How to Troubleshoot & Replace Bosch AP5984938 / 12008381 Circulation Motor And Heater Assembly

The part arrived quickly and I got right to work. I had to buy a T20 tool to get the door front off, but had all other needed tools. Getting the dishwasher out of my cabinet was hard but that had more to do with how tightly it was fitted and some layers of uneven flooring that got stuck as we tried to pull it out. Once we had it out I realized we didn’t have the same easy access to the circulation/heat pump as in the video on this listing. Ours was in the middle of the bottom of the dishwasher and required a 15 step process to remove the bottom of the dishwasher before the part could be replaced. I was about to give up since I had no idea how to take the bottom off until I found another video with nearly my exact dishwasher (on Appliance Parts Pros) that showed the steps to take everything apart and put it back together. Once I got to the actual part, which took minutes to switch out, it was super easy. Putting the dishwasher back together was a bit more challenging — the cords for the door springs fell off during repair but I found another appliance parts pros video that showed me how to put those back on— but luckily everything eventually came back together and thankfully the part replacement fixed my issue. Unfortunately now the ancient water shut off valve for the dishwasher that’s in my basement is leaking and needs to be replaced, but that’s life! I saved enough money repairing the dishwasher myself so I have some leftover to call a plumber. Highly recommend ordering parts from this company. Their how to fix videos are fantastic and I couldn’t have fixed my dishwasher without them! My husband is impressed and now thinks I can fix anything that breaks! 

Ordered the Bosch circulation motor and circulation element (120008381) from Appliance Parts Pro to remedy issue. Part arrived within two days. Watched the video on website but quickly found that the Bosch 800 Series has a solid plastic base that requires it to be removed in order to access the circulation motor/heating element. After turning off power and water and disconnecting water and discharge pipes and removing kick plate in front, I disconnected bottom of dishwasher by removing two screws on back, removing metal plate on front bottom (retained by two screws), disconnected door cables on either side by pulling on spring and lifting cable off door hinge latch hook (no need to remove door). I also removed power cord from back of base. Then I removed door cable guides to access metal tab behind them and pushed them in slightly to allow metal frame to lift up from base. Then, with dishwasher on its side, I gently separated the base from upper metal frame, removing discharge hoses from base retainers (they just slide out) and also slide power module out of base to allow separation of base from upper frame (note: I did not completely remove base, just pulled it out far enough to access circulation motor/heating element). Removal and installation of circulation motor/heating element same as shown in video (I.e., remove clamp, remove the three electrical connectors, twist out motor while disconnecting rubber bushing, install new one in reverse). Then reassemble upper frame and base by bending front tabs slightly outward to lock in when pushed back into base (put small flat blade screwdriver into small slot on tab to bend out) and placing power module, hoses put back into retaining clips in base during reassembly. Once upper frame and base aligned and pushed into place, Reinstall two screws in back, reinstall front bottom plate with two screws, reinstall door cable guides and attach door cables by pulling on springs and hook in in door latch hooks (ensure cables properly route around guides). Snap in power cable, put in cabinet and reattach water/discharge hoses. Sounds more complicated than it was, did in all in less than 40 minutes. Works great. 

After researching the error code, which told me the heating element was at fault, I ordered the part overnight from Appliance Parts Pros. We received the heating element the next day. I watched a couple of YouTube videos showing how to replace the heating element. Then went to work, it took about 2 hours to install which was the length of time said in the YouTube videos. Some time could have been saved by not removing the door, as shown in the YouTube videos. I still can not figure out why they took the door off. Overall, I was happy with the service from Appliance Parts Pros and would not hesitate to use them again. 

I had to replace the heat pump. Pull the dishwasher out of cabinet and pulled the pump out from the side. Helpful videos online to show you how. 

A little research online pointed towards the heater/pump failure. I was able to locate the correct part on your website. It was delivered on time as promised. Price was competitive. I installed the part, your video was helpful. Dishwasher is running normally again. I'm a happy customer. 

Replaced heat pump under unit. 

Watched YouTube video from Scott the Fixit guy and followed along. Only problem I had was when I went to remove the orange control wires connector (black and red leads came off fine), the connector's "cover" popped off and out popped the three orange wires. Knowing this now, I would suggest that the person doing the replacement on this pump take the time to mark the three wires and note which slot they go into on the connector. Of the six options, it only took me five tries to select the right combination to get the heat pump to work and the dishwasher to stop giving me an E11 error code. Had this not happened, the project would have been completed in <15 minutes and the difficulty listed would be on the easier side. 

Ordered the part from AppliancePartsPros after watching the short video. I am a woman over 60 but figured I could fix this. The part itself took less than 10 minutes to swap out. My issue was that the video didn’t explain that I had to take the entire bottom of the dishwasher off…as the video showed the base of the dishwasher already accessible. So the disassembly and reassembly of the dishwasher and reconnection to the water, electrical, and garbage disposable took 3 hours. Also, needed a special screwdriver with the start tips to take apart the base of the dishwasher, which thankfully I had on hand. I saved money and had to have my husband help pull the base off once the screws were off. So really did need an extra pair of hands for that and also to reattach the base in order to line up screws. Doable project but 2 person job for base disassembly. 

Disconnect hot water and drain lines to dishwasher, pulled dishwasher out from wall and turned it on its side to remove old motor/heater assembly. Replaced part easily and dishwasher works fine. The only added time was cleaning. There had been mice that got into the space and left quite a mess. 

The problem was the heater/pump assy. Bought a new one from https://www.appliancepartspros.com/ and with the help of this video installed it today. https://youtu.be/MF0OANCGlEw In this dishwasher the heater is part of the recirculating pump. I took the old one apart to see if it could be repaired but did not succeed. The heater element is etched onto a steel drum that the water passes through. The heater connector pins are soldered to the traces on the heater. I could see where the connection was broken, right at the connector. I tried scraping the coating on the heater and was going to try to bridge the break with a jumper. The etched heater runs were so thin that after removing the insulation the trace disintegrated when I tried to solder it.