WDF310PLAD4 Whirlpool Dishwasher - Instructions

Did the repair, but needed one extra step not described in video:

I followed the directions on the PartSelect Youtube video - very helpful! I do believe the heating element was the original culprit, as it had a "burn" area about the size of a dime that caused it to almost break into two parts. Obviously a point of failure.

BUT - after replacement, it still did not solve the problem of the dishes not drying.

After much web searching, I tried the diagnostic mode on the dishwasher, and that did a hard reset of the logic board and FIXED the problem.

So in all, it required both a new heating element AND a hard reset via diagnostic mode.

Looked on you-tube and it was so easy. Pump on bottom right. unplug pump and do a halfway turn. Plug the new one up and place the pump on, and turn halfway and its on. START your dishwasher

Snapped right in. 30 seconds and done.

Followed the video from PartSelect. I've used PartSelect for replacement parts three times now, and their videos do an excellent job of showing how to do the repair.

It's worth noting that some DIY repair videos may not be easy to find - PartSelect's customer service department is really good at finding them and sending links. If you don't see a video, call and ask.

Disconnected the damaged hose extension from the dishwasher outlet drain hose and the connection to the sink drain. Removed two clamps. One a spring clamp and the other a screw clamps. Connected the new extension hose with a spring clamp to the dishwasher outlet drain hose. Connected the other end to the sink drain with a screw clamp. Checked for leaks. Good to go!

Took out old rack by twisting the rack supports. Used old supports because in good shape. Removed the wand from old rack and placed on new rack. Then replaced the supports. Worked great.

The repair was similar to the very good video provided by PartSelect. However, I did make a few changes. The new rack was slightly different in the front side compared to the old rusted rack. After I removed the old rack from the dishwasher, I placed the two racks side-by -side to make sure they were compatible. They were identical in the rear structure and overall size, so I proceeded to change out the wheel racks, rack height adjusters and upper wash arm to the new rack. I suggest transferring each part one at a time so you can get the spacing correct. Also, in my case, many of the items needed to be washed with water to remove soap buildup in these parts before moving to the new rack. I would also suggest putting the upper wash arm (needed in this case) on the new rack last. The total job took me about an hour including washing or rinsing all parts and reassembly. This is an easy job, just take your time and do one item at a time so nothing gets mixed up. I used a drill driver to remove a total of 4 Phillip head screws for the rack height adjusters but a regular Phillip head screw driver would work as well.

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.

Only one friction sleeve was broken. So I pulled out the dishwasher to see how the one on the other side went on. It was very easy to replace and I replaced both. Unit works fine now.

Follow the u tube instruction. Replacing the pump was very simple and easy. The hard part was getting the dishwasher out of the cabinet and back in again.

Soak up the water in the dishwasher with an old towel. Removed the cover under the dishwasher. Found the pump and twisted it off anti clockwise. Replaced with the new pump. Run a quick cycle, to make sure it pumped out all the water. My wife has used it several times since without any issues.

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.

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!!!!!

The repair went okay. The problem was that the dishwasher would not run after the installation of the dispenser. The door was taken apart 2-3 times. I told my husband (the repair man) that we should pull out the dishwasher so I could clean behind it. I asked him 4 or 5 times to pull out the dishwasrer. Never an answer. Mind you he is an electrician by trade now retired. For some reason while I was not looking he did pull the unit out after 2 hours of fussing with this electrical problem. Remember he is an electrican by trade. When he pulled the unit out "THE PLUG WAS OUT OF THE SOCKET". How funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not stop laughing. I had to answer the phone at that time and my friend thought I was out of breath from running for the phone. I told her later it was from the PLUG OUT OF SOCKET TRICK. I still am laughing. The first thing an repair mann will ask you is if the unit is pluged in. I have two sons and one son-in-law that are electricans and will have many years of fun telling this story. It is good to laugh. I will be laughing for a long time.

I removed the front of the dishwasher. Then removed the old dispenser assembly, and installed the new one. I don't have as many tools as I need here in our winter residence, so the job took a few more minutes than it would if I'd have had the correct tools.