Ask Me Help Desk - Kenmore Ultra Wash Dishwasher model #665.1703, Flashing light-won't start

Tried to run our newly installed (yesterday) kenmore elite #13423 this evening. Green clean light flashing, would not fill, tried several remedies provided here to no avail. Called customer service and Hadji told me he had no appliance experience( at least he was being honest) I would need to call back on Monday! Got frustrated, I started MASHING buttons, and there it was, that glorious flashing test mode... I took a deep breath and started a cycle, IT WORKED!
I will be calling sears on Monday to have them uninstall and refund!

I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash Dishwasher model 665. It is the kind with Ultra Wash, Sensor ATC and QuietDry listed on the front. No numbers, only touch pads. Estimated purchase around 2001.

I thought the touch pad had gone bad and was going to pursue a repair call from Sears. However, the codes shared on this board reset my machine.

"High Temp Scrub" followed by "Air Dry" followed by "High Temp Scrub" Again and then "Air Dry" again.

All of the lights lit up and then the machine ran a partial wash.

It's a shame that Sears/Kenmore don't publish these reset codes in the manual. I guess they want more service calls : (

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!
I followed the advice to press heated wash/ hi temp dry back and forth 5 times and by dishwasher started back up! I love the internet.

Comment on zrocket's post

Right on the money

I can't tell you how pleased I am that this worked. I, like many of you, am unhappy with Sears over this problem. I am only marginally handy around the house, but at least I can try with proper instruction. Imagine my surprise when I looked under troubleshooting in the manual and it gave me common sense information such as turn on the water and check the circuit breaker. I contacted Sears, and they wanted me to purchase a 12 month service contract for $200, half the price of a new dishwasher. Who knows what the technician would have said the problem is, or how much that would have cost me without the warranty. Again, thank you for saving me an incredible amount of time and money.

Comment on zrocket's post

This solution worked for me today on a Sears Model 665.1603*. The book tells you to call for service on the heater element - shame on you Sears!

I just fixed my 655.16042400 unit. Several days ago this dishwasher failed. We had the dreaded blinking clean light. As a Master Maintenance High Voltage Team Leader in a Steel Mill I'm not afraid of anything. My job is to repair stuff, and right now! This piece of junk annoyed me. Our green clean light went on right away. That tells me that the circuit board sends a small current through the heater to test it. So I shorted the heater to reset the system. No luck. In steel mill vernacular ? So I tested every component of the system. No luck. I do not allow anyone in our house to fix anything, if I cannot fix it it goes to the dump. As this dishwasher is only 4 years old I decided to drink beer and surf the net. I found this wonderful site and the reset instructions.
After reset I found our problem; the main pump is jammed. Because of that the heating coil overheats and shuts down. When that happens we get the green flashing Clean light. If your heater circuit is in good shape, then your problem might be your pump.
I think Sears needs a punch in the nose for subjecting it's customers to this rigmarole.
Best of luck;
Stammon farms

Quote:

Originally Posted by L0gansm0mmy

I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash Dishwasher. It will not start. The light above normal wash is flashing continuously. Any advice will be helpful.
Our warranty ran out 9 days ago:rolleyes:
Thank-you in advance:o

Help! Hasn't worked for me, sorry to say. The lights just keep blinking and blinking and blinking. Any other ideas? If this is an electrical problem, I still have time on my warranty, otherwise, I'm stuck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by threezenuf

Help! Hasn't worked for me, sorry to say. The lights just keep blinking and blinking and blinking. Any other ideas? If this is an electrical problem, I still have time on my warranty, otherwise, I'm stuck!

I have fixed our washer. The pump bearing had locked up so the heater had over heated without cooling water sprayed over it. To reset our computer I pressed the "high temp wash" and "heated dry' buttons over and over. There are web sites that talk about this.
Try that, alternating between the two. You still have a problem that need fixing.

Thank you thank you thank you!
I had the same problem - "clean" light stuck "on" - a couple of years ago, and the repairman had told me which two buttons to push...
Now, two years later, I could not for the life of me remember which two to push. Thank you for the fix, it worked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yochanan

The RESET sequence also fixed the touchpad problem on our Kenmore Model 665 "Limited Edition". In our case, the touchpad would only run "Quick Rinse" and "Time Saver" cycles -- no response to the "Normal Wash" button. Sears Repair gave me a choice: $75 for a service visit (plus any charges to repair) or $198 for a 1-year warranty. I googled, found the reset sequence just in time, and cancelled the appointment!

