whirlpool gold piece of crap

I've honestly never heard of any Whirlpool dishwasher not performing well. Complaints of certain loading quirks for some designs, or build quality issues, sure, but never for "NEVER CLEANS, IS A PIECE OF JUNK". The PowerClean, Point Voyager, and now the Tahoe design, after working out some kinks, have proven to be excellent and effective cleaners. Even the DuraWash has proven impressive results so long as care is taken to load around the tower properly.

If your Whirlpool Gold, that before now you gave raving reviews about how it handled everything it was given, is suddenly starting to fail, there is something happening beyond "it's just a piece of crap". That goes for any machine, really.

There are numerous factors that could be causing a problem, that many users have pointed out above.

1. The inlet valve is malfunctioning or clogged, and isn't allowing enough water in during the allotted full time. Is the pump gasping/surging from air intake? Are the remaining soiled dishes mainly in the top rack, or all over? When you open the machine after the fill and a few minutes of wash action, where is the water level? In a Voyager it should come at least up to the bottom lip of the door, and preferably causes the float switch to "bobble" but not rise enough to click the switch.

2. If it is filling properly, have you checked the wash arms for clogged spray holes? Have you checked the tightness of the retaining bolt on the lower arm, and the screw in the bottom of the upper arm manifold? Have you checked that the nylon bearing rings on both arms are still intact and not paper thin? This can cause the arms to stick and water to escape and lose pressure.

3. The disposer blade and pump intake, or the filter module itself, is clogged. This will take a little more care and attention. You'll need a T15 Torxhead driver to remove the screws on the pump manifold. If this is a plastic interior model, you'll also need to unscrew the supply tubing from the back and top of the tub. This is also a good time to check and clean the tubing. Be very careful not to strip the screw holes. You'll need to turn the lower arm mount counterclockwise to access the last screw, and also to disconnect the upper supply tube, being careful not to break the locking tabs.

Lift and remove the coarse grate and filter assembly. Check the filter for any clogging or torn mesh, and scrub the underside as it can accumulate crud from grease and such. Afterwards, check the lower left of the sump for any glass or debris, as well as for items covering the slots. The water should be just low enough to see clearly, but if not, sponge it out with a towel or something. There should be another screw holding down the grinding chamber cover, carefully remove it and the cover, and check that the blade is intact and again for any clogging culprits.

Unless you see that it is entirely necessary, I wouldn't remove the blade and steel grinding plate, because it can be tricky to replace. This step would be best to watch a video on RepairClinic for before trying.

To the right side of the pump assembly there is a clear dome shaped optical sensor. Make sure it's clean and not covered in any sludge/spinach and what not.

Replace everything carefully in reverse order and CAREFULLY, slowly rotate each screw counterclockwise until you feel it "pop", so that the screw will set back into its original track. You don't want to strip the plastic screw holes because you'll introduce escape paths for water pressure because of a lose fitting.

As far as the control panel, you could either try cutting the power at the breaker and leaving it for a half hour or so, as that can sometimes reset the panel, or try the service diagnostics sequence, which clears cycle memory and with display any error codes, such as stuck key, heater failure, etc. The sequence has changed over the years for WP, so it could be pressing HiTemp-Heat Dry-HiTemp-Heat Dry, or pressing three option keys in sequence three times each, in 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3 fashion, and waiting for the diag. cycle to complete. I would highly recommend finding the service sheet for the machine first so that you can decipher the error codes, if any.

And that is the extent of the knowledge that I can provide in helping you figure out your machine's issues. Again, there are dishwashers, washers, machines of all kinds that have their quirks, some better and some worse, but there are few that just simply "never clean" so long as the instructions are followed and common sense is used. If they don't, there is some kind of issue causing it to fail.

I would definitely not go out and hastily buy a BOL unit with a control dial, because that's all you'll get with manual controls, and I assure you that you'll get no better results than with your Whirlpool. And unless you aim to purchase a mid to high end model of a new machine, I'd do what I could to keep that Whirlpool, especially knowing your opinion on today's new appliances. Good luck in your adventures!


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Post# 859810 1/3/2016 at 14:21 (3,028 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)
Checkrate/Likes 2 Hello everybody. My Whirlpool Gold dishwasher model gu2455xtsq1 is the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen! First of all, it doesn't wash dishes! Yes! My dishes would get washed to a sparkling clean, only that was what it was doing in the beginning! Second, it leaks rinse aid all the time! I have to refill the rinse aid dispenser every 2 weeks just to keep it full! Finally, the electronics are on the frits! It is blinking pots and pans over and over again! Even when the dishwasher works, it does not wash dishes particularly the top rack! I know how to use a dishwasher! I have been using them for years and years! I have to examine every dish to make sure they're clean! My detergent is not the problem! My rinse aid is not the problem ! It was my mom's dishwasher which was in her house when she moved in 2007. She got sick and tired of that stupid dishwasher because it did not wash dishes! I tried everything to do to get it to wash dishes! I tried everything to get it to stop blinking pots and pans and normal! None of these things worked! I don't have time to be washing dishes by hand! I refuse to do so! I need a new dishwasher now! I want one that will wash dishes! That is the purpose of a dishwasher! My dad is looking at getting one with a dial and switch! What dishwashers are available? I could've sworn I saw one at Lowe's.

