This is a replacement bushing for the circulation pump motor found in some models of Whirlpool and Kenmore dishwashers.

Problem

After just under two years of operation, our Whirlpool Gold Series dishwasher started exhibiting problems, persisting until the dishwasher often failed completely to perform. At the beginning of its cycle the appliance would fill with hot water and just sit there, then go on to drain itself and refill yet again with no actual washing going on. At the end of the cycle we'd open the dishwasher to find a half-dissolved soap tablet and dirty dishes.

After going through the usual troubleshooting steps, cleaning the drain pipe, de-gunking the soil sensor, running self-diagnostics a few times, we identified the circulation pump as being the most likely culprit.

At this point we stumbled on this awesome YouTube video which clearly outlined the problem. If you're looking to fix a malfunctioning dishwasher which fills and drains correctly, but won't wash, watch this video now!

In short, the circulation pump motor on these dishwashers has a design flaw which causes premature wear in the motor bushings. Once sufficiently worn, these bushings will allow the rotor to rub against the magnetized stator, preventing the motor to run at all. Replacing these bushings is then sufficient to fully repair the dishwasher, without the need to replace the entire motor assembly. The pump motor is identified by the part number AP6039091 on our particular dishwasher model.

Solution

In the video referenced above, the solution identified is to replace the worn bushing with a nylon bearing. In a follow-up video, an alternate solution is proposed involving custom-cutting a bronze rod with a metal milling machine.

If like us you're outside the US and can't easily find the correct bearing or don't have the skills or equipment to craft custom metal parts, this thing may help.

Instructions

First, of all, watch the video above to ensure a correct diagnosis of your dishwasher problem. Then, make ensure you've got all the tools, parts and time to disassemble and reassemble the pump motor. Reassembly of the pump motor requires brand-new cinch rings as removing the original one will destroy it. A regular clamping ring can do fine as well.

Then, print two of this thing to replace the original bushings. It doesn't matter if one of the bushings doesn't seem worn, replace it anyway otherwise the repair won't be as good.

Use either ABS plastic or Nylon filament for this part. With the two bushings printed in ABS, our fix has so far lasted six months and still going strong. Don't use PLA as the high temperature of the water will likely cause the bushings to warp.

UPDATE: The replacement ABS bushings have been doing their thing for over 18 months now, and the dishwasher is still working great!