My Kenmore Elite dishwasher 665.16912001 is getting only about 1/2 inch of water. The load runs but there is still powder in the cup and the dishes are not clean. I had my local repair guy in and he cleaned the water inlet valve, which was pretty mucky, but no improvement. If I stop during the fill and add about two quarts of water it works fine. I asked him about other repairs and he said that dishwashers today are almost disposable because they have only two major parts each of which cost $350 or more plus labor so most people do not want to spend that money on a dishwasher that is more than a few years old.
The dishwasher was working perfectly until a few weeks ago so it seems a shame to dump it just because we can't figure out what the problem is.

I have done the reset. On my machine is was-sani-rinse, air dry, 2x. A number 88 appeared in the timer area, all the lights lit up and then it checked several of the different settings for 10 minutes and shut off but there was no improvement.

May sound silly, but have you sat and listened to how long the water runs(filling) during the first cycle. Typically a dishwasher fills for a set amount of time. It does not have a pressure switch to tell it is full. So maybe the control board is just stopping early. Poor water pressure will cause this problem also because time will run out before it is full.

It fills so quietly that it is nearly impossible to hear. I have the dishwasher a long time and my water pressure has not changed in that time.

I was able to check the time yesterday it is around 90 seconds. This is a nine year old machine but it works perfectly with the right amount of water. Do you think it is worth while changing the inlet valve

I would personaly never clean a water inlet valve, especially if you have hard water.I would replace it. It is inexpensive and not hard to change. 90 seconds is right on. So somehow you have a blockage.

Water level is controlled by a float. Usually in front left corner. Usually covered by a dome shaped cover held in place by a single screw. Remove cover and insure that float is clean and moves freely.
Remove toe kick cover and insure that switch mechanism is securely in place. Look to see if switch can be moved upward.
If Item 16 is a metal lever bend upward.
If switch cannot be adjusted upward and lever can not be bent, glue a couple of quarters to top of float.

Thanks for the advice and I am going to call my local guy tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice and I am going to call my local guy tomorrow.

The message above was for shulta44

HKstrod

I am not a repair man level. I would not be able to do what you are saying. The float seems fine. You can press it up and down and there is nothing blocking it.

I would personaly never clean a water inlet valve, especially if you have hard water.I would replace it. It is inexpensive and not hard to change. 90 seconds is right on. So somehow you have a blockage.

I wanted to thank you. My repair man installed the inlet valve today and the dishwasher is working perfectly thanks to your advice.


Regards, Joanieq

Glad it helped.