the dishwasher again, you might need to screw the front (2) leveling feet in to lower the dishwasher and provide clearance. Once done, just (gently, slowly) pull the appliance out of the cabinet. Check to make sure your power wiring, drain hose, and water supply hose are all long enough to do this. If necessary, disconnect any of these that are too short. if your power wiring is short, as mine was, you'll need to disconnect the circuit breaker, then remove the junction box at the lower front right side of the dishwasher, then disconnect the power and ground wires.
Once out of the cabinet, use a 5/16" nut driver to remove the four screws holding each rack slide in place and remove the track. The rubber mounts will come out with the track (new tracks include new rubber mounts). Clean any residue from the track mounting area inside the tub before installing the new track. This whole replacement process should take a total of 3-4 minutes per side.
To finish up, just reverse the process. When sliding the dishwasher back into place, make sure the fiberglass insulation stays in place completely around the outside of the tub.
Because the tile on my kitchen floor does not continue under the dishwasher (tile was installed after the cabinets), it was absolutely necessary to turn in the leveling feet to get the appliance out. Since this also makes it very difficult to get a wrench around the plastic feet, I used a very small socket (3/16"?) on the top of the leveling feet stems. This makes it really easy to turn the feet.
I the appliance designers had engineered things better by fastening the tracks from inside the tub, this would be a 5-minute job. But it's still not bad at all.

This kit comes with the link cords and the balance wheels. I only needed the cords. I undid the set screws under the counter edge and slid the Dishwasher out from under the counter. One of the links had a broken cord and the spring had snapped to the very back of the space and was a bit hard to find. I used the good side as a guide to see how to thread the cord correctly. I did not replace the wheels since they appeared to be in good shape and looked like they might be a bit more difficult to replace than just the cord. For a second I thought I had ordered the wrong part because the new cord's attachment point at the hinge did not look exactly like the originals but the new design worked just like the original. I did need one other person to help stretch the spring and hold the door in the best position so I could attach the cord to the hinge. It's working perfectly now and I saved the wheels in case I need them later.

The upper spinner was laying in the top washer basket. I went online but no help was avaiable. Went to store where we purchased dishwasher and they gave me part number to order but not online I had to call to order. Part arrived in about three days. I took two screws loose on the top of dishwasher removed broke retainer to put new retainer in but I drop it into dishwasher so you have to me very careful
so I tried to order just the retainer but is not sold by it self. Had to order whole new kit. Other than that it is easy dishwasher runs like a new one.

Replace motor/pump assembly

I removed the old gasket. Cleaned the surface under the old gasket and began pressing the new gasket into place. Make sure the gasket is pressed all the way in to properly seat it in the groove. Didn't use the tube of gasket sealer and it worked perfectly no leak,

I watched the video and this was the easiest repair ever. Took longer to disconnect and reinstall than it did to change out the pump. Highly recommended watching the video

Shut the power to the dishwasher off. Pulled unit out from under the counter top and raised the left hand side up for easy access. Disconnected the wiring, undid the clips, turned counter clockwise and removed. Reversed the order for installation and Connected the power. Ran several cycles successfully. Problem fixed. Burnt out water pump. Good as new if not better so far. Easy item search, Fast Shipping, Quality Part, Fair Pricing. Thank You Partselect.com