Post# 859822 , Reply# 1 1/3/2016 at 15:45 (3,028 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *I wonder what is wrong with it?* Sounds like maybe something isn't or has never worked properly? Here's one with a manual control, but I don't know how good it would be. It looks REALLY BOL CLICK HERE TO GO TO mark_wpduet's LINK

Post# 859838 , Reply# 2 1/3/2016 at 16:53 (3,028 days old) by DADoES (TX,�U.S. of A.)
Checkrate/Likes 12 � My Whirlpool Gold dishwasher model gu2455xtsq1 is the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen! First of all, it doesn't wash dishes! So, it doesn't produce clean dishware. Yes! My dishes would get washed to a sparkling clean, only that was what it was doing in the beginning! It did produce clean dishware "in the beginning" (which was eight years ago?).� That means something has changed since that time, which should be fixable. Second, it leaks rinse aid all the time! I have to refill the rinse aid dispenser every 2 weeks just to keep it full! Replace the rinse aid dispenser.� Part Number W10224429.� There's a new one on eBay for $36, ranging to $50+ from other sources. Finally, the electronics are on the frits! It is blinking pots and pans over and over again! That's due to a stuck button on the keypanel, which is not unusual.� Two Whirlpools and a KitchenAid among my immediate friends needed panels replaced in the last few years.� Part Number W10102473 -> W10008670 white $82 at PartsDr.com Even when the dishwasher works, it does not wash dishes particularly the top rack! ... I tried everything to do to get it to wash dishes! You have disassembled the pump and upper arm feed to check for debris & clogging?� Confirmed the water fill level isn't low?

Post# 859850 , Reply# 3 1/3/2016 at 17:45 (3,028 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)
Checkrate/Likes 2 *dirty dishes problem* When my mom had my whirlpool gold dishwasher that my dad has now, it still didn't clean dishes! This was in 2008 when she saw how dirty the glasses looked. They were covered in film! She had to use pots and pans and soak and scour to get the dishes remotely clean! Now it is blinking pots and pans and none of the buttons work! I tried pressing several buttons to get it to stop. It didn't work! The dirty dishes problem started with this stupid dishwasher way before the phosphates had been taken out as my mom discovered when she had it! What a sorry excuse for a dishwasher! One time, I ran it with the door open and water went everywhere. Everything worked fine! I believe it's a stupid design!

Post# 859856 , Reply# 4 1/3/2016 at 18:12 (3,028 days old) by Johnb300m (Chicago)
Checkrate/Likes 21 Somebody gave you tricks to try and parts to replace. But instead you barf more hyperbole all over the internet. Why don't you try fixing this thing, or replacing it if it's THAT bad and that old? Jeez.

Post# 859881 , Reply# 5 1/3/2016 at 20:36 (3,028 days old) by eronie (Flushing Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes 15 *???* Heaven forbid this kid gets a used car.......

Post# 859902 , Reply# 6 1/4/2016 at 01:03 (3,028 days old) by mjg0619 (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
Checkrate/Likes 14 I think the following pictorial guideline will give our King Complainer the satisfactory dishwashing results he seeks: Photos... < > Photo 1 of 8 View Full Size

Post# 859903 , Reply# 7 1/4/2016 at 01:04 (3,028 days old) by Murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US)
Checkrate/Likes 11 But what about the countless posts in the recent past about how it cleans everything the first time with Cascade Complete Citrus Breeze pacs, even baked on cheese enchilada, and that ALL new dishwashers don't clean at all ever?

Post# 859904 , Reply# 8 1/4/2016 at 01:06 (3,028 days old) by mjg0619 (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
Checkrate/Likes 3 Andy, his bipolar dishwasher complaints are very easily remedied! (See above post)

Post# 860054 , Reply# 13 1/4/2016 at 18:03 (3,027 days old) by mamapinky (blairsville pa)
Checkrate/Likes Exactly why I've not replaced this 21year old BOL Frigidaire. ..it just works too good. Cheryl

Post# 860060 , Reply# 14 1/4/2016 at 18:21 (3,027 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.))
Checkrate/Likes 3 *Maybe you should fix or repace the machine:* Rather than going off the rails and driving us up a wall. IIRC you used to love this dishwasher. WK78

Post# 860157 , Reply# 17 1/5/2016 at 01:01 (3,027 days old) by gusherb (Chicago/NWI)
Checkrate/Likes I've been using the Finish Platinum tabs in the Maytag Quiet Series. (It's amazing that thing has lasted ten years trouble free) and it hasn't turned out one dirty dish since. The Cascade gel that someone else in the household kept buying was real junk. My Jet Clean has no problem using Cascade powder though. Always turns out clean dishes no matter what.

