How to Replace the Drain Pump on Your Dishwasher

The cycle ends, and the evidence is right there: an inch of gray standing water that should have left through the drain hose. When water washes fine but never leaves, the drain pump is the part on trial. Here’s how to test it and swap it.

Not sure this is the part that failed? Start with Dishwasher Won’t Drain: Top 5 Reasons and Fixes (With Video!) — it walks through the likely causes and points you to the right fix.

We’ve replaced more drain pumps than we can count, and we can tell you: this is one of the most straightforward dishwasher repairs you’ll tackle. Most people finish it in under an hour, even on a first attempt. Let’s get into it.

Full safety notes below

What the Drain Pump Does and Why It Fails

The drain pump is a small motor-driven impeller assembly that sits at the bottom of your dishwasher, usually beneath the filter or sump area. Its only job is to push used water out of the tub and up through the drain hose to your sink drain or garbage disposal. Every cycle relies on it: wash water has to go somewhere, and gravity alone won’t get it there since the drain connection sits higher than the dishwasher floor.

Over time, the pump motor wears out. The bearings seize, the impeller cracks or gets jammed with debris, or the motor windings fail internally. Small bits of broken glass, food particles, and mineral buildup accelerate the process. Once the pump can’t spin freely, your dishwasher can’t drain.

Signs Your Drain Pump Has Failed

Here’s what to watch for:

• Standing water in the bottom of the tub after a cycle completes

• A loud buzzing, humming, or grinding noise during the drain portion of the cycle

• The dishwasher starts but never fully drains between wash and rinse

• An error code related to draining (varies by brand, but it’s typically something like E2, E24, or OE depending on the manufacturer)

• The pump is completely silent when it should be running: no sound at all during the drain phase

Before blaming the pump, do a quick check on the obvious stuff. Pull out the bottom filter and clean it. Check the drain hose where it connects under your sink: make sure it’s not kinked or clogged. If you’ve got a garbage disposal, confirm the knockout plug was removed when it was installed. We see that one more often than you’d think. If everything else checks out and the dishwasher still won’t drain, the pump is your target.

Tools You’ll Need

Gather these before you start:

• Torx T20 or T15 screwdriver (common on many brands; some use Phillips)

• Quarter-inch nut driver

• Needle-nose pliers

• Towels and a shallow pan or baking dish (to catch residual water)

• Multimeter (optional, for testing the pump motor before ordering a part)

Different brands mount their drain pumps slightly differently, but the overall process is remarkably similar across Whirlpool, GE, Bosch, Samsung, LG, and most other major manufacturers. When you’re ready to find the right replacement, grab your model number and head over to our repair help section to get the exact pump that fits your machine.

Before you do anything else, disconnect power. Pull the plug from the wall outlet, or switch off the breaker at the panel. Dishwashers are hardwired in many homes, so don’t assume unplugging is enough. Verify power is off. You’ll also want to shut off the water supply valve under the sink just to be safe.

Testing the Drain Pump Before Replacing It

If you want to confirm the pump motor is actually dead before ordering the part, a quick multimeter test will tell you. Once you’ve accessed the pump (see the steps below for how to get to it), disconnect the wire harness from the pump motor. Set your multimeter to resistance (ohms) and touch the probes to the two terminals on the pump.

A healthy drain pump motor typically reads somewhere between 5 and 40 ohms, depending on the brand. If your meter shows OL (open line), the motor winding is broken and the pump is done. If it reads near zero, you’ve got a short. Either way, it’s replacement time. If the reading looks normal but the pump still won’t run, the issue could be the control board not sending voltage to it, but in our experience, a dead pump motor is the most common scenario by a wide margin.

Step-by-Step Drain Pump Replacement

Here’s how to get the old pump out and the new one in. The specifics vary a bit between brands, but this general procedure covers most dishwashers on the market. If you own a Bosch, we’ve got a detailed walkthrough for Bosch drain pump replacement that covers the nuances of that brand.

1. Remove the lower dish rack and spray arm. Pull the rack out and set it aside. The lower spray arm usually lifts straight off or unscrews with a quarter turn.

2. Remove the filter assembly. Twist the cylindrical filter counterclockwise and lift it out. On most models, there’s a coarse filter underneath that also lifts out. Clean these while you’re at it: you’ve got them out anyway.

3. Soak up remaining water. With the filters out, you’ll see standing water in the sump. Use towels or a turkey baster to remove as much as you can. Lay a towel on the floor beneath the dishwasher door too, because more water will come out when you tip the machine.

4. Disconnect the dishwasher from under the counter. Remove the two screws (usually at the top of the door frame) that secure the dishwasher to the countertop. Carefully slide the unit forward enough to work on it. If you need to fully remove it, disconnect the water supply line, drain hose, and electrical connections under the front kick plate first.

5. Lay the dishwasher on its back. This gives you clear access to the pump from underneath. Put down a blanket or cardboard to protect your floor. Here’s what catches most people off guard: water will spill out when you tilt it, so have those towels ready.

6. Locate the drain pump. On the bottom of the machine, you’ll see the sump assembly with the drain pump attached. It’s a compact, round motor with a wire harness plugged into it and a short rubber hose or direct connection to the drain path. You can’t miss it.

7. Disconnect the wire harness. Squeeze the locking tab on the connector and pull it straight off.

8. Remove the pump. Most drain pumps attach with a quarter-turn bayonet mount: you twist the pump body counterclockwise about a quarter turn and it drops free. Some models use screws instead. If yours has a retaining bracket, remove the screws with your Torx driver, then pull the pump straight down.

9. Install the new pump. Align the new pump in the mounting position and twist clockwise until it locks (or reattach the screws). Make sure the rubber gasket or O-ring seats properly: a bad seal here means a leak. If your new pump comes with a fresh gasket, use it.

10. Reconnect the wire harness. Push the connector onto the terminals until the locking tab clicks.

11. Stand the dishwasher back up, slide it into position, and secure it. Reconnect the drain hose, water supply, and electrical if you fully removed the unit. Reinstall the filters, spray arm, and lower rack.

Verifying the Repair

Restore power and water. Run a short wash cycle or, if your dishwasher has one, a rinse-only or drain-only cycle. Listen during the drain phase: you should hear the pump running smoothly, a steady low hum with no grinding or buzzing. Open the door after the cycle completes. The tub should be completely empty with no standing water.

If water remains, double-check that the drain hose isn’t kinked and the pump is seated correctly with a solid connection. A pump that isn’t fully locked into its bayonet mount can spin without actually moving water.

Need More Help?

If you run into something unexpected or your dishwasher has an unusual setup, our community forum is full of people who’ve been through it. Post your model number and what you’re seeing at our repair forum and you’ll get real answers fast. And if you haven’t ordered your part yet, your model number is everything: enter it here to find the exact drain pump for your machine.

Written by: AppliancePartsPros Team