How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6010750 / WP717273 Rubber Washer

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'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 

Replaced control board. This did the trick! The dishwasher works great again. 

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. 

A bit of searching on the internet narrowed the problem down to either the heating element or the control board. As I am not much of a diagnostician I decided to replace both. Along this same line, I would never have attempted these repairs if it hadn't been for the clear, easy to understand repair videos provided for each part. Further, my decision to do my own repairs was made easier because the prices of the parts was so reasonable. I took my time, reviewed the videos and replaced the heating element, the control board and the soap dispenser all in just a bit over an hour. There were no special tools needed and no special skills. The dishwasher is a bit large so you might want someone to help you if you need to lay it on its side. I figure i saved a little over $400.00 by not just buying a replacement dishwasher. 

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.! 

Replaced the heater element and related parts. When we accessed the element, it turned out that its water sealed had failed at one terminal. This led to corrosion and ultimately to an arc-fire at the terminal. It was burned to an open-circuit. This necessitated snipping/cleaning the wire end, and soldering on a new terminal lug. Upon installing the new heater element and associated parts, the rubber coating on the threads of the heater element was too thick. It caused the new plastic nut to split. We were able to use the old, original nut which did not split. Also, the new heater element came with rubber washers which obviated the need for new ones. Ultimately, we got the whole enchilada re-assembled and everything works fine. One last note: in our KitchenAid dishwasher, to get the error code to clear we had to run a diagnostic cycle. This is spelled out in the manual hidden behind the lower panel. You press "Normal/Heat/Normal/Heat" quickly and it turns on the diagnostic cycle. 

1) Found low if not the lowest price on AppliancePartsPros.com 2) Watched excellent how-to video included on web page containing item 3) Ordered 4) Replaced per instructions in video. VERY pleased. 

Fault indicated likely cause was a bad heating element. Ordered the heating element and had it 3 days later. I've worked on the dishwasher before and am mechanically inclined. So removal of the washer from the cabinet to gain full access to the machine was not new to me. This is not difficult - the video covers it very well. I found the replacement of the element straight forward and takes about 15 minutes to complete after gaining access. Again the video covers the replacement well. 

I ordered a new heater element and two new washers. Here's what I learned after watching their video and then doing the repair: 1. I didn't need to order new rubber washers. Even though they weren't in the diagram, the new heater came with new rubber washers along with the nuts. 2. I didn't need to pull the dishwasher out from the wall. I was able to reach underneath and undo the nuts. Your experience may vary depending on how meaty your forearms are, but it is possible. 3. Once I reassembled, it still didn't work! Pull out your instruction manual, and run a diagnostic cycle on it to reset everything. I had to hit 3 buttons in a 1-2-3 sequence 3 times to activate the cycle.