Kenmore Elite soap door problem

Whirlpool dishwashers use a wax motor or a solinoid to release the door at a specific time during the cycle. So for proper cleaning the soap cup is nessesary . The part isn't that expensive and fairly simple repair.

are you using the right soap

What you have is a faulty cycle timer. Replace this and your dispenser will dispense the soap when prompted.

With the LG LDF6810 model, this is not a common problem. Please try the following test, With and empty dishwasher, add a small to normal amount of dry dishwasher powder and run an (empty) load.
Check to see if any soap remains in the dispenser cup.
If any remains, here are three things to do: 1.) Upgrade your dishwasher detergent to a name brand powder (e.g.: Electrosol or Cascade)
2.) When you load the dishwasher, do not place large items in the front, near the door/soap dispenser.
3.) Before you load the dirty dishes for the next several loads, with your hand, turn both the upper and lower wash arms so they point at the door. Load as you normally do and push the racks fully in. Before you close the door, spin both the upper and lower arms and confirm that they spin freely and neither hits anything. if either does not spin freely, pull out the rack and arrange so the arms can spin freely.
I find that the only time I have left over detergent powder is when the wash arms do not spin freely.
This is a common problem on most every energy star/water conserving dishwashers.
Please report back what you find, OK?

Yes that's normal for that machine. The soap has to be washed out of the soap drawer by the top spray arm turning, and that's usually the problem - the arm isn't turning. Check both spray arms for blocked jets at the very end - remove blockages with a pin and water flow from tap. In the worst case, you may need a new spray arm - but they are usually cheap.
More points to remember - on a rapid 30 minute wash program only, if you are using wash tablets, don't put them in the soap drawer as there wont be enough time for them to dissolve. put the tabs in the cutlery basket. Also - a dishwasher is not a garbage disposal unit, and uneaten food must be scraped of plates before putting them in the dishwasher. Run a dishwasher cleaner through now and then, or do a full program wash with nothing in the machine to clean it out and to keep spray arms clear.

You could have a clog in the housing underneath the dispenser where the water flows through a hose into the tub.
Pull the dispenser drawer completely out.
There is a tab that needs to be depressed to release the drawer and remove it.
Check the opening at the bottom of the housing just inside the dispenser housing opening to see if a small sock or garment is clogging this opening.
Reach down into this opening to see if an item is inside the hose.
This is the normal issue that will cause water to leak out of the dispenser housing.

Wash the dispenser drawer thoroughly with warm water. Make sure that you pull off the siphon covers and wash all siphon holes. This process is described in your owner's manual. Replace the dispenser drawer and try the washer again.

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Solution #1 posted on Jul 29, 2009
MNTECH
Rank: Guru
Rating: 93%, 650 votes
Here is a response I recently gave to a person posting a similar problem. You do not state your model number, so: If you have a tub clean cycle, use that, if not, use the longest, hottest cycle with no clothes and a front load washer cleaner like Ahfresh, Washer Cleaner, SmellyWasher Cleaner, Tide front load washer cleaner, or Whilaway hot tub cleaner. Clean the tub gasket area by the door and remove the filter and clean it out also before you run the clean cycle. You may have to run the cycle with a cleaner twice to remove all the built up soap scum inside the washer. Now, after the washer is clean, USE ONLY ONE TO A MAXIMUM OF TWO TABLESPOONS OF HE LAUNDRY DETERGENT PER CYCLE !!!! (and no more than one teaspoon of fabric softener per cycle, if you use it)


You could check out http://www.smellywasher.com/ for one possiblity. The big thing is that these machines use very little water, and many of the newer soaps are 2x or 3x concentrated, so you have to use very little soap. (much much less than the soap manufacturers suggest) in order to rinse all the soap residue out of the clothes and prevent it from builing up in your washer and causing odors. (oh, by the way, that one cleaner I listed as Washer Cleaner is actually " Washer Magic ")

From your description even when the soap dispenser opens it is opening late which is why all the soap does not dissolve.

Try adding only half as much soap and see if it opens then - even a little spilled soap catching on that little latch mechanism can cause it to be difficult to close and stick opening.

Also make sure that the spring that controls the door is not broken.

Use gel run a few cycles and help clear and then don't overfill w gel soap

its possible to have a faulty dispenser, but i would look for other reasons first. Im a big powder user and proponent. powder just breaks down better in hot water.Have found that by using the tabs(whoch im sure the gel packs could give same issue) that they dont really fitting the dispenser as well they're a little tight to close the door and the spring action of the dispenser is sometimes not enough with te extra pressure from the tablets.also ck to make sure youre loading it correctly and nothing is blocking the water form spraying into the cup fully emptying it