Whirlpool (WDF560SAFM2) dishwasher not circulating water

Question

Whirlpool Dishwasher

Repair information for Whirlpool dishwashers.

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Brittany Adam @brea224

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Sun 7, 2021

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Whirlpool (WDF560SAFM2) dishwasher not circulating water

I have a one year old Whirlpool dishwasher (model WDF560SAFM2). It recently began to skip the spraying/rinsing portion of any cycle (all tried); the bottom fills with water, it heats the water, dispenses the soap, sits, and then drains. When the cycle completes, and the display says “CLEAN,” the top rack of dishes emerge as if from a sauna, very steamy, but not clean.

The filter cup (p/n W10789806), the screen (p/n W10463906), the sprayarm (p/n W10491331), the feedtube assembly (p/n W10340745), and the drain hose have been cleaned and inspected and were not clogged.

There are a few pumps, motors, and valves in the dishwasher, but because the filling and draining functions work well, I feel that my fill valve assembly (p/n W10327249) and drain pump (p/n W10724439, shown as #8 in the following image) are both likely operating normally.

There is a vaugely-named “motor” (p/n W10854710, shown as #15 in the following image), which is part of the Sump & Motor Assembly. I am thinking this is actually a motor and circulation pump sub-assembly. There is also a Diverter Motor (p/n W10849439, shown as #18 in the following image) that is also a little suspicious in my mind.

Readily admitting I do not know enough to go purchase everything needed with confidence. Hoping you all might be able to tell me how to narrow down the culprits and test suspicious parts definitively. I have a multi-meter and 20k resistors (advised in the service manual).

Any advice appreciated. Thanks

The images are from the 2017 Whirlpool parts list (Part No. W11124289 Rev. A) for WDF560SAFB2, WDF560SAFW2, WDF560SAFT2, and WDF560SAFM2.

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My dishwasher broke at the most unsuitable moment. It was my daughter's birthday, and there was a big party, with over 50 people invited.

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 1, 2022crwdnd2934271:0 AndreyDuplanti crwdne2934271:0

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jayeff @jayeff

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Sun 7, 2021

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Hi @brea224 ,

Do the spray arms move at all when the dishwasher has been started?

Place both the arms in a remembered position and then turn on the dishwasher.

After it has filled etc can you hear if the circulation pump (part #15) is operating? It really shouldn’t spend too much time heating the water at the start of the wash cycle unless hotter temperature options have been selected as the water supply to the washer should be at 120 deg. F. (49 C). The heater element in the dishwasher is only turned on for hotter washes, rinses and drying etc.

After a short while open the door to stop the cycle and check if the arms have moved from the position that you left them in.

If not it may be the circulation pump motor or the power supply to the pump motor. Check if there is voltage being applied to the pump or not when there should be. Be safety aware as the pump operates at mains supply voltage.

It may be safer to check the pump motor windings for continuity with an Ohmmeter first. Disconnect the power from the dishwasher when using an Ohmmeter.

Also check behind the kick panel (toe panel?) of the dishwasher to see if the tech sheet is there in a plastic sleeve. This will show you how to run the diagnostic tests for the dishwasher which may be of further help. If there is no tech sheet there, I found the part number for the tech sheet - W10904612 - but unfortunately I can’t find a download for one online. You may have better luck.

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crwdns2944067:06crwdne2944067:0:

Hello- thanks for the response! I will check tomorrow; I believe they did not spin though.

Just for my understanding, am I correct in thinking the sprayarm spins because of the orientation of the holes the water comes out of, not because it is mechanically turned?

I do have a tech sheet! I found W10904613B as PDF, but was not sure how to post it here. Was thinking I'd step through it tomorrow as well.

Thanks again- will report back with what I find.

crwdns2934271:0Sun 7, 2021crwdnd2934271:0 Brittany Adam crwdne2934271:0

@brea224

That's correct. The water being pumped through by the circulation pump comes out under pressure through the holes in the spray arms which causes them to turn. So you may want to check that they are not clogged either.

The diverter is used to redirect the water from being circulated to being drained.

You can post the document in with your QUESTION on ifixit . You cannot add images, documents etc to a comment.

Here's how to do this Adding images to an existing question. There are options to choose what type to upload, image, document etc. With documents it takes a bit longer but the principle is the same.

Hopefully the tech sheet will be for your model as not being the same number can make a difference unless I misunderstood and it came with the dishwasher.

If you need parts you can also just search for "WDF560SAFM2 parts" to find suppliers e.g. searspartsdirect.com and part select.com to name just two. Apologies if you knew this already.

crwdns2934271:0Sun 7, 2021crwdnd2934271:0 jayeff crwdne2934271:0

@jayeff , you say to "check the pump motor windings for continuity with an Ohmmeter". Can you elaborate? What value or value range are we looking for? I found 10 ohms on mine, which ended up being a working motor (see my post about the loose connection).

crwdns2934271:0Maw 8, 2021crwdnd2934271:0 Peter crwdne2934271:0

@peterguy

As I didn't know the OP's level of expertise when testing for potentially lethal voltage I thought that it may be easier and safer to check the motor winding for continuity to make sure that they're not open circuit before testing for the applied voltage to the motor

I don't know what the resistance value should be but if the motor windings have continuity then the next step is to check the voltage.

As you found with your dishwasher motor there was continuity but at times there wasn't enough voltage, therefore enough current flow through the motor, to get it to turn.

