I have installed a used dishwasher that worked perfectly before. (Unfortunately, I do not have the owners manual.) When I turned on the breaker after installing it. I get these tiny little specs of light above Pots and Pans, Quick Rinse, High temp wash, and Air dry buttons. The only button that seems to work is the Cancel/Drain button. It sounds like its draining with no water in it.

The only thing it has done different besides that is flash the lights over Quick Rinse and Cancel at the same time.(MAYBE ERROR CODES? )

I think I have tried everything I can think of. Anyone have any idea what thid might be?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Chances are, I may be able to shed some light on the subject, but not without the model and serial numbers off the product itself. They should be on a tag somewhere around the tub opening with the door in the open position.

I have taken it back out to see if maybe there was a model numer on the back. Also I have tried to research part numbers to see if they belonged to a specific model number... No luck there either.

The model number tag is always accessible with the unit installed. Since this industry is completely dependent upon those numbers, without them I probably won't be much help with technical info or even parts info. If someone has removed the tag (it's supposed to be somewhere by the door gasket), the only hope they left you with would be to get me some part numbers off some of the parts and maybe I can find a similar model. Almost all Kenmore appliances are built by Whirlpool, so if this is the case here, all the parts should say "FSP" followed by a 6 or 7 digit number.

First of all, thank you for your help.

I have managed to locate two part numbers. They did say FSP. The first part number is the spray arm for the upper level 3378147. The second is from the motor which also reads FSP 3377333.

The cycle choices are... pots/Pans-Normal Wash-Water Miser-Light Wash-Quick Rince
Options are... Hi Temp Wash-Air Dry
It also has a delay option, Start and Cancel/Drain

Again, I appreciate all your input

Something you might try...

Press high temp wash, air dry, high temp wash, air dry.

Key dance must be completed within 5 seconds, and unit should be in stand-by mode (door closed). This key dance should put the unit in a special diagnosic mode where it will test all the functions of the machine automatically. Sometimes controls will become "confused" and this maneuver will sometimes correct it. One the key dance is executed, if it works, all lights on the control panel should illuminate simultaneously for a moment before it begins any tests (actually, it is testing all the LED's for visual inspection). Once the process is done (usually less than 10-15 minutes), the unit will go back to stand-by mode. At that point, you could try to start a new regular cycle. If it works, great. If it doesn't make it through, try to make note of any blinking lights, lights that are steadily lit, etc. If you have a digital camera, you might consider taking a few snapshots of the control panel, tank interior, etc. so I can visually see the unit you've got. That might go a long way. I have to be at my shop to pull model numbers based on part numbers, and I will try to do this tomorrow. Let me know how the diagnostic mode goes, if at all. Thanks.

Another possibility...

Is the tech sheet still attached to the backside of the lower access panel? If so, there will be a part number on the lower right corner; get me that number and we'll be another step closer. Also, you said it worked fine before; can you elaborate on what that means, exactly? Such as, did it sit in a non-temperature controlled storage room for any length of time? Is it possible that "critters" could have gotten into the unit and ate any wiring? Thanks.

I tried the key dance exactly as you suggested. I even tried variations like turning the breaker off for 30 minutes. Then turing it back on and trying the code again. I tried this for a few hours and then realzied I was pressing the buttons with far more force than necessary. I also checked every crack and hole for any kind of paperwork(no luck). Rather than risk further damage (by me), I figured a gave it my best shot and took it to my local appliance repair shop. Thank goodness they took pity on me and let me trade it in on a brand new dishwasher (with all paper work & manual). It has two small scratches on the front. I just used a little Porc-a-Fix on them and I can barely see them. Anyway, it works great and best of all I'll have all the info I need for you should anything happen to it.
So thank you for all the help and tips you suggested. I have learned a lot.

Thanks for the update, and sorry it didn't work out better for you, or maybe it did.

I'm having a very similar problem with my Kenmore Ultra Wash, model number 665.17779990. The 2 right LEDs above WASH and the 2 right LEDs above RINSE are always illuminated. If you hit the different buttons on the display the only thing it will do is light up the Cancel/Drain button and sound like it is trying to drain water from it even though it is empty.

It was behaving like this for a while, but when you left the door open for an extended period you would eventually be able to get it to start a cycle. Now no matter how long I leave the door open or what I do it won't start.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated. I'm afraid I need to replace the front panel or the control board which I think are expensive parts. So I'm not sure if I should waste the money on a service call + part, or just get a new dish washer.

Thanks.

In case anyone else comes across this and is having a similar problem with their kenmore ultrawash...
I tried replacing the circuit board and that didn't fix it, I tried replacing the thermal fuse, and that didn't fix it. It turned out to be the entire front panel display. Just replaced the front panel display and the dishwasher is working great.

I ordered the part from repairclinic.com:
Black
Part Detail

Or White
Part Detail

You can also use this coupon code to take 20% off repairclinic.com
Found at Coupon codes for thousands of online stores - RetailMeNot.com
Code: DEBTPROOF

Hope this helps someone.

Crapwasher, what model washer was it? My dishwasher is the ultra 665. The button pushing sequence doesn't work, but what does happen is after pushing buttons, getting frustrated and then leaving it alone for about ten minutes I try it again and it'll start like nothings wrong. Any suggestions, please, anyone? What part do I need to replace, the touch panel or the control board? Thanks.