Maytag Dishwasher Repair
From Fozzee.net
So a few weeks back, our dishwasher (a Maytag Quiet Series 300, MDB6601AWS) started acting up. The membrane switch behind the "Start" button had given up the ghost, so there was no actual doing of dishes. I delaminated the membrane keypad and got one or two more runs out of it, but that was about the end of that. The "real" replacement part was not available anytime soon (a few local places said "weeks or more"), and it was like $140 anyhow... (I think the dishwasher was in the $400 range)
An alternate part was available, pricing in around $70, and was available locally on short order from Nebraska Home Appliance, as touted by Blake. They even had a 10% coupon on their website, which they had no problem applying to a special order. The only catch was that the alternate part didn't have holes molded in for the steam vent. I thought I was going to be slick and just disconnect the solenoid for the vent, as the cheaper model didn't have one anyhow. It didn't turn out to be that easy, as the vent seems to be "Normally Open" or something... Either way, lots of steam ended up behind the panel, and water flowed down the front of the washer: Not good.
I ended up tearing it all down again, and drilling a series of holes in the replacement panel to mimic the stock holes. I was even able to reuse their gasket. I'd initially thought about bonding the gasket down with RTV Silicone ("gasket in a tube") but decided against it, as it'd probably be overkill. I'm learning a lot about overkill, lately, and how to prevent it. I'm working to manage my level of "overbuilding" such that I'm not half-assing, nor am I expending more effort than things are worth. Think ROI.
In any case, the dishwasher is back in action. Next time it has issues, it's getting replaced with a Bosch :)
