MDB7949SDE2 Whirlpool Dishwasher - Instructions

I was constantly seeing small bits of food blocking the spray holes in the upper and lower wash arms. After a bit of troubleshooting, thanks to the included schematic, the only possible thing left which could introduce particles was the under-unit disposal unit. The dishwasher had to be fully disconnected, removed, and tipped-over to access the pump and motor.

After removing the entire pump and motor assembly, it was obvious what the problem was - the filter screen (which is not accessible normally) was totally destroyed. The motor had ripped the mesh screen up, and sent shards of sharp metal throughout the unit. What a terrible design - a non-user-accessible filter which requires disassembly of the entire product to clean.

I replaced the entire pump and motor assembly which was pretty simple. Just use a very small amount of dish soap to lube the rubber o-ring up to make it slide into place easy. Reconnect all the cables in the same place you removed them from.

If you don't mind using some stainless hose clamps, you could maybe get away with replacing a lesser expensive subassembly - but for me it wasn't worth the hassle.

Following a utube video made it easy. Removed the outer cover of the door to expose latch. Two screws remove the latch, pay attention to how it was positioned and put the new one on and then replace the panel. But first turn off the electricity to the unit at the fuse box.

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.

repair went smooth for the grommet. suggest a small of vasoline to ease installation of grommet

The video included with this part is perfect. Unplug the dishwasher, take off the front trim piece, remove the drain hose from the pump, unclip the power, press the little clip that holds the pump in while turning it counter clockwise to remove. Then just do that in the opposite order to put the new one in. Just make sure you hear it click when you twist the new one on so you know the clip has engaged. Super easy.

Searched internet found a YouTube video not quite the same model but close enough to get me going and the steps were the same

I did not relize that the drain hose was in two parts. Naturally I ordered the wrong half. So after I relized my mistake, I re-ordered the correct part. Once the correct part was received the repair was easy and went well.

The old tine row came out easily and the new one was easy to pop into place. I was pleased that it was so easy to order a replacement part.

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.

put new hose on, very easy.

Turn off breaker to dishwasher.
Remove lower basket.
Drain any water using a wet vac.
Remove bottom cover plate. Should be 2 plastic screws using flat head screwdriver.
Should be able to reach pump. Turn counter clockwise to remove.
Disconnect plug wire on pump.
Install new pump by turning clock wise.
Reattach wire plug.
Run a wash cycle with empty dishwasher and check for leaks.
Replace cover plate.
Done.

I removed and reinstalled the new gasket per the video instructions, but I found the corners to be much harder to install than indicated. I finally used a large, flat, dull screwdriver to carefully push the gasket all the way in, and used my fingers to feel whether the gasket was all the way in. I figured if the gasket wasn't all the way in, I would have a leak at the bottom of the door because the top of the gasket would stick out farther than the bottom, which is exactly what the original symptoms were. Perhaps I didn't need a new gasket? There was no visible damage. Pushing in the corners of the original gasket may have fixed it, but the new gasket worked perfectly! Thanks, Part Select!!

First I got online to troubleshoot issue to save mysel from a service call. One of the first UTube videos, a young man said usually the main issue was the lever. He pushed down on the floater. If it didn't click, than the lever below needed to be replaced. Most important to turn off the circuit breaker before beginning the repair. I got on whirlpool.com, Part Select, ordered the lever, which was under $10. And once delivered, was able to switch out the old lever with the new replacement. Part Quote video took me through the process step by step. The lever package was marked that usually it was only 2% of the time that replacing the lever fixed the issue. Of course, I was thrilled, my dishwasher was up and running again. Thank you.

Followed instruction via YouTube video. The video instructs to pry on the tabs to remove the dispenser - actually, just bend them out of the way with a screwdriver or putty knife. Once the dispenser is out, you can use pliers to bend the tabs back before installing the new dispenser. The only thing I would add is how to re-install the seal strip along the top edge. It has a groove in it that must be installed over the top edge of the outer cover BEFORE you screw the inner door to the outer cover. This was not clearly explained in the video.

Removed old part and replaced with new part