How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6013836 / WP9742945 Spray Arm Retainer

Nylon bearing wore thin allowing excess slop in spray arm. Spray arm caught basket as it was pulled out. Retaining nut broke off. Removed remaining portion of nut from dishwasher, replaced both bearings and retaining nut. Happily washing again. It took longer to type this than it did to make the repair. 

This is a fairly simple fix: Remove the threaded part of the spray arm retainer from the pump and screw the new retainer into the pump. The difficulty is finding the replacement parts. My dishwasher is about 16 years old, but it is still a workhorse and cleans dishes very nicely. The only problem is finding parts to fix it. I really appreciate the availability of parts on the AppliancePartsPros site. I have bookmarked this site and this is the first site to which I will come for all my appliance parts. 

Checked the screen and it was clean. Ran a cycle with vinegar and that cleaned up the smell. While checking the screen I noticed the bushings were worn out. Found you drawing and ordered the parts. Replaced the parts, a simple job. Dishwasher is good. Kurt 

I attempted to tighten the existing spray arm retainer (screw), but it wouldn’t move - then broke in the next wash cycle. Luckily I was able to remove the broken screw from the base turning it with my finger inside it. I was able to easily locate the WPL parts number from the broken piece, confirm with online manual for the model number, and ordered both the retainer screw and the ring bearing - which I realized was not on for some reason. I spoke with a couple customer service people to confirm I was on the right track - both were very helpful. The prices were a little less than other appliance parts company I checked with. The two parts came fast and assembly took a minute, no tools needed. I saved money on repair and felt like a very accomplished Grandma. 

Simply put new one on and screwed it in place! 

Replace effected parts 

Simple, simple job. Remove whatever bits of the old retainer are there and screw in the new one. Check to make sure the upper and lower plastic bearings are there and still in good shape. Mine were fine. All I needed to do was replace the retainer - five minute job and I'm back in operation. 

Replaced the radial ring bearing and spray arm retainer. 

Ordered the Spray Arm Retainer and received it a couple of days later. I watched the video that AppliancePartsPros.com provides on their website to make sure all was correctly in place. That little part saved me a service repair bill. The price was good and received it quickly. Thank You! 

Bought a new spray arm retainer and installed it myself in one minute.