So my dishwasher is still working swimmingly. That’s not the issue.
The other day when I opened it, I heard a kind of ‘sproing’ sound, and then the door stopped being bouncy like.
What I mean is, the spring, or whatever it is, in there, that makes the door sort of bounce back up, when you open it, seems to have let go. What do I know? Maybe it’s not a spring?
So now, when you open the door, it drops like a bag of cement. Less than ideal.
Any repair men out there? Is it a spring? How hard is it to repair? Think I can do it?
Any and all suggestions, including wild ass guesses, more than welcome! Thanks.
Some part of the spring return linkage broke on your dishwasher. Depends on the make and model of your dishwasher.
I have KitchenAid dishwasher that uses a spring and a cable/pulley system to counterbalance the door. The plastic hook on the cable end tends to break every so often on this dishwasher. Luckily, fixing it is not hard, and the part is easy to get.
Dishwashers are really simple to pull out. Usually there are only a couple of screws at the top edge that attach it to the countertop. Remove those and the dishwasher pulls right out. Once you do that, you can inspect the linkage that acts as a counterbalance, and it probably only broke on one side so you can compare the working side to the non-working side to find what broke. Open and close the door and look at what moves.
I suggest going to http://www.appliancepartspros.com/ to look for the part you need. They usually have exploded part diagrams for most appliances to identify parts, and their service is pretty good.
Oh, and since you are pulling out the dishwasher, be prepared to clean out the area. It can get pretty bad back there over the years.
Sears also has parts diagrams and possibly more important - parts - for seemingly every appliance.
The good news is that most dishwasher door springs are really simple and they’re “right there” once you pull the machine out.
You can probably get at the springs just by removing the screws that hold it to the countertop (usually just two - one near each corner at the top) and pull the machine out a couple inches without having to disconnect the wiring or plumbing. No promises here, of course, but the last time I installed a dishwasher, the springs were right at the very front.
I should have mentioned it’s not a built in. It’s a rolling on wheels type, also only 18" wide.
I love it, it works wonderfully, but this development makes me fear for my dog when my husband is about. I mentioned it to him, but, well, I still fear for the dog, let’s say.