WDT530HAMM0 Whirlpool Dishwasher - Instructions

Identified first that the Door Balance Link Kit was required as opposed to a new spring - the springs are nearly indestructible, I don't see how the spring would ever fail before the link kit. The hardest part was sliding the dishwasher out - nut driver to remove the lower panel, removed the insulation under the dishwasher, then found the two plastic screw covers in the door frame. Under the screw covers are screws to attach to the cabinet frame - your installation may be different. Then I slid out the dishwasher.

The link kit consists of two roller assemblies and two links - basically a nylonish cable with a plastic eye-hook on one end and a longer hollow-rectangle kind of attachment on the other. I only used the links (the cable parts) for this repair.

Swapping the link kit took 2 minutes. Hook the spring on the frame that is parallel to the dishwasher front, attach the eye-hook to the spring, push the cord into the pulley system, and pull on the link with the spring to get the rectangular hook to loop over the door hook.

Sliding the dishwasher out and putting it back in took much longer than the actual part replacement, but it was still a quick repair. And now the door doesn't even squeak when it opens!

I looked online at reviews for my model #, then followed the steps other had outlined.
1. I took off the base plate
2. slowly pulled out the unit being mindful of the electric chord and water line. It needed to come out a full 12 inches
3. Viewed the side where the tension line was working
4. Matched the broken side the same way as the working side
5. reversed everything back into place
The door balance link kit comes with 2 parts so I saved one in case the other side breaks.

The kit came with two new cords and two new re-designed pulleys that should make this problem not happen again. I am really glad I used the kit. My local parts house wanted $25 for just one cord. For less money, I was able to repair both sides with cords and replace the original pulleys that caused the failure in the first place!

I was fortunate that the original installation left enough slack for supply, drain, and electrical so that I could pull the DW out about a foot beyond the cabinets. This gave me plenty of room.

Pulled the water line off because i needed to pull the dishwasher out so I could get access to the parts I needed to change. Pulling the line off was actually the only difficult part of the whole job. The part itself took about 5 minutes to install.

Chronic problem with KitchenAid dishwasher -- the connection between the tensioning spring on each side and the dishwasher door are two cheap twine-and-plastic assemblies. Opening and closing the door stresses the twine, and eventually it breaks on one side or the other. The only way to fix it is to replace the twine-and-plastic assembly, which is really simple to do once the replacement part is received. Takes longer to pull the dishwasher out from under the counter than it does to replace the part. In seven years, this is the fifth time one of these parts has failed.

Removed screws holding dishwasher to countertop and pulled dishwasher out about a foot from the cabinets. Spring had jumped out of position on one side where door opens and closes. String was broken. Used old string to thread new string onto pulley wheels. did not replace the wheels in the kit since they did not appear to be damaged.

Removed the bottom cover with the nut driver. Removed the two screws attaching the top of the dishwasher to the underside of the cabinet. With the wrench lowered the front of the dishwasher so that it would slide out of the cabinet. Once out the balance cables could be seen and were replaced. Attach the cable to the door, feed it around the new and improved bracket (part of the kit), attach to the spring and then attach the spring to the back of the lower rail. Repeat on the other side. Reinstall the dishwasher. This took longer than all the rest of the job due to the poor work done by the home builder's plumber in the original install. Replace the front cover and sound shield. All and all very easy.

pulled dishwasher part way out.
Replaced cord from side.
A leak started in copper connection.
Tightened connection.
replaced dishwasher.
ran cycle watch for leak.

Make sure the dishwasher is empty (to keep the weight down) Removed bottom plate of dishwsher. Removed screws attaching dishwasher to the countertop. Lowered dishwasher (foot balancers). Slid dishwasher out. Found spring on broken balance kit. Removed old plastic pulley by removing mounting screw (new part has two wheels that spin to prevent the cords from breaking - less tension) put in new plastic pulleys Upper part has to be alliigned and turned 1/4 turn then secure with screw on lower end. Attach cord to spring. THEN pull on the spring to give some slack to the cord and then feed into the serpentine mechanism. I first tried to put it though the two pulleys and then attach the spring to the frame. This was impossible. If you just attach it to the frame first, you can easily feed it through the two pulleys in just 20 seconds. Since the new mechanism is better, I did both sides this time. The second side took only 2 minutes, while the first side took 10. After you attach these slide the dishwasher back in place. Reallign it with the cabinet. Reattach the upper screws to the countertop. Re-raise the dishwasher with the adjusting screws on the feet so it is level and at the proper height. Put back on the lower plates with the two screws. And then start washing dishes.

The door balance kit comes with two pullys and two cords, one for each side of the door. The cords have plastic tips which wear out and break every few years. Just slide the dishwasher out about 1/2 way and snap the new cords between the door and the spring going around the pully. It is easy to see and easy to reach. I received my door balance kit from Partslect in about 3 days. Thanks, Partslect, you saved me a service call and a long wait while they ordered the parts.

Removed old balance link lines and poorly designed roller system with new lines and improved design rollers.

I pulled the dishwasher out from the canbinet and replaced the broken rope assembly. I can't believe that they use a rope for this versus a cable. The made a design change that would help improve on the failure I had.

opened the washer door and removed the two screws holding the washer in place under the kitchen counter, adjusted the washer height lower to slide the washer out from under the counter, being careful not to accidently detach any wiring or hoses. Unable to pull the washer out much, counter trim too tight, made job a bit more challenging. Spring's hook came off the hole at back of the washer, with limited access, it took some time to get the hook re-mounted. Once done, the rest was pretty straight forward. Used a looped cord to tension the spring, so I could work without tension on the pulley cord. If I had easier access to my dishwasher, the job would have been easy. One thing, while moving the washer in & out, the pump gasket came up inside the washer, be sure the pump gasket is seated before running the washer. Once I pressed the gasket back down, everything worked fine, no leaks.

repair was easy

There are springs located back on the sides of the frame that are each attached to a nylon cord running over a pulley system to a plastic clip that attaches to a lever at the bottom of the door. The plastic clip on one side had broken. The door balance kit I ordered replaces the pulley system and and cord assembly for both sides. To repair it, the dishwasher needs to be pulled out so that both sides can be accessed. The cord assemblies are removed. The pulley assembly is replaced by unscrewing a bolt holding the assembly to the frame, and twisting to remove. It is then replaced with the new one by reversing the steps. After the new cords are installed, the dishwasher can be put back under the sink, and the repair is complete.

I found that the new pulley assembly is an improvement on the old one. The old one had one pulley and then a fixed curved channel for the cord. The cord made an annoying squeaking sound as it passed along the channel. The new one has two pulleys and is completely silent.