If the applied voltage was constant at the correct value then you would need to find out the resistance value of the motor from the motor compliance plate perhaps (Ohm's law R= E²/P Wattage and voltage hopefully marked or if current value shown then R=P/I² or R=E/I) or the tech sheet which I couldn't find for the OP's model, in case of shorted turns which reduce the resistance and also the magnetism created by the current.

crwdns2934271:0Maw 8, 2021crwdnd2934271:0 jayeff crwdne2934271:0

@jayeff I believe that there was always the correct voltage. It varied, but that was probably either to run the motor at varying speeds, or because the motor would not, and was not supposed to, run a the lower voltage, but there was always a voltage for control porposes in the circuit board.

I am familiar with Ohm's law, but I believe that those apply to a motor while it's running, not when measuring resistance across the connectors to determine if the coil is still good. Right? I'm not anywhere near expert in this. The tech sheet does have a diagram that includes a "1 PH Sync Wash Motor", with the label, "5 - 15 Ohms", but it also labels that motor as being 60W, while the motor's compliance plate says it's 37W, so I'm not sure if it matches up.

Anyway, bottom line, the problem with my dishwasher, after all of my disassembling and measuring, was a loose connection.

crwdns2934271:0Maw 8, 2021crwdnd2934271:0 Peter crwdne2934271:0

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My dishwasher broke at the most unsuitable moment. It was my daughter's birthday, and there was a big party, with over 50 people invited. — AndreyDuplanti
Hello- thanks for the response! I will check tomorrow; I believe they did not spin though.

Just for my understanding, am I correct in thinking the sprayarm spins because of the orientation of the holes the water comes out of, not because it is mechanically turned?

I do have a tech sheet! I found W10904613B as PDF, but was not sure how to post it here. Was thinking I'd step through it tomorrow as well.

Thanks again- will report back with what I find. — Brittany Adam
@brea224

That's correct. The water being pumped through by the circulation pump comes out under pressure through the holes in the spray arms which causes them to turn. So you may want to check that they are not clogged either.

The diverter is used to redirect the water from being circulated to being drained.

You can post the document in with your QUESTION on ifixit . You cannot add images, documents etc to a comment.

Here's how to do this Adding images to an existing question. There are options to choose what type to upload, image, document etc. With documents it takes a bit longer but the principle is the same.

Hopefully the tech sheet will be for your model as not being the same number can make a difference unless I misunderstood and it came with the dishwasher.

If you need parts you can also just search for "WDF560SAFM2 parts" to find suppliers e.g. searspartsdirect.com and part select.com to name just two. Apologies if you knew this already. — jayeff
@jayeff , you say to "check the pump motor windings for continuity with an Ohmmeter". Can you elaborate? What value or value range are we looking for? I found 10 ohms on mine, which ended up being a working motor (see my post about the loose connection). — Peter
@peterguy

As I didn't know the OP's level of expertise when testing for potentially lethal voltage I thought that it may be easier and safer to check the motor winding for continuity to make sure that they're not open circuit before testing for the applied voltage to the motor

I don't know what the resistance value should be but if the motor windings have continuity then the next step is to check the voltage.

As you found with your dishwasher motor there was continuity but at times there wasn't enough voltage, therefore enough current flow through the motor, to get it to turn.

If the applied voltage was constant at the correct value then you would need to find out the resistance value of the motor from the motor compliance plate perhaps (Ohm's law R= E²/P Wattage and voltage hopefully marked or if current value shown then R=P/I² or R=E/I) or the tech sheet which I couldn't find for the OP's model, in case of shorted turns which reduce the resistance and also the magnetism created by the current. — jayeff
@jayeff I believe that there was always the correct voltage. It varied, but that was probably either to run the motor at varying speeds, or because the motor would not, and was not supposed to, run a the lower voltage, but there was always a voltage for control porposes in the circuit board.

I am familiar with Ohm's law, but I believe that those apply to a motor while it's running, not when measuring resistance across the connectors to determine if the coil is still good. Right? I'm not anywhere near expert in this. The tech sheet does have a diagram that includes a "1 PH Sync Wash Motor", with the label, "5 - 15 Ohms", but it also labels that motor as being 60W, while the motor's compliance plate says it's 37W, so I'm not sure if it matches up.

Anyway, bottom line, the problem with my dishwasher, after all of my disassembling and measuring, was a loose connection. — Peter

Peter @peterguy crwdns2934065:0crwdne2934065:0: 1 1 · Answer 1 · 2021-07-08T16:54:35-07:00

For posterity: filling, draining, but not washing can be as simple as a loose connection. My dishwasher (KitchenAid KDTE104ESS4) had the same symptoms as the OP’s, so after some research, I bought a replacement diverter valve as the cheaper and more likely of the solutions. When that didn’t affect the behavior, I took apart the circulation pump. Seeing no obvious issues, I measured the voltage being delivered to the pump during the wash cycle: 53 volts mostly, with brief increases to 112. I measured 10 ohms of resistance across the motor connections. Not seeing anything obviously wrong, I then plugged the pump back in while the wash cycle was running, and as I was plugging it in, the motor started running. Some fiddling revealed that the connection between the wires and the motor was loose. Even though the plastic connector on the wires was firmly clicked into the receiver on the motor. After facepalming a bit, I worked at the connection to get it to stay put. Moral of the story: check all connections first!

Whirlpool Dishwasher

Whirlpool (WDF560SAFM2) dishwasher not circulating water

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