Post# 860178 , Reply# 18 1/5/2016 at 05:14 (3,027 days old) by Midcentnurse (Lake Charles, La)
Checkrate/Likes 3 This is just like Facebook! 😮

Post# 859916 , Reply# 9 1/4/2016 at 03:06 (3,028 days old) by brucelucenta ()
Checkrate/Likes 1 Many and most of the new dishwashers available out there do a very satisfactory job of completely cleaning your dishes and pots & pans. It needs to be at least a middle of the line model with a heavy wash or pots & pans cycle, something along those lines. Finding one with a knob that is not BOL would be difficult, if not impossible. Most all of them are electronic control now. Even the upper middle of the line Frigidaire dishwasher I bought in 2011 did a decent job of cleaning the dishes most of the time. You just had to load it with care and make sure not to double stack things that would impede the spray from getting to the dish or glass. The Kenmore elite I have now does a very good job of cleaning. The only things I have ever had to do over are pans that I have actually burned or cooked on something to excess. Those I have to soak sometimes or wait until the dishwasher gets to about the end of the wash cycle and remove and use a scrub pad to remove the burned on stuff and put it back in. Other than that, everyday dishes come out clean as a whistle. I use the pod type of detergent I get at Sam's club. It seems to clean fairly well. New dishwashers, like washing machines, take longer to cycle than old ones did, but they do a better job of cleaning and are much quieter. Best dishwasher and easiest to load was a late 90's model Maytag made TOL Jennair one. That thing would clean like nothing I have EVER seen before and I could fit nearly ANYTHING in it and still have more room to put things. Best one I ever did have, including the Bosch one I bought later to replace it. I changed colors in the kitchen and replaced it with something that didn't work as well. Should have kept that one, it was the best!!! This post was last edited 01/04/2016 at 03:43

Post# 859989 , Reply# 10 1/4/2016 at 11:57 (3,027 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *hit and miss cleaning* Don't get me wrong. It still get those cheese enchilada stains clean, but will miss some dishes. One time, I pulled out a spoon that had a bit of guacamole on it. I'll consider trying Cascade platinum when I run out of Cascade complete packs. The dishwasher is on its last legs though! My dad had fixed the machine in 2011 when my mom finally had enough and got a new one which is a Kenmore. Cleaning was great. Unbeknownst to me, it slowly deteriorated over time. I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I didn't run the dishwasher empty with dishwasher cleaner. Maybe I didn't load it right. Maybe I didn't use the right dishwasher detergent and rinse aid. I was doing everything properly! I'll try Cascade platinum when I run out of the complete packs.

Post# 860019 , Reply# 11 1/4/2016 at 15:10 (3,027 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)
Checkrate/Likes 10 not sure, is this a thread looking for help?, or the cause?, a rant?.....or something not worth anyone's time?...AGAIN!..... should a part need replaced?, the whole machine?, part of the user?, or the whole user?.... like a neutered dog, he doesn't get it!...... and like 7-UP, never had it, never will...... that's as CLEAN as I can keep it in this forum.....

Post# 860048 , Reply# 12 1/4/2016 at 17:24 (3,027 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Thinking back* through the years at all of the dishwashers I've had a chance to use (most were GE/Whirlpool - although there was a Magic Chef at one point and I think it was from the early 80s) (but not sure who made those). Out of all of them, I hated the Magic Chef the most - but even it still cleaned pretty well. I guess I've been lucky not to have had a lemon. When I first moved into this house in 2004, I got a builder grade with one dial to turn for cycles and one button for heat/air dry, it was LOUD but it was powerful. I used it for six months and sold it to my friend across town who needed one and I got the point voyager which lasted 9.2 yrs, and the dishwasher that I sold to her is STILL working (LOL) I should have kept it.

