Frigidaire dishwasher won't spray

Hello Eric, thank you for your post!

I understand that the dispenser on your Frigidaire dishwasher opens but the soap is not dispensing into your dishwasher. How old is your dishwasher soap? If it is around a year old you may need to discard it and use a new soap. Also check to make sure when you stack dishes that they are not obstructing the arms from reaching the dispenser. Make sure your spray arms are clear of any debris that could block the distribution of water inside of your dishwasher. You may need to connect with a professional technician for proper repairs if these steps do not correct your issues. I hope this information is helpful to you. -Matt

run it with no soap. if you get no leaks then cut back on your soap. you may need to run washer a few cycles to get rid of excess soap.

Hello

Water Inlet Valve

A dishwasher's water inlet valve is its most common part to fail. When your dishes are not being fully cleaned, quite often a faulty water inlet valve is to blame. Test your dishwasher's water inlet valve, and if it is no longer functioning as it should, you will have to replace it.

Upper or Lower Spray Arm


Your dishwasher has a lower spray arm. It may also have an upper spray arm at the top of the dishwasher. These spray arms are designed to shoot high pressure, high temperature water at your dishes. It is possible that the holes of the spray arms, where the water comes out, are blocked with debris, affecting wash quality. You should inspect your dishwasher's spray arms regularly. Clean out the spray arms as need be.

Heating Element

Water temperature is a key element in achieving clean dishes. A dishwasher's heating element is not designed to heat the water that enters it. Rather, the heating element is designed to maintain the heat of the water that enters the dishwasher. Its a good idea to run the hot water in your sink for a couple of minutes before you run the dishwasher. Just to make sure the water is nice and hot before it enters the dishwasher. If the water is unable to stay hot, it can adversely affect your dishwasher's cleaning ability.


Filter/Drain Grate

There is a filter in your dishwasher. Its function is to keep large particles of food and foreign objects away from the pump. Many of the newly-manufactured dishwashers have self-cleaning filters, and routine cleaning isn't a concern. However, some other dishw ashers need to have the filter removed and cleaned regularly. If the filter or grate is clogged or blocked with debris, it may interfere with the normal functioning of your dishwasher. Consult your owner's manual for specific directions for removing your dishwasher's filter and cleaning it.

Detergent or Detergent Cup

It could just be that you aren't using enough soap to completely wash your dishes. Your dishwasher may be designed to dispense soap at two different times during the wash cycle. If you don't fill all of the detergent cups, then the diswasher will lose a cleaning cycle. Also, if you use a gel-type detergent, try switching to a powered kind. Powders tend to dissolve better in hot water. And don't buy in bulk. Detergents are most effective in the first two weeks. After that, they decrease in potency.

Alternatively, your dishwasher's detergent cup could be defective in some way. It is possible that it is gunked up full of built up detergent, and a thorough cleaning may be enough to get it working again. If that doesn't do the trick, you probably need to replace the entire detergent cup assembly. If your cup isn't even opening, please see our section My dishwasher detergent cup won't open.

Hi jerry1413,

Firstly, make sure you are using powdered soap, and not the 3 in 1 tablets. The 3 in 1 Tablets only release certain parts of itself on certain temperatures, and because all dishwashers aren't alike, they won't have the best of results on all makes & models. Cycles aren't run the same way on every Make, and don't follow the same order either. Trust Me ;-) , stick to Powder.

Furthermore, check the following link for some advice and suggestions on getting your dishwasher to clean properly again:

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DISHWASHER ISN'T CLEANING WELL ANYMORE...

Kind Regards :-)

* If you found this solution helpful, please rate it?

Hi, I have an older dishwasher also and recently mywife also complained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I amtried in vain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installedthem in minutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also foundthat if the heating element goes bad then that also can mess things up bad...So I would buy new spray arms, and also check out the heating element to makesure it is working... Here is a tip that will help you with the onlinebuying...
Dishwasher SprayArms not Spinning

How to Buy ApplianceParts Online

A bad heating element causes many problems in dishwashers...

Dishwasher Problems The HeatingElement not Working

DishwasherMaintenanceDishwasherResidue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

Asker's Testimonial "explanation very clear. will give it a go and see howsimple it was. thanks Ronnie " - ronnieshomes

Hi, I have an older dishwasher also and recently my wife alsocomplained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I am tried invain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installed them inminutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also found that if theheating element goes bad then that also can mess things up bad... So I wouldbuy new spray arms, and also check out the heating element to make sure it isworking... Here is a tip that will help you with the online buying...
Dishwasher Spray Arms not Spinning

How to Buy Appliance Parts Online

A bad heating element causes many problems in dishwashers...

Dishwasher Problems The Heating Element not Working

Dishwasher Maintenance

heatman101

Hi,

There are three common problems that cause the Soap Dispenser or Cup not to open. I have a tip that will explain these problems in detail....

Dishwasher Repair Problem Detergent Cup does not Open

heatman101

Check the water supply. Start cycle then open the door after it fills and check water level and spray action. If everything is soaking wet, there is probablyl a pizza pan blocking the soap tray.

I had the same problem and this worked like a charm:
http://www.blog.applianceoutletservice.com/2008/12/frigidaire-dishwasher-door-squeaks.html

All you'll have to do is take off the kick plate, actually remove the cords, and lubricate with soap (lower tech than spray silicon, but it's worked so far...)

I noticed you didn't rate out chat and saw that your problem was posted. I'm happy to continue to help you if you encountered problems or were not happy with the solution in your chat session.