The exact words on the touchpad vary for different models in the 665 series. In our case, the sequence is:

"Hi Temp Scrub - Air Dry - Hi Temp Scrub - Air Dry"

After you do that, the lights all flash on. A partial cycle may run at that point (let it). Good to go!

Our dishwasher (model 665) works great when it works. But last time it had to be reset I had to wait 3 weeks before sears could send a service guy (we have warranty protection). Two weeks after the flashing green was "fixed" it did it again. One never realizes how much time and hassle a working dishwasher saves until it goes south... I was aggravated at prospect of having no dishwasher for another two weeks...

Then I found this web link and this post in particular.. the simple reset instructions got the machine unstuck from its clean flash mode. It is running as we speak! What a joy! Thanks a ton guys ! The web is awesome...

While I am at it, might as well ask what dishwasher listmembers are considering when it comes time to "reset" from Kenmore!

Thanks !

Quote:

Originally Posted by zrocket

my clean light was blinking on my kenmore i just pushed the heated wash,and the heated dry buttons one after the other for about 5 times and all the lights lit up and the thing just started going through differant settings then it all quit so i pushed normal wash and its working now.

Thank you, thank you!! I had given up and I had just sent my husband out to buy a new dishwasher when I ran into your site. I had tried the "code" already but it didn't work for me. Then I read somewhere that they pressed the buttons "fast". I went back and did that, nothing, but then I pushed the "start" button and it started washing. Fantastic!

Quote:

Originally Posted by L0gansm0mmy

I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash Dishwasher. It will not start. The light above normal wash is flashing continuously. Any advice will be helpful.
Our warranty ran out 9 days ago:rolleyes:
Thank-you in advance:o

I have the same problem

My kenmore dishwasher has a blinking light and you seem to have had the answer for some one else so can you help me out of the dog house as well

Quote:

Originally Posted by L0gansm0mmy

I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash Dishwasher. It will not start. The light above normal wash is flashing continuously. Any advice will be helpful.
Our warranty ran out 9 days ago:rolleyes:
Thank-you in advance:o

I have the same problem

It's all been said on how valuable this is. Thanks you.

BTW - My sequence was Water Heat / No Heat Dry / What Heat / No Heat Dry.

I have a Kenmore Elite Ultra Quiet Guard... blahblahwhatever. Model 665

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrod

Thank You.. That Worked for me too!!!

THE POWER OF THE WeB!!!

Thanks to an answer on this site, I pushed heated dry, normal wash, heated dry, normal wash and it went through some kind of process with all lights lit, etc. When it finished that process and was quiet, we found it worked. Hooray! This was after spending a half hour trying to understand "help" from first a woman and then a man with heavy accents who were unable to help. That is, for $204 we could fix the problem and have a year's warranty or spend $65 for a diagnostic visit plus cost of parts, etc. Earliest available appointment was two weeks down the road. A local repair company would come out for $85 plus parts. I preferred this solution.

After reading this answer and trying everything I could think of I pushed the normal wash and the heated dry at the same time and held them for a few seconds. All lights lite up and it ran through a short cycle. After that it functioned normally again!

Thank you so much for the help and saving me a service call!

Comment on zrocket's post

Thank you... it's the holidays... problem over... we had a broken element, a repair person fixed that but did not know how to reset the panel... yippee!!

We tried all the suggested reset options with no success.

We bit the bullet and called the Sears repair service and the repairman.

The repairman was good and very frank about the problem. Apparently, this model Kenmore Elite dishwasher (665.16053401) has exhibited this problem often -- the motor seal fails... water gets into the bearings and rusts... the motor seizes or fails.

Apparently, in our neighborhood of SW Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) this problem is more accute since the gas drilling companies are dumping millions of gallons of drilling wastewater with high quantities of dissolved and undisolved solids into the Monongahela river -- the source of our drinking water. These solids build up in dishwashers and exacerbate this failure.

