Most likely causes are:
Not enough water entering dishwasher (check level after fill... Should be slightly below bottom wash arm)
Water filling but draining during wash cycle. Check toward end of wash cycle but before drain. See if water level is diminished from start of wash cycle.
New 'water saver' dishwashers are notorious for having smaller water jets, and thus easier to stop-up jets. Check the jets on all wash arms to be sure they are cleared of food particles.
Another way to check the wash arms is to manually position them at specific locations, momentarily run the dishwasher for a few seconds, then open the door to inspect the location of the wash arms. Do this three or four times to eliminate the possibility of coincidence.
If the wash arms do not move from the location that you put them, the most likely cause is food particles stopping up the water jets. These jets not only clean the dishes but also the water pressure they generate turn the arms inside the dishwasher to properly distribute water pressure on the dishes.
Sometimes you can dislodge and remove food particles stuck in one of the jets with a toothpick or other small probe. Others require that you remove the arm(s) and get a little more creative. I use compressed air to clear mine, but not everyone has access to compressed air, so use whatever you can to remove the food particles.
Simply dislodging them from the water ports is usually not effective... As soon as water pressure is applied, the particles return to the jets and stop them up again. The real fix in this instance is to completely remove the food particles from the arm if you can.
Hope this help. Good luck.
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