WDT531HAPM0 Whirlpool Dishwasher - Instructions

Put in both a new element and thermostat. Did not fix problem. Using an ohm meter I did not measure any voltage to the thermostat. Suspect it’s a problem in the control unit, and decided to replace dishwasher.

Removed the inner panel, remove electrical connection to dispenser, remove dispenser, metal tabs that hold it in, are a bit hard to pry metal tabs, and when installing net dispenser tabs are also a little difficult to pry tabs to install but doable. So far works like it should.

Thanks to everyone for posting their experiences on changing the heater element. The most difficult part of the repair was getting the dishwasher out of the cabinet. I didn't know that I should disconnect the water line underneath the sink and this would make the removal easier. Also, because the copper water line going to the dishwasher was kinked, I ended up changing it with a flexible steel braided line.....much easier to install.

Once the dishwasher was out of the cabinet, I turned it over and easily removed the clips that held the heater element in.

I would definetly recommend people doing this repair themselves, it will save you a lot of money!!!!!

I read how other people had the same problem, I checked everything that could possibly cause this. I then believed I knew what was wrong. I ordered a new arm. It was unbelievable how easy it was to replace.it. It took less time than a minute. . Turn the nut holding the arm counter clockwise to remove the arm. To replace turn the nut clockwise I now have a working dishwasher. It is not necessary to remove the dish rack.

The top and bottom parts of the lower wash arm were separating. This caused water to spray out the ends of the wash arm and come out the front of the dishwasher. In addition this water was not spraying upward resulting in dishes not getting cleaned. Took me a while to figure this out but the repair was simple.

Replaced the strainer. This keeps the two sprayers clean/clear so they do not clog up. Dishes are cleaner now. Note : if your sprayers are clogged it is a long process to clear out the sprayers. Dishes will not be clean until your sprayers are all cleared.

1. Shut off water valve
2. disconnect water hose(wrench-adjustable)
3. Disconnect drain hose (screwdriver)
4. Pull dishwasher out from under counter
5. Put down towel to soak up residual water that drains out of dishwasher
6. lay dishwasher face down; electronics is located underneath dishwasher.
7. locate faulty drain pump
8. remove electrical connector from drain pump by first pressing on connector retention tab with screwdriver while sliding connector loose.
9. twist drain pump body while using screw driver to depress drain pump retention tab.
10. remove old drain pump body and insert and twist new drain pump body into old location (use screw driver to assist retention tab engagement)
11. attach electrical connector.
12. Return dishwasher to upright position, slide it under the counter (with its cotton cover); reconnect hoses AND turn water supply back on (make sure you remember to turn the water supply back on)

The old filter simply unscrews and the new one screws in.

Pull dishwasher out a few inches. Disconnect spring from plastic connector with long nose pliers. Remove connector. Replace friction sleeve. Replace connector.Reconnect spring to plastic connector. This completes repair.

The air just unscrews with one twist and the new arm twist right back on. No tools needs. Saved me $100 service call.

Very easy to twist off the old pump and replace with new part. Worked perfect after replacement! We just followed you tube instructions

Initial inspection of the issue and research suggested the door latch was malfunctioning / broken. I bought the part and expressed it home. The installation involved removing the door screws on the inside of the door, separating the front and back panels, unplugging the door latch, removing it from its niche and popping in the new one. Reverse the take apart and it was done. Very simple swap. Hardest part was juggling the two halves of the door and preventing the door for trying to close in the process as the bulk of the weight is in the outside half of the door.

The new part did not fix the issue. The door strike was the next part that could be broken / malfunctioning. I ordered that part as well and replaced it. In the process of replacing it I found that the original door strike had been installed upside down. I am guessing it was installed at just the right pitch, or maybe even bent at the manufacturing facility, so that it latched. No idea how it managed two years like that. I installed the new one correctly and the door latches perfectly. Both parts I removed from the unit I will retain if my new parts should fail in the future.

1. Remove front of door with torx screws around inside top and sides of door.
2. Unclip and remove plug with two wires for dish soap solenoid. You may have to lie on your back or use a mirror to see the location of the small clip retaining the plug.
3. Unclip and remove dispenser module. Here's the rub: the clips used to retain the unit in the door panel of my dishwasher are tabs cut in the stainless steel cut-out and rolled back at a 90 degree angle to retain their springiness. They seat against the back edge of three plastic ridges along the top, bottom and one along each side of the dispenser module. The key is to remove the module without permanently bending these tabs, thereby losing their springiness and destroying their ability to clip tight against the new module to hold it in. I had some success slipping 3 pieces of flashing under the stainless tabs along the top and sides of the old module, allowing the plastic retaining ridges to ride under the tabs all together and move forward to disengage the clips without permanently bending the tabs.
4. Reassembly is just the reverse.

I removed the upper dishrack easily by removing the end clips and sliding the tray out. Removal of the revolving sprayer was easy as it just clipped on to the bottom of the rack. The rack was not the rack that was ordered and I was informed that this was the correct rack for the dishwasher even though the description and picture was different that what I received. There were no instructions with the rack to explain how to attach the "flaps" that can go over lightweight dishes to keep them from flipping. Every way I tried to attach the flaps did not work. When I was able to attach one it would pop off if I raised the flap to place a dish underneath it. I finally gave up on the flaps and reinserted the rack onto the rails and put the end clips back in place. The rack works fine other than it is not the one that was described and was not the rack that I wanted.

Something had been loaded in the dishwasher that had gone thru the basket - it hit the arm sprayer and broke it off.

Replacement sprayer was exactly the same - the partselect website has very specific identification method so you get the proper part. You must have your model number.

I watched a you tube video which was referred by part select. This was helpful.

I did not realize at first that only part of the arm sprayer had broken off. The arm sprayer broke off, but there is a base to the arm sprayer that was still attached to the dishwasher. So I could not, of course , fit the new arm with its base over the existing base because they are the same size. Once I realized this, it was a simple replacement, following the youtube instructions. You do have to press and turn counter clockwise to get the old base off, but once that was done, the new sprayer arm, which arrived attached to the base, easily fit, and press hard to turn it clockwise to reattach it..

It has worked perfectly. It is a hard turn to get the arm sprayer off or on, which is good so it doesn't come loose during washing, but when replacing it, you aren't sure of why it won't turn. It is a hard turn. Watch the you tube video.