Thread Number: 58559  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Hobart Superba KDS37A 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 810958   2/24/2015 at 17:17 (3,345 days old) by LegendsCreek ()        

Hello everybody!!

I am glad to have found this forum and I hope that it will help me save this gem that came with our new property when we bought it last June.

Everyone told us to rip it out and get a new one but when we saw how great it worked we swore to keep it as long as we could.

It's a KDS37A, and up until yesterday it has worked fine since we bought the home.

It started acting up first by lowering the handle, clicking a button to start, and then having to do the whole process all over again. Then it started by having to lift the handle, press the button, over and over, about 20 times to get it to start. Now it won't start at all. The prewash light is on the panel when the handle is up, but nothing will work.

Is this a bad control panel? Any ideas on where to get the part? I am pretty handy at these repairs and I really would like to save her! Any help would be greatly appreiated! Thanks




Post# 810965 , Reply# 1   2/24/2015 at 19:15 (3,345 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)        
Program switch

 Perhaps. They get corroded and stop working from time to time. Have you tried all the different cycles to see if any work? If you remove the lower panel, you can access the timer and advance it manually CLOCKWISE for testing purposes. Just be careful as you are working in an electrically live environment. Latch the door, press the soak cycle button and advance the timer with a screwdriver inside the square hole a small amount at a time and see it the machine takes off or just stays there.
I think John L. (COMBO52) will chime in here with his diagnosis as well. I have a few NIB switches but will need the part number on the back of the one in your machine which will require some time to dismount and turn over.

If you decide to take off the control panel, you may want to see if the brown wafer like slides on the left of the switch are moving properly when the door latch is raised. Lots of small things to check. I believe you can purchase for download the KDS17A series service manual in the Ephemera area of the site above. That will help you in the future.

Post# 810998 , Reply# 2   2/25/2015 at 01:18 (3,344 days old) by washdaddy (Baltimore)        

Legend-

Welcome to AW! You will find this site to be very informational and extremely helpful for issues concerning your major appliances.  You made a smart move in keeping that dishwasher when you bought your home. Although it may be an older machine it's definitely worth keeping as you'll find out from others on this site.

 

Stevet is an excellent source regarding the up keep of KitchenAid dw's. He has helped out many members here. He also mentioned Combo52 as another member you can contact who has been in the appliance business for some time and could possibly offer you some help as well. Either one of these men will not steer you wrong. Both of them have e-mail addresses on their profile pages so you can contact them privately if you want to.

 

Again, welcome and good luck with getting your DW back up and running.

 

 
Post# 811024 , Reply# 3   2/25/2015 at 06:39 (3,344 days old) by LegendsCreek ()        

Thank you both for writing back! Stevet, I did exactly as you said and got the washer to start, however, it's not working correctly.

Firstly, I took off the lower panel, and I advanced the timer as you said, stopping ever few turns to look at the lights and see where they change. When I got to the dry cycle, I slowly turned it until all the lights turned off. I then tried all the buttons to get it to turn off, and the only button that started the cycle was Light Wash. All the other buttons had no response.

Any suggestions? I appreciate this so much.

Post# 811055 , Reply# 4   2/25/2015 at 10:45 (3,344 days old) by legendscreek ()        

I wanted to add a quick post...

So I went to run it a second time, and the buttons did not work. Same problem, not even the light wash button. So I turned the timer again, all the way through a new cycle until it went past dry, and then it made a noise in the times, moved a bit, and the light cycle worked again.

So it seems that the only one working is light cycle, but in order to even use that I need to manually move the timer through a complete cycle.

Post# 811056 , Reply# 5   2/25/2015 at 11:02 (3,344 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)        

pierreandreply4's profile picture
maybe you need to replace your dishwasher control board if you search on ebay i am sure you can find replacement parts easyly

Post# 811467 , Reply# 6   2/27/2015 at 13:14 (3,342 days old) by legendscreek ()        

Does anyone else have any ideas on what the issue might be based off of my last 2 posts? Thanks!

Post# 811780 , Reply# 7   3/1/2015 at 16:45 (3,340 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)        
Program switch problems

 It almost sounds like the cancel/reset mechanism on the program switch is not working properly to reset all the buttons to engage their internal contacts.
When the door handle lifts up, it pushes a linkage that moves the brown wafer like extensions on the left of the program switch back in to the switch housing. This pops out the buttons and at the end of a cycle, resets the timer when the handle is lifted up. Make sure that everything is working properly.
In order to observe this action, you will need to remove the handle and the top control panel. Just be careful with the light assembly as the tabs are very easily broken. You can then replace the handle and observe everything going on.

Post# 812047 , Reply# 8   3/2/2015 at 20:53 (3,339 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)        
Program switch reset mechanism

 Aden, I am attaching a picture of the canceling/reset mechanism on the program switch. The circled item is the lever device that resets the switch when the door handle is raised. The plastic it is made out of used to dry out and break so that may be your problem. Obviously if it is broken, you cannot get the part anymore but maybe you can make one from a newer machine work.
You will have to take off the control panel which is easy to do and take a look at it.
I will also send to your email a video I just shot in my attic of how the switch works. No Oscar production but better than 1000 words!
Keep us all posted.

  View Full Size
Post# 812386 , Reply# 9   3/5/2015 at 05:27 (3,336 days old) by LegendsCreek ()        

Steve,

Thanks for getting back to me and also for the email! I will look this weekend and post an update once I get inside!

Aden


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