Dishwasher Door Leak -- Lower Gasket/Seal Problem

Life is too short.....just get a new one...

Agreed. Sounds like they have been doing more "engineering" in the design to reduce the expected life of this and many other consumer goods. Sounds like some planned obsolescence to me.

With twelve years of use, I wonder what next is about to fail. It's not really planned obsolescence when an engineer designs all of the critical sub-systems to have a similar MTBF. This is often how machines are made cost competitive.

There's a story about Henry Ford scouring junk yards to find out what parts had outlasted the rest so they could be made more cheaply. According to snopes, this is merely a legend.

http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/fordpart.asp

Life is too short.....just get a new one...

This is probably good advice. The door leak might just be a warning shot. The next leak might be much more serious. I had a motor seal go out on mine. (Water leaks where it's hard to clean it up.)

You should look at the door. After 12 years it may be out of adjustment. If out of adjustment the swing of the door maybe grabbing the seal and pulling it out.

Try running one more batch of dishes through before you junk it.

Be sure no dish has gotten itself in the wrong place.

you will probably find that it never leaks againl.

This is a common problem with dishwashers.

It rarely happens and no one thinks to read the dishwasher manual which discusses this very thing.

Make sure the motor seal isn't gone too, by looking under the unit with the lower front cover removed.

Junk it. That model leaks and you can never fix it for good.

That's because 25 years ago appliances were built to last 25 years.

time to get a new dishwasher, they are not that expensive. I bought a pretty good one for about $250 just 6 months ago, and the thing is deathly quiet too.

Check to see if it's level.If the racks roll forward when you open it, then it will leak out the front of the machine.

I used to work for Hobart, the commercial Hobart/Kitchenaid under counter dishwashers would have a slow detergent build-up on the filter. If not kept clean, this would allow the water to rise to the bottom of the door & spill over on to the floor. It looks like a stainless steel strainer. Have you seen this at the bottom of the inside part of the dishwasher? If this is o.k. go to the opening of the drain, then check tubing, then solenoid, & follow throught to where it goes into drain or garbage disposal. any pluggage will make D/W respond the same way.

Great posts -- thanks -- the best dishwasher tolerant adhesive for KitchenAid dishwashers I have found is Silicone Sealant 675652 on the RepairClinic site. Anyone ever used this product?

So it was a damaged/missing door seal?

It is a loose seal. Will slide on and off but will not stay in place during the washing cycle.

I do believe Kenny Rogers sang about a similar problem some years ago. Here is the video:-

Kenny Rogers

I had the screws come loose on the top of the pump just below the rotor. The seal blew out and stretched so I couldn't fit it back into the slot.I cut a section out and fit it back in and tightened the screws back into place. It had been blowing a stream of water towards the door and causing it to leak. That was a year ago, still working. I think a new seal was expensive or unavailable.

Actually, making a seal is relatively easily using a lead pencil and heavy scissors or sharp knife.....by the material at an auto parts store...

There are also products in a tube, that you first clean the surfaces to be sealed (de-natured spirits are good), apply a continuous bead, wait till it starts to dry (read instructions first!), then bolt back together....no gasket and no leaks!!

Look here as a start:-

Tech-101-how-to-use-the-right-gasket-sealants/

In 1975 things were designed to last 25 years. In 1950 things were designed to last 50 years. In 1900 things were designed to last 100 years. Everything was designed to self-destruct in the year 2000. We're living on borrowed time.

In 2014 things are designed to last until 2018 because most people replaces everything in two year and blame outsourcing as the problem.

At first glance funny.

At second glance, FAR TOO CLOSE TO REALITY!!!!

Many thanks for sharing!