Whirlpool 8194001 Dishwasher Door Balance Link Kit OEM Part

I finally decided to repair my dishwasher because the door would free fall to the floor possibly breaking the hinges. Also the top shelf was rolling out on its own every time the door was opened. I first pulled the dishwasher out of the enclosure and found that the drain hose was directly under the pump area throwing the unit completely out of level. Also the inadequate plastic and rope counterbalance on the left side was completely broken where the rope was attached to the plastic piece to the door. I Did not see any adequate way to repair these parts so I went online and found “AppliancePartsPros.com's” website and watched their video regarding this repair and other helpful videos. This was extremely helpful to me because I have never worked on one of these dishwashers before. I ordered the part from them which was not too expensive and I became unhappy about my perception that I was led to believe there would be no tax or shipping fee and when the order was completed the fees almost double the price, maybe I just miss read. For some reason I did not back out as I usually do. I was surprised again when the parts arrived the very day after I ordered them! This was important to me because I was planning to put the dishwasher back in, and then take it back out when the parts arrived. I am Very happy that this was not necessary. I was also surprised to find that in order to clean the filter it is necessary to remove the complete wash arm, 4 screws, and take the whole thing apart inside the dishwasher. This dishwasher was functioning adequately however there were large pieces of glass, paper, plastic, and other things in there including a dirty screen. So I believe this dishwasher that was installed in 2006 has had its first 14 year maintenance which may help it run another 14 years or at least run a little better. And I will feel more comfortable knowing that it is okay.

A shout out to A.P.P.: Quality parts always come quickly and are what I ordered. No, they are not always the cheapest nor do they have all parts for everything (who does?) but their website is the easiest to use and cost differences are usually slight. I have found A.P.P. trustworthy and reliable for the ten or so purchases I've made. This repair process requires that the DW be completely free from cabinet sidewalls. For me that meant pulling the DW from its installed undercounter space. I removed springs and cords from both sides. This requires no tools. I replaced the nylon pulley assemblies with a screwdriver. The parts were not quite the same as the originals but fit perfectly. The DW frame has three positions for the pulley back plate allowing the installer to adjust spring tension; I installed them in the first (vertical) position with the knowledge that tension could be adjusted later to tune the door operation. The new cords come with attachment hardware on both ends and require no tools to install; both ends simply hook onto the door flange at one end and the spring on the other. I think the installer has to figure out the procedure for tensioning cord and spring to finish the installation; I did it by hand although there are a series of slots in the frame that might be used to stretch the spring using a flat screwdriver as a lever. I highly recommend replacing the springs even though it's probably not necessary; I think the new ones are stronger. Maybe the old ones stretched out over time. Altogether the replacement is visually straightforward and self-explanatory. The tension provided with the pulley attachment plate in the first position resulted in a perfectly balanced door. My door has a heavy wood panel on the face to match cabinetry, so I was pleasantly surprised. In the process I noticed that a dab of grease had been used to lubricate the friction point where a flange from the door (the cord attaches here) and the body of the DW frame seem to slide against each other. I cleaned the old grease off and worked a little lithium grease into the area. The door opens and closes silently; no springs twang, no groans from points of friction. Very satisfying!

We had a similar experience as another reviewer. The left nylon cable attached to the spring had snapped and the door would fall as soon as it was opened a few inches from its latched position. We had to pull out the dishwasher completely to find the left spring, as it had popped off and settled in the back corner. The old parts had one stationary plastic circle instead of a roller on both ends. These new parts have a moving roller on both ends, which is definitely an upgrade in terms of reducing friction on the cables. (We figured Whirlpool got too many warranty calls from the old design’s failure and redesigned it.) In our case, we had to salvage the screws from the old parts to tighten down the bottoms of the new parts per the repair video as the screws were not included with the kit. We positioned the parts so the rollers were vertically aligned. There are 3 holes to choose how much tension you want on the cables. The new cables were a little shorter than the remaining old one, but the old ones could have been totally stretched out after years of use. It took a fair amount of strength to attach the cables to the springs, so it was good to have my husband available for this. Also, if you have a stone countertop, your dishwasher may be installed with screws on the sides of the dishwasher instead of at the top. Ours were behind a plastic plug about a third of the way down the opening on each side. Overall this was an easy repair and good and satisfying beginner DIY project. Few tools and no appliance disassembly needed.

Found the enhanced door balance link kit I needed on your website, received the part on time, watched the installation video, installed the enhanced kit in less than 30 minutes, and voila.......no more squeak!! I am very happy with your service, responsiveness, and your installation videos. Well done!

Watched a you tube and repaired the dishwasher. Hardest part was getting the dishwasher out.