How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP5690151 / W10518394 Dishwasher Heating Element

Replaced heater element: Once I had the dishwasher out of the cabinet with supply hose, drain hose and electric disconnected, removing the heater element was fast and easy. However, it was confusing that the new heater element had rubber washers on it already, something not mentioned in the product listing, although kinda visible in the photo. I ordered the separate rubber washer parts recommended by Appliance Parts Pros together with the heater element. The separate rubber washers were the same size as my existing ones. The rubber washers already on the new heater were relatively smaller. It took me time to think about the rubber washers which were not described in the Appliance Parts Pros video. No instructions come with the heater. I decided to take off the smaller ones on the new heater and use the separate rubber washers that matched the existing ones after installing the new heater with each of them separately to see the difference. The new heater comes with its own plastic nuts which is good because the new heater has much larger threads than the original heater, so the existing nuts cannot be reused. I read horror stories about new heaters from other other sellers with different threads but that didn't include new plastic nuts. Pros: the new heater and rubber washers were half the cost of the deductible for my home warranty and I didn't have to take a day off work to let a stranger repair guy into my house on a day they choose. Cons: it took me all day to get the dishwasher out of my cabinet and back in, because its never the fairy tale they make it look like on the video when you have flooring in the way and long supply and drain hoses going around a corner cabinet and because I replaced the supply hose and air gap while I was doing the job since it seemed like the thing to do at the time (why waste the opportunity?). All day. Oh well. 

Our dishwasher did not dry and I noticed the element broke. I ordered the new element and qty 2 washers. I was not sure if I needed the washers as I did not want to take my dishwasher apart until the new parts arrived. I paid for 2-day shipping and the parts arrived by FedEx in 2 days. I turned off the breaker to the dishwasher as my dishwasher was plugged in behind our dishwasher. Note: I did not have to remove any electrical and I did not have to remove the drain line as both were long enough to easily pull the dishwasher out and even turn it on its side. I turned the water off under our kitchen sink as the dishwasher had its own isolated shut off valve. Upon removing the kickplate prior to pulling the dishwasher out, I was able to unscrew the waterline which was right in front, next to the kickplate. That was nice having it upfront! The element itself easily is removable. Pull off the wire on each side and then unscrew the plastic nuts holding the element in place from the underside. Note: you will receive new plastic nuts to hold the new element in place. Now open the door and set the new element in place. Important: The element has 2 small washers on it. From reading reviews, I debated ordering new washers, qty 2. I did. It turns out you do need larger washers IN ADDITION TO the small washers that come with the element. Then turn the dishwasher on its side and tighten the new plastic nuts on to the end of the element, attach the wires, turn upright, carefully slide back in place and attach the waterline. I will note that the larger washer did work perfectly, squished down, and made a good seal upon tightening the element with the plastic washers so again, I recommend purchasing 2 washers and the element. Last, I am 69 and not a repairman and it really is a simple repair that was done with only a pair of pliers. Thanks to Appliance Parts Pros. 

I replaced the heating element. I was able to remove the plastic retaining nuts that hold the element with just my hands. I only hand tightened them after putting the new heating element as well. I then ran a diagnostic cycle and the dishwasher is back to being great again. Thanks so much! 

I'm a 63 year old female and my husband has a bad back so it was up to me to fix the dishwasher or call a repair man. I found AppliancePartsPros.com and watched their video, which was the best visual explanation of any other on You Tube. Very concise and good visuals. With that, I ordered the heating element and two rubber washers. Using my I-Pad to watch the video, I followed the steps making sure to switch off the power to dishwasher at the breaker box, unplug, and the rest was a success, except for the water line which was a copper tube. That part was awkward to deal with and ended up leaking. I replaced the copper with a flexible water hose (after watching your video on that operation) and viola....perfection. Everything now works as advertised. Going forward, if the repair project is within my ability, I will be using AppliancePartsPros.com. They are awesome. Thank you for designing such a user friendly, helpful website for the DIY type person. Kathy Conrad 

My dishwasher was not finishing a cycle, but rather, would stop a few minutes in and the "clean" light would flash. I noticed that this only happened when I had it on "high temp wash" or on the "sterilize" cycle, so I suspected there was something wrong with either the heating element or the thermostat. After washing a few times on normal and completing the cycle, I noticed the dishes were not warm nor dry. So, again, suspected the heating element. So, I checked the heating element with a multimeter for continuity, and sure enough it seemed to be burned out. So, I ordered a new heating element. All the online instructions say to disconnect and remove the dishwasher, but I am a woman and was able squeeze my arms under in order to switch out the element without having to disconnect everything else (after shutting off the circuit breaker, of course), which saved me the time and hassle or disconnecting and entire unit. I doubt a man could fit his arms underneath and around to reach the nuts that secure it in place, however--it was a tight squeeze, even for me.. 

Replaced the heating element as shown in the video. Repaired a bad connector on the wire leading to the heating element. The clean light still flashed 3 times. Determined that the thermal fuse also needed to be replaced. Replaced the thermal fuse as shown in the video. The clean light now flashed 7 times which I discovered meant that the control panel needed to be reset. I then reset the control panel by pressing the buttons: normal, heated dry, normal, heated dry. It now works perfectly. 

Researched the problem, diagnosed it, and replaced it ourselves. 

Replaced spray arms and tube. Found all had debris in them and prohibited water pressure from reaching items. After replacement everything comes out sparkling. Don't understand how the spray arms getting plugged. Almost like waste water is recycled. Turns out to be a very easy project and if needed AppliancePartsPro has information and directions available at your finger tips.! 

Suspected the heater had failed because air coming from vent was not as hot as it used to be. Long wash times were because dishwasher was waiting to no avail for water to get up to temperature. Removed dishwasher to gain access to heater electrical connections. Confirmed heater had failed by continuity check. Replaced heater per included instructions. Reinstalled dishwasher. Problem solved! 

Ordered new heating element and high limit thermostat, parts came in fast, pulled dishwasher, luckily all needed was the heating element. I am holding on to the thermostat, there will come a time I will probably need it