Do-It-Yourself Story

3 year old Kenmore dishwasher began to leak from the underside in the vicinity of the diverter valve (white assembly near the center of the unit). Some FAQs and recommendations I found online said to replace the sump assembly, which is fairly costly. However, in my case it was the shaft seal on the diverter valve. The diverter valve has a shaft that passes from the underside and up into the wash compartment. The shaft seal/grommet prevents water from leaking past the shaft and onto the floor. I first removed the diverter valve assembly from the underside (two Phillips screws). Then, from the inside of the wash compartment, I removed the spray arm and couple of plastic bits to expose the grommet. Using needle nose pliers I removed the grommet, and pressed the new grommet back into place. When removing the grommet make note of how it comes out because there is a top and a bottom side to it. Reinsert the diverter assembly from below, then reinstall the plastic bits from the inside. Done!