Check all the tines on the upper & lower racks.   It looks like the plastic or vinyl coating came off one of the tines.

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Was that INSIDE the DW or under it?

Kevin

Brian, it sounds like the pump is stuck - it's a common issue with D&M machines of this era...

Could part of that be stuck in the pump causing the pump not to turn? Yes it does look like part of a rack.

It could either be from the wiring where it passes through the hinge area or maybe from the wiring where it attaches to the cord reel.

D&M used the absolute cheapest materials on all their DWs, their only goal was to build something that looked like a DW that worked some of the time for a short while [ there was a reason they never dared to put their name on any DW they built ]. Whether it was the quality of wiring insulation, paint, porcelain coatings and other finishes to the cheap rubber they used on their drain hoses they set new standards for an appliance where almost anything could and did fail long before you would expect it to fail, I have plenty of scars from all the cuts I got from working on hundreds these DWs over the years.

About the only other major appliances that I ever encountered that were built as cheaply as D&M DWs were Appliances like Sunray Gas and Electric Ranges, I can't think of any washer, dryer, refrigerator or freezer that were ever built using such inferior materials as D&M DWs.

John, I won't argue with you about D&M machines being good or not as I have very limited experience with them! I would expect them to have a higher survival rate than other machines like Montgomery Ward or GM Frigidaire "Super Surge" dishwashers, Borg-Warner Norge/Wards clothes washers or Frigidaire 1-18 dryers (BTW I have no experience with the B-W washers, I'm just speculating from what I have read on them here and all my Super Surge Dishwashers and my 1-18 dryer still work!).

 I know that some people just don't use their portable dishwashers as it's easier to hand wash dishes than clothes or bed sheets! And that's exactly what happened with my 1965 D&M-made Frigidaire top-loading impeller dishwasher. It's original owners are good friend of mine and they almost never used it. One of the reasons was the unsuccessful use of hand washing detergent which resulted in a big mess! The other reasons were water which left mineral stains on dishes and the trouble to roll it from it's resting spot in the carpeted living/dining room to the kitchen and hook it up to the sink and to hear it running during the wash and drying time as the kitchen, dining and living rooms are in the same open space in the house it was in...

But even if it was very lightly used and stored in an unheated room for about 20 years, it didn't suffer from deteriorated rubber, wiring or hoses which are all original. The porcelain inside had some iron stains but it cleaned nicely and still shines. In fact, it looks better than my newer Plastisol-coated Frigidaire dishwashers!

Brian,

How this white wire got inside the tub? From your picture, I doubt it's from the wiring harness but at this point, you might want to remove the front panel to see if there's anything wrong there!  Do you know anyone who hates your dishwasher who might have tried to shorten it's usable life by sabotaging it?!!  

I hope you'll post what else you find! You should have a closer look at the pump too! it could be seized but it could also be blocked by something as Scott suggested!

Although your machine appears to be full-featured, that clip connector might be included in all harnesses but not used on all machines.

It does look like you've located an issue with those wires just hanging.  The black tape suggests something has been done before.  I wonder if the white wire you found could have accidentally landed in the pump area during that process and been there all this time until it finally became dislodged.

Those with knowledge of D&M machines should be able to advise on where those loose wires are supposed to be connected.

My parents had a Kenmore of similar vintage, but it was a barely MOL machine with only three buttons.  Contrary to the overwhelmingly negative press D&M dishwashers receive here, it lasted many years, although it was only used two or three times a week at most.  It was a huge improvement over the deafening and horrifyingly BOL 1970 portable Wardgidaire toploader it replaced.  Which probably isn't saying much, but its silence was golden, just like its racks.