I have a maytag 9000 series with steam washer. The fabric softener dispenser keeps filling up with water. I've cleaned out the dispenser a few times but it made no difference.

Remove dispenser and clean the drain hole from under neath try with q tip.sounds gunked up.

either the auto dispenser is sticking , take out and clean with hot water. Or flow control valve needs replacing.

THAT PART WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED

Hello - There are several things that could cause the fabric softener to not dispense into the washer. Are you sure the liquid in the dispenser after the wash is fabric softener? If it is fabric softener, the solenoid that lets the water into the dispenser is not working. This solenoid is located on the back of the dispenser. It only gets voltage during the dispense time and fills the fabric softener dispenser with water. The fabric softener dispenser fills while the washer is filling for the rinse cycle.

When the washer begins to fill for the rinse cycle, the fabric softener solenoid is energized and water flows into the fabric softener dispenser cup. When the cup is full the water siphons out and softener and water flow into the tub.

If the liquid in the fabric softener dispenser is pure softener you may need a technician to diagnose and repair the problem. The voltage will have to be tested to the softener solenoid and a volt meter is required.

If the liquid in the fabric softener dispenser is water you probably need to clean the dispenser cup. **** will build up in the siphon tube and stop the liquid from going into the washer tub. The incoming water will dilute the softener and overflow the dispenser cup and run into the tub. The instructions for cleaning the dispenser should be located on page 43 of the use and care guide that came with the washer.

If you don't have the use and care guide these instructions will help. Open the dispenser until it stops. In the left rear corner of the dispenser, there is a release that is labeled push. Press down on the push area and you can slide the dispenser drawer out.

Remove the insert from the bleach and fabric softener compartments. Clean the bottom of the insert and the bleach and fabric softener compartments. Reinstall the insert and put the drawer back inside the washer.

To test the siphon action slowly pour water into the fabric softener compartment. When the water level goes above the maximum line stop pouring. The water should all drain out.

Hope this information proves to be helpful however if it is ineffective please contact a professional to move forward accurately.

Purchase some fabric softener and place it in its normal location at the beginning of the cycle. At the end of the cycle check to see if fabric softener has been dispensed and whether there is water in the cup.

If the fabric softener is gone, but there is water in the fabric softener cup, then your problem may be with the water valve assembly. The water valve assembly (as one complete unit) has a separate solenoid for hot and cold water temperatures, bleach and fabric softener. The fabric softener solenoid on the water valve assembly could be defective (allowing water to fill the fabric softener cup).

Contact an appliance service company.

Not sure if you've ever resolved this issue, but I'm dealing with it myself. I have come across this service manual that gives a very detailed illustration of the systems, how it works and how to test it.
Focus on pages 15 thru 25. Hope this helps you.
http://www.servicematters.com/maytag_library/docs/16026126.pdf

Siphon dispensers are always holding some water. I would check the level on the machine, not over fill with softener and if not a little water to help it down. The water supply goes to the back wall under the console and a little lower in new machines.

I had a similar problem with the fab. softener chamber. Clean
out the buildup and it will drain. To do this, remove the cap and wipe out the softener. Also, be sure to wipe inside the drum, just below the dispenser.
As for a water flow to the dispenser- You will need to remove the plastic portion of the lid. Start with the detergent dispenser, then gently remove the bottom corners of the lid. Then are held by two plastic clasps. Then gently remove the "L" shaped plastic holders. Use a pipe cleaner to clean out the tube where the water flows directly out of the unit, before entering the lid. I did this last night, and it works beautifully!

The fabric softener dispenser is notorious for clogging. Liquid fabric softener is essentially a liquid form of wax. After a period of time it begins to gunk up the inside of the fabric softener dispenser. If you remove the dispenser drawer and look into the cavity, there should be a series of holes in the upper part of the compartment where water sprays into all the dispenser trays. These holes get gunked up and clogged and water will not dispense properly. As a result, the washer goes through a complete cycle, but the dispenser stays full. If this is the case, you can take some cotton swabs and/or toothpicks and clean these holes real good. It may be a bit meticulous, but it should take care of the problem. Post back and let me know if this helps.

Fabric softener is mostly a liquid wax. It is common for dispensers to have problems if the you use liquid fabric softener a lot. The softener becomes a sticky solid and can gunk up everything over time. I believe the type of dispenser on your washer simply flushes water into the reservoir at a prescribed time and then dispenses into the wash tub. If this reservoir becomes clogged somewhere it may actually be filling up and overflowing into another reservoir in the dispenser and getting dispensed that way. I would try cleaning the dispenser thoroughly, first. Since it IS dispensing (but at the wring time) I don't think you have a control problem. Try cleaning and let me know if this helps. PS Sorry to ignore your request for online assistance. I was already in the middle of typing a solution for you. I hope this was the help you needed.