# Dishwasher won't drain fully



## G2BDON (Jan 25, 2010)

I have a Kenmore D/W that won't drain fully upon completion of the cycle. Sears out 2X with no results. D/W drain line is clear and has been blown out. Trap/waste line is clear. Leaves considerable amount of standing water. Here's the baffling part even for the tech. If you hit the "cancel/drain" button it will drain the remainder out. If you start a new cycle, let it fill completely and then hit "cancel/drain", it drains completely. The circuit board has been changed out.
The only time that it doesn't drain 100% is at the end of a regular cycle which is obviously almost always. The tech feels that it's not the pump because it would happen all the time. Any help appreciated.


----------



## jimrr (Oct 19, 2010)

sounds to me like a hard wire issue signaling the computer. tell them to take it back.


----------



## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

give me a model# so I can idetify who built it for Sears


----------



## G2BDON (Jan 25, 2010)

*model# 665 13793K601*

model# 665 13793K601


----------



## G2BDON (Jan 25, 2010)

TO; hardwareman: Sears coming out again tomorrow (Friday) in the am so I'd appreciate any insight you have ASAP. I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be one of those mysteries with countless repair service calls. Thanks in advance for your help.


----------



## kenmac (Feb 26, 2009)

hardwareman said:


> give me a model# so I can idetify who built it for Sears


 

Lowest bidder


----------



## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

Whirlpool built dishwasher and not a cheap either. That is very baffling, I would make sure that he did put a new board in it, obviously if you can hit drain cancel and it drains completely the pump is good, there are no restrictions, so that takes us back to the control board. Wish I had more time and answers from you, I know we could solve it. Is this a new unit,and has done it from day 1 or have you had it awhile and it just started this problem? Are you paying these so called techs from Sears or is it warranty? If it is warranty make sure that 1) they fix it before they leave or 2) make them get their tech support on the line to walk him through the problem. these guys get payed by the job whether they complete it or not, so they have no incentive to spend a lot of time at your house. They do have tech support they can call if they can not figure it out, make sure they do that.


----------



## Jacques (Jul 9, 2008)

that is weird. sure sounds like electronic problem, main mtr failing after it runs awhile, or door latch disengaging [prob on this type d/w] also not uncommon for Sears to have a bad 'new' part...i would; run d/w[empty, no det'] before the tech comes out, let it go through cycle. time it. leave it as is, don't open door. does it fault[lights blink]? does it appear to run through complete cycle? i think it's stopping for some reason before the last drain...be careful how you present your new found knowledge to tech. you want him focused on your problem not his bruised ego.


----------



## Jacques (Jul 9, 2008)

another key would be; does it do this on a short cycle, ie; glass express, rinse only. ? if you have time today before he comes out try the short cycle and see what happens. if there's water in it -cancel so it drains, and then go by my previous post. tell the tech what you did and what you observed.


----------



## G2BDON (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks to all for the replies. Tech not here yet. Here are the answers to the questions asked:
*definitely new unit-watched it come out of a sealed box and installed
*D/W is 4 years old and this started about 1 month ago
*is being serviced under warranty
*problem exists on all cycles (except drain/cancel as previously explained)
*never shows any fault lights/codes
*sounds exactly the same as it always has-length of cycle is the same as when new
*the absolute ONLY difference is the problem noted

I will request the tech to contact his tech support when he gets here. Thanks very much to all of you. I'll keep you posted.


----------



## Jacques (Jul 9, 2008)

yeah could be. although the only time i've seen something like that,given .what she reports, is; when it doesn't completely empty after each drain cycle, so that at the last drain there's not enough time to empty all the water. this should be apparent though by observing pressure of water as it empties into sink drain. the cancel gives you 2 min which is longer than during a regular cycle which would explain why it works in cancel...hope this is Sears and not AE...tech line make her feel better but they'll be of no use on this. this has two check valves in it-maybe one is not opening all the way.


----------



## G2BDON (Jan 25, 2010)

*Update*

Tech out on Fri, Oct.22nd. Yes, it's A&E Factory Service through Sears Maint Agreement. Seems like seasoned, knowledgeable guy. Called his tech support and they decided to replace the drain pump. He also blew out the lines again, checked the check valve and a few other basic steps. So far, after one full regular cycle, it seems that the problem has lessened 80%. By that I mean there is still a little bit of standing water but research on the internet says that is normal. See following:

My Dishwasher Doesn't Drain All The Way, Is It Broken? First, it should be noted that dishwashers do not drain completely after a finished cycle and this is normal.
Dishwashers are designed to leave some water in the unit to ensure that the heating element doesn’t overheat. If you suddenly begin to experience a large amount of water being retained in your dishwasher, you have a problem.

Also I'm thinking, if water is left intentionally to protect the heating element, then why isn't there any left when cancel/drain is activated? Then I realized that the heating element wouldn't activate with cancel/drain so maybe there's some validity in this.

So now we'll just watch and see. Thanks again to all.


----------



## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

so it seems better? if your seeing water at the bootom of the tub, it still isn't repaired. they will leave a little water in the sump but this should not be visible. If you let your dishwasher sit a few days without use this will smell rather nasty, call them back again.


----------



## Jacques (Jul 9, 2008)

Agree..after d/w drains the water in the hose runs back into d/w,on YOURS the water is there, but you shouldn't be able to see it. it's under that sump. the heater needs no protection.. run the d/w on normal,when it drains does it empty all the water before another fill begins?? go to Sears parts web site [see # 5 on Tub parts] this is a drain loop on LH side of tub-this is still there??.. it has another check valve by chopper that sometimes gets gummed up [see #5 on Pump&mtr parts]..if some improvement was noted that indicates you have a scum problem -common now with E d/w and elimination of phosphates in detergents..buy a box of Lemi-Shine and run through cycle -maybe coulple of times-this will breakdown and clear buildup of scum deposits..


----------



## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

if it is under warranty I would not do anything to fix this unit myself, call Sears back til they get it right .


----------



## JamesT46 (Mar 20, 2013)

This thread is a bit dated, but it helped me diagnose and fix a similar problem with my Kenmore Elite model 665.77979K703 (made by Whirlpool), purchased in Oct 2010. At the end of the cycle there would be white coloured water in the appliance and running a "empty/drain" step would cause turbulence in the sump, but the water would only drain very slowly, and the two minute max for the drain step would be reached before all the water was drained.

Before pulling out the dishwasher I tested the amount of water being drained by detaching the drain hose at the sink end and briefly running the "empty/drain" step. A trickle of water came out, indicating an obstruction in the drain line or a problem with the DW itself.

Having pulled the dishwasher and checked the drain hoses for obstructions (none found) I then removed the little drain pump (very simple, just twist and hold in a safety prong at the rear). I found a thin strip of what was once plastic wrap right where the impeller was. Removed it, then re-assembled the machine and now it runs as it should. 

Hope this helps someone as this thread helped me.

Jim


----------

