Welcome to another edition of Neli’s DIY Appliance Repair Series. This post will talk about one in a series of Whirlpool’s Global Wash System dishwashers. Today’s model is the WDT710PAHZ1, and I’m going to list the most common error codes I’ve found over the years and some tips on how to fix them. I don’t take shortcuts unless they’re obvious, but I won’t drag things out, either. That said, let’s get started.
From my experience, the most common problem I had in the early stages was the wash motor locking up. I’ve talked about this problem before. Fortunately, WP took notice and by now they should work much better.
The symptom was either a total loss of the wash function or very little water sprayed onto dishes. When the latter happens, it’s a sure sign the wash motor is failing. In my opinion, the only good option at this point is to bite the bullet and replace the sump assembly.
You can replace only the motor, but it’s more of a hassle because WP uses a one-use clamp, as I call it, because it’s a metal strap crimped at the end. Trying to re-use it requires specially designed pliers to release, then reconnect the two ends. They work, but they don’t get the clamp tight enough to prevent leaks down the road.
Service Diagnostics with Error Codes Entry Sequence
Press any 3 keys in sequence 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 with no more than 1 second between key presses. NOTE: Some models have replaced the “CLEAN” LED with “COMPLETE.” If no error, the “Clean” LED stays on for 5 seconds, or the display shows “F-” or “E-”.
If your machine doesn’t have a display, you can decipher the error code by counting how many times the “CLEAN” LED blinks.
Error Code 71: No Heat
First up today is error code 7-1. It has the LED blink only once, pause, and blink 7 more times, and pause again to start over.
Code 71 is a heating circuit error. A quick way to determine if the heater works is to enter diagnostics and press START. This starts the self-test cycle. It’s an 8-minute cycle that steps through each routine in the cycle. Toward the end, when the drain pump starts running and stops, count fifteen seconds and drip water onto the heater.
If the water sizzles, you’ve just proven the heater circuit works. Remember what I said about shortcuts? This is one of them. It saves you from either removing the dishwasher or crawling underneath to check the heater with a meter.
From here, you can assume another reason caused the heater error, like a bad connection or something wrong with the harness. Maybe it’s an intermittent power problem. Check incoming power at the junction box under the machine for starters.
If the heater didn’t turn on during the self-test, now it’s time to check the heater resistance for continuity. If OK, still check incoming power because there might be a loose connection causing intermittent power drops under load.
If everything checks good and the heater still doesn’t work, you might have a control issue, such as a failed heater relay or blown load fuse. In either case, a new control is the only fix. Before condemning the control, take a close look at the main harness into the machine and look for burnt wires that shorted to ground (it happens).
Error Code 61: No Water to Unit
Another common error with all dishwashers is a water inlet problem. About half the time, the water inlet valve or the main control failed, and other times, the hot water shutoff valve (under the sink or elsewhere) failed.
A quick check of the machine inlet valve helps determine the source of the problem. With the water turned on (verify this), start any cycle aside from drain, and feel the body of the inlet valve for vibration or buzzing. That tells you the valve is getting power or not.
No indication of power here tells you to check the resistance of the inlet valve solenoid, which should be around 20 ohms. If the reading is very high in the megohms range, you might have an open winding in the solenoid coil, preventing the valve from turning on (vibrating).
If that’s the case, your only choice is a new valve. They’re not expensive, but don’t forget the pipe tape for the brass fitting. You may need to swap from the old one. But if the solenoid checks OK, now check for input from the main control after a cycle starts. It’s AC voltage in most models, and some require pinpoint meter leads to measure. Or you can disassemble the main control and get a set of prints to find out which connector to measure. Not having access is no problem. Just go to Neli and set up an appointment. We’ll walk you through the steps to troubleshoot.
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