Why is my dishwasher wash arm not spinning?
Low water pressure prevents the lower wash arm from spinning even when the interior is completely free of clogs. This stops the appliance from washing properly, leaving it stuck in a cycle of filling, sitting, and draining without cleaning the dishes.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Vacuuming up cleaned scale and flushing the dishwasher
- 2Checking the diverter motor and pump cover
- 3Replacing the water inlet valve
- 4Disconnecting and inspecting the circulation pump
- 5Testing pump resistance with a multimeter
- 6Cleaning down the shaft near the pump and pressure sensor with a thin wire pipe brush
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The lower wash arm is a big geared contraption that logically looks like a geared motor shaft would have to engage with and spin, but everything I read says it's just water pressure that spins it.”source ↗
“There doesn't seem to be enough pressure to spin it.”source ↗
“the entire lower wash arm doesn't spin at all, and it's NOT an issue with being clogged inside of it.”source ↗
“My dishwasher had been making a high-pitched whistling sound for a couple of months but still operated fine.”source ↗
“Recently, the whistling got very loud and it stopped filling with water.”source ↗
“The whistling has stopped, and it’s getting water, but it is not washing anything. It’s just going through a cycle of; Fill, sit doing nothing, drain, repeat.”source ↗
“I’ve paid attention to the spray arms and they are not moving at all during the cycle.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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