How to Troubleshoot & Replace Ge AP7185922 / WD05X30818 Dishwasher Heating Element

I replaced the Switch flood assembly and that corrected the problem. This is a thermistor unit. I could not get any ohm reading from this. While I had the dishwasher out I replaced the old heater. The old heater's ohm reading was 16. The new heater reading was 16. I now have a spare. Additional info: I also checked the high limit thermostat that is fastened to the tub. It read closed as it should. If the high limit switch is open this would indicate the relay on the main control board. Replacement of the main control board is the repair for that. If the heat relay's contact on the main control board weld closed, this will cause a "runaway" heating condition. Then the high limit thermostat would open and heater would stop heating. Hope this helps anyone that needs it. Thanks, Nick 

Replaced the float switch, and as a precaution, the heating element (although that part continuity tested good, but was 4 years old). This was after considerable research, trying to piece together information about this dishwasher. Common sense told me it would be a thermostat - so I found out that if it tests good for continuity (which it did), then its good, because it's a "high limit" thermostat. This was a relief because the thermostat is part of the drain pump wiring harness - $90. Glad I didn't need it! I was surprised the float switch is the demon in these dishwashers, but it makes sense if you consider this whole appliance is made of plastic, and it's trying to prevent destroying itself with heat if the water level is not correct. The parts arrived sooner than expected (next day on a weekend!). We were delighted to get the dishwasher up and running again, the sooner the better, with a total cost of $64. Not to mention a great feeling of satisfaction having done it myself. 

Replaced heater element. 

Replaced the heating element with this part. That didn't fix the problem so also needed to fix the float switch - which ultimately fixed the problem. Recommend trying the float switch first for anyone novice. Otherwise if had the patience and tools to take the dishwasher out and test the heating element first I probably would have figured this out as well. But relatively cheap to replace both parts. Works great now. 

Replaced the heating element. The part ordered fit, arrived quickly (36 hr), and worked. 

The rubber hose on the diverter valve rotted out (after only 4 years) and that was the major leak. However after replacing that, I leak tested the unit and found water dripping from one of the nuts that secures the heating element. After examining things carefully, I realized that the original element was either poorly designed or defective. There was no "shoulder" on the inside of the element to give something to pull the rubber gasket down against. This meant that it took VERY little finger pressure to pull the gasket out of alignment and cause leaks. In researching a replacement, I saw that most new ones DO come with that necesary shoulder, so I figured a replacement was my only option. The job itself was extremely simple - I used a screwdriver to help pop the electrical connectors off, and a crescent wrench to gently snug down the nuts. You'll spend more time moving the unit out and back in than replacing the element. 

Replaced the heating element and the flood control. Should have been a one-hour job but it took me three and several hand scrapes, which is about what I've come to expect given my inexperience with such things. YouTube helped a lot. 

First, I took the whole thing apart and cleaned every spot...the main culprit seemed to be the float. It was pretty gunked up and seemed to be not working...after a good cleaning it was fine...but once I pulled the unit out and checked underneath I noticed the heating element was loose, leaking, and had burnt off the blade connecting ire. So I promptly bought this replacement, installed it in about 5 minutes, did a clean cycle, and shes back to normal...I love AppliancePartsPros.com, and use them for every appliance replacement part. 

I have the GE Profile Model GDT655SMJ2ES and it had malfunctioned this way twice before. Each time we just pressed the TCO (thermal cutoff) switch and it started working again but later failed. However, I wanted a more permanent fix. So, I ordered a new heating element and a new AC Wiring Assembly (the wires that contain the TCO switch) and installed them both. Now, the problem is fixed and the machine is stable and working as expected. If the problem happens again, I'll most likely replace the controller board but so far so good. 

I replaced the heating element. The original one had been in place for over five years but started leaking at both locations where it pierces the tub to make its electrical connection. The original one had been defective and had no metal expansion to hold the rubber seal/washer in place. The replacement had a quarter-sized metal expansion the hold the similarly sized rubber washer in place once the tower nut is tightened.