The fix is to replace the main motor/pump/grinder unit (a $375 repair). Watching the repairman fix our dishwasher it's apparently a relatively easy part to replace. Take off a few clamps on the bottom of the unit and remove all the easy-to-remove trays and distribution lines within the cleaning chamber. The large circular part comes right out; disconnect the electrical lines; drop in the new part; hook up the lines and go.

Sorry for the bad news.

I have a Quiet Guard deluxe with a blinking "normal wash" light. So far, none of the codes work I agree with the earlier judge post, ironic how this seems to happen right after the warranty goes off.

I have a Kenmore Dishwasher and My warranty is up the Clean Light is flashing and it will not start? What can I do Please help It is 2 years old and I cannot afford another one anytime soon?

Hey Kenmore and Whirlpool owners... there was a recall a few years ago... check your model numbers.
Whirlpool and Kenmore Dishwashers
Also recall line is 1-800-659-7026 for Kenmore

Thank You for this post and all the answers. I pressed the heated dry and normal wash buttons alternatively a few times and then all the lights came on steady. I waited a minute and pressed the cancel button, then pressed the buttons for a regular wash and it worked GREAT!

This worked great for us,started on the left hand function and then heated dry and by the time we got all the way to the right the panel reset and is working fine. Thank you very much.

This is a DIY website.

You have to check it out.

Very Cheap and there great!

Link Click Here

None of the above is working for me. What next? At this time I have no lights-nothing working. THanks

I had the same problem and, after long investigation, I found that one pin of the connector of the keypad of the console was misconducting. I simply put nickel conductive paint to re-establish contact and it was it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by L0gansm0mmy

I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash Dishwasher. It will not start. The light above normal wash is flashing continuously. Any advice will be helpful.
Our warranty ran out 9 days ago:rolleyes:
Thank-you in advance:o

Wow, My Kenmore Elite Ultra Wash Dishwasher was not working last night and I almost gave up to call Sears Service this morning. But every one on this board said it works with the reset so I kept trying and trying and IT WORKED!

So What happened? I pushed Start button and just did not work. I turned off switch board. I open the bottom of the dish washer to see if anything was written there. Sure enough, there were an empty plastic envelop attached to it, but nothing was in there to show me the reset Procedure. I came to this forum and found this place.

So this is what I did:

Push SANI RINSE button then Push AIR DRY button sequence about 3 times. Then All the lights lit up. The display showed d1, 11, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and stopped there where Quick Rinse light on and did this cycle. But this did not fixed it. I pushed Cancel button then open the door same problem. But I just kept doing until finally the display showed d1, 11, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And when I saw this I was so sure this time it was going to work for me. And Sure enough it did. Thank you so much for the information of the reset code.

I even went to check the control panel parts at Sears Parts Center but it said discontinue so I was so sure I would need to get a new dishwasher. It's a great community here to help me solve my dishwasher problem.

THANK YOU!

Quote:

Originally Posted by zrocket

my clean light was blinking on my kenmore i just pushed the heated wash,and the heated dry buttons one after the other for about 5 times and all the lights lit up and the thing just started going through differant settings then it all quit so i pushed normal wash and its working now.

This worked for us as well... interesting...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JudgeMacDonald

It is unethical for Kenmore or Sears not to answer questions over the phone regarding simple reset issues.

It turns out the dishwasher is not broken and this blog was the only way we got the reset information we needed.

Some lawyer needs to file a class action against Kenmore for the hundreds or thousands of people ripped off for a service call and probably sold un-needed parts for this reset issue.

As I type, the dishwasher is working and this is what we did:

Press High Temp and heated dry one after the other, about 5 times in succession. Then we hit the Start/Resume button and the cycle continued.

This verges on fraud, if not theft from customers and has diminished the good will that we had for Sears and Kenmore.

Thanks for the for reset information! I was ready to buy a new dishwasher again! This happened to us about 2 years ago with a Kenmore I bought from Sears about 7 years ago, I called the Sears repairperson, he came and told me I would need a new control panel and it cost around $1,000 so I just said forget it and bought a new one from Sears. It might have just needed to be reset like this one!! Thank you for saving me a ton of money!

