LG dishwasher LDS 5811 WW smells really bad has a slime film everywhere it was coated all over the upper arm and lower spray arm- dishes are not getting clean- and it smells so bad- any ideas?

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...
Even if you need a heating element and spray arms, they will be much cheaper then a new one...espec. if you install it all yourself, which is not that hard to do...

Here is a tip that will help you with the online buying...
Dishwasher Spray Arms notSpinning

How to Buy ApplianceParts Online

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

Dishwasher Problems The HeatingElement not Working

DishwasherMaintenance DishwasherResidue 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 also complained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I am tried in vain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installed them in minutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also found that 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 make sure it is working... 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

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

Hi,

I have an older dishwasher also and recently my wife also complained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I am tried in vain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installed them in minutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also found that 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 make sure it is working... 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

Dishwasher Residue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

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Check the free rotation of the spray arm. If arm jets are clogged clean them.

After placing the dishes see to it that, the arm is freely rotating without any obstacles.

The unit will need a new Wire harness, Pump/motor assy, Main Pcb and inner door liner.
Contact LG @ 1800 243-0000 they may help you out.

The Vent Kit behind the lower door panel, upper left corner has a rubber, solonoid stopper. Pressure from the spray arms overcome the rubber as the stopper hardens over time, allowing water to enter into the vent blower assembly. I found my replacement on Sears-Parts for $40 w/ shipping and just ordered it today. Be sure to turn off the breaker to the washer before removing the lower front door panel - 120vac in there, don't want no electricutions.

On the LG LDF xxxx dishwasher family, the Vario feature uses a motor/check valve to switch between "full power" cleaning from _either_ the lower or the upper spray arms, never at the same time. So, not seeing the upper arm spin during the lower arm spinning is standard operating procedure.

But back to your problem. Step one would be to remove the filter assembly again and make certain that there is nothing (debris, broken glass) blocking the white areas where the check valve rotates to switch between upper/lower spray arms. A blockage there ~could~ cause impotent spraying/cleaning.

If there is no blockage and the impeller remains in good shape, suspect a failing wash pump motor. Try to isolate the noise to that motor.

Watch for error codes on the display and report back what you find, OK?

Good Luck!

If your dishes are getting clean, then your problem is a "feture" not a failure. The LG LDS5811 has a Verio motor/check valve that switches between cleaning the upper dishes and then the lower. Depending on when you open the door, one arm will not be spinning.
All the presure is routed either to the lower or upper arm, so it really does help - especially with a water conserving model like the 5811.
Good Luck!

No filter in these units. It is possible that sand has gotten into the sump assembly and is not allowing the vario motor to properly switch between the upper and lower spray nozzles.

You may have a water issue.  Be sure that the water line is connected to the hot water pipes, not cold water.  If your dishwasher is connected to the cold water, the soap residue will occur because it cannot dissolve in cold water properly.
Is your water very hard??  If so, you may need to get a water softener to remove the hard scales.