Post# 860077 , Reply# 15 1/4/2016 at 19:13 (3,027 days old) by Murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US)
Checkrate/Likes 4 I've honestly never heard of any Whirlpool dishwasher not performing well. Complaints of certain loading quirks for some designs, or build quality issues, sure, but never for "NEVER CLEANS, IS A PIECE OF JUNK". The PowerClean, Point Voyager, and now the Tahoe design, after working out some kinks, have proven to be excellent and effective cleaners. Even the DuraWash has proven impressive results so long as care is taken to load around the tower properly. If your Whirlpool Gold, that before now you gave raving reviews about how it handled everything it was given, is suddenly starting to fail, there is something happening beyond "it's just a piece of crap". That goes for any machine, really. There are numerous factors that could be causing a problem, that many users have pointed out above. 1. The inlet valve is malfunctioning or clogged, and isn't allowing enough water in during the allotted full time. Is the pump gasping/surging from air intake? Are the remaining soiled dishes mainly in the top rack, or all over? When you open the machine after the fill and a few minutes of wash action, where is the water level? In a Voyager it should come at least up to the bottom lip of the door, and preferably causes the float switch to "bobble" but not rise enough to click the switch. 2. If it is filling properly, have you checked the wash arms for clogged spray holes? Have you checked the tightness of the retaining bolt on the lower arm, and the screw in the bottom of the upper arm manifold? Have you checked that the nylon bearing rings on both arms are still intact and not paper thin? This can cause the arms to stick and water to escape and lose pressure. 3. The disposer blade and pump intake, or the filter module itself, is clogged. This will take a little more care and attention. You'll need a T15 Torxhead driver to remove the screws on the pump manifold. If this is a plastic interior model, you'll also need to unscrew the supply tubing from the back and top of the tub. This is also a good time to check and clean the tubing. Be very careful not to strip the screw holes. You'll need to turn the lower arm mount counterclockwise to access the last screw, and also to disconnect the upper supply tube, being careful not to break the locking tabs. Lift and remove the coarse grate and filter assembly. Check the filter for any clogging or torn mesh, and scrub the underside as it can accumulate crud from grease and such. Afterwards, check the lower left of the sump for any glass or debris, as well as for items covering the slots. The water should be just low enough to see clearly, but if not, sponge it out with a towel or something. There should be another screw holding down the grinding chamber cover, carefully remove it and the cover, and check that the blade is intact and again for any clogging culprits. Unless you see that it is entirely necessary, I wouldn't remove the blade and steel grinding plate, because it can be tricky to replace. This step would be best to watch a video on RepairClinic for before trying. To the right side of the pump assembly there is a clear dome shaped optical sensor. Make sure it's clean and not covered in any sludge/spinach and what not. Replace everything carefully in reverse order and CAREFULLY, slowly rotate each screw counterclockwise until you feel it "pop", so that the screw will set back into its original track. You don't want to strip the plastic screw holes because you'll introduce escape paths for water pressure because of a lose fitting. As far as the control panel, you could either try cutting the power at the breaker and leaving it for a half hour or so, as that can sometimes reset the panel, or try the service diagnostics sequence, which clears cycle memory and with display any error codes, such as stuck key, heater failure, etc. The sequence has changed over the years for WP, so it could be pressing HiTemp-Heat Dry-HiTemp-Heat Dry, or pressing three option keys in sequence three times each, in 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3 fashion, and waiting for the diag. cycle to complete. I would highly recommend finding the service sheet for the machine first so that you can decipher the error codes, if any. And that is the extent of the knowledge that I can provide in helping you figure out your machine's issues. Again, there are dishwashers, washers, machines of all kinds that have their quirks, some better and some worse, but there are few that just simply "never clean" so long as the instructions are followed and common sense is used. If they don't, there is some kind of issue causing it to fail. I would definitely not go out and hastily buy a BOL unit with a control dial, because that's all you'll get with manual controls, and I assure you that you'll get no better results than with your Whirlpool. And unless you aim to purchase a mid to high end model of a new machine, I'd do what I could to keep that Whirlpool, especially knowing your opinion on today's new appliances. Good luck in your adventures!

Post# 860145 , Reply# 16 1/4/2016 at 22:47 (3,027 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)
Checkrate/Likes I never use Cascade and prefer GE dishwashers over any other brand. Never had any issues with GE. I swear by Finish ( bka Electrosol ).

Post# 860181 , Reply# 19 1/5/2016 at 05:44 (3,027 days old) by joeypete (Concord, NH)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Bring back the Filter Flo dishwashers! hahahahahahahaha ;-)

Post# 860184 , Reply# 20 1/5/2016 at 05:53 (3,027 days old) by washer111 ()
Checkrate/Likes *Reply #6 Has it Right* If the DW isn't performing: Fix it, leave it ailing and waste by pre-rinsing or just get your rubber gloves, sink plug, sponges and brush and get to work.

Post# 860199 , Reply# 21 1/5/2016 at 08:03 (3,027 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 1 It could be as simple as the continuously leaking rinse agent producing too many suds during the whole cycle, but especially the wash, for the machine to clean properly. Try running it without any fluid in the dispenser and see if results improve.