PLEASE people.. post your exact make and model. Not every sequence of buttons works on every model. I have a Kenmore Ultra Wash Model 665.1374 or 665.1384 (the last 4 digits refer to the color so I don't think they matter). Based on a rave review from "Consumer Reports" I purchased it on March 30, 2009 for $791.30. It is now July 1, 2010... 3 months past it's warranty. I personally think these computer panels are programmed to freak out in order to generate fees for tech support, extended warrantys or service calls. Whoever decided it was smart to put a computer control panel in such proximity to something that emits heated steam is an IDIOT. Regardless, SEARS should post these codes in their manuals and online instead of ripping people off like this!! I say call "60 Minutes" and report them. Anyway, my problem started with a couple of flashing green lights. I have pushed various buttons invarious sequences and gotten various results... including the "all lights on" for a moment followed by some sort of 'running through the cycles' thingy. Problem is it ends about 3-4 minutes later and nothing is even wet inside. Also at times there's a faint green glow coming from the lights on the 4 buttons to the right of the 'Smart Wash' button. If anyone has any solution for this specific model please email me [email protected]. PS: Always try to buy appliances with simple, replacable controls like dials etc. PSS: Invest in a really good surge protector and have it installed at the same time. Better yet, get a 'whole house' protector-- pricey but good insurance. PSSS: Sears SUX

Comment on Hotrod's post

OH yeah! Thanks! Worked for us, too!! You saved us $$$$

I LOVE YOU!! :-)
I have a Kenmore Elite UltraWash 665.1315 I purchased in Oct. '07. I've never had problems other than the one-way valve in the drain tube failed. I bought the part from a local parts store (a plastic hose for $39..! ) & a friend installed it for free.
THEN, last night my son opened the dishwasher after it had started to add "a few things" (more like 10 things) and it was like the programming freaked out & froze up: the infamous, aforementioned "blinking lights". Nothing would respond. We even disconnected the fuse for a minute. (yes, we still have fuses - we live in an old Victorian!) Nothing. Of course, I could barely sleep mulling over the miserable fact that I have NO money to fix ANY thing right now, let alone a Sears product! So after a restless 3 hours of sleep I Googled my problem & this was the first result. I AM SOOOOO THANKFUL!
On my model I hit "Hi Temp" and the "Heated Dry" buttons (under the "Options" buttons) simultaneously and Voilà! All the lights went on & it did a little flashing here & there, I heard the drain running & then it stopped like it does when the cycle is complete. I very cautiously started a normal wash cycle and everything started running as normal.
Did I say I LOVE YOU GUYS?? Oh, what a relief! Thank you God and thank you all for saving my sanity! :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacogomez

I just wanted to join this discussion to express that I have similar problems (Flashing green light - no start) with the exact same model. I called on it and was told it would cost some $170 to have the guy come and take advantage of our recently expired warantee. Any advice would be helpful!

=

I'll replace the boards for you at your cost for the part and fifty bucks plus 2.50 cents a mile for travel. Now if you can beat that price your really busy.

THANK ALL OF YOU - SO, SO MUCH FOR THE INFO PROVIDED!! We tried a couple of the above suggestions and I'm not exactly sure which worked, but thought someone else might find our experience useful. Our model is either 665.1627 or 665.1727 (hidden controls on top of door); the problem was that our cancel, start and reset buttons were all flashing and this prevented us from being able to set a mode or start the machine. To solve:
We tried pressing 'normal wash' followed by 'heated dry' three to four times until all of the lights went out. Then we pressed start and nothing happened. We then waited five minutes - still none of the buttons worked. We then shut off our circuit breaker (for just a second) - and that did the trick! I hope this helps!

Green light was flashing on our Kenmore Ultra Wash Quiet Guard 4 (can't find model #). Have had this issue fixed 3-4 times. The last time the tech replaced the motherboard. What an idiot I was for not looking this up online. This time, I decided to see if any one else was having the same issue and came across this site.

Pushed the heated dry and hi-temp alternately and seemed to do the trick. Haven't run the dishwasher yet but blinking light went off and looked light the board rebooted (numerous flashing lights, etc.)

Anyway, thanks for the tips!

I have model # 665.17012402, the clean button was blinking continuously and a cycle wouldn't start. I used zrocket's tip above and it worked, much to my relief! My dishwasher is now running! :)

Thanks for the fix! Same problem on a seldom used 4 year old machine and Sears basically told me to get lost when I asked them about it. Last appliance I buy from them.