Thank you so much! I googled this video while on hold with the Amana warranty company, growing more and more aggravated as I waited and you fixed my problem in less than 5 minutes while I've been on hold for 13 minutes of nothing. You just saved somebody's life. You are greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you so much for posting this. I was going insane couldn’t realize for years the rinse aid never emptied or anything. I never knew this. Thanks for sharing this trick. I’m a single mother & I couldn’t figure this out and with your video now the rinse aid is dispensing. Yay I am so happy. I hate spots on my tubberware and dishes and now I realize it was locked and not releasing the rinse aid. No one would know this because there is no button or anything that shows to do that. And I’m renting so I don’t own the Manuel. I searched videos after videos and none were helpful except yours. I appreciate you showing the mechanism behind it and how it functions. This video was extremely helpful. I am doing a load of dishes right now so I can’t wait for them to be done to see how they came out. I also changed the position to the highest since I have hard water so hopefully that works. Thanks again for sharing. You have been extremely helpful. 😊
OMG thank you so much !!! You saved me from going crazy. I have the exact same dishwasher and had this problem, a technician came home to replace the panel... Then the problem continued, and I saw your video! What a bad design decision. Thanks for solving my problem, because of you I'll have cleaner glasses :)
You have no idea how mind blown I am right now! So thankful I found this video! I’ve tried everything to fix my dishwasher and never could get it to release the rinse aid! I just tried your trick so let’s hope and pray it works!!!! I’m at my wits end with drying these dishes every time!
I know your pain. When I reached my boiling point, I decided to rip my dishwasher apart because I probably needed a new one anyway. Then I stumbled upon the mechanism inside. I've been very satisfied with dishwasher's performance ever since. Hopefully your problem is the same as mine and this will fix it. Best of luck. Let me know if it works for you.
Thanks for the short video explaining this. I have the same problem. As soon as I clicked it, I could hear air shoot out of the hole. I bet it's working now. Thanks again!🙂
This worked awsome. One of the better self help videos out there. I called Amana direct and they were totally useless. Whatever happened to knowledgeable hired help? Guess im too old now to understand why companies hire useless people. As if I'm going to hire someone clueless to look at my dishwasher. This was the solution. What happens on the 2nd cycle is there is an electrical component that engages and actually holds the rince agent plunger open for awhile for it to drain into the water near the end of the entire cycle. I find self help videos are often better than hiring someone totally of no help. Self help all the way!!!!! Thank you Alberto!
Years of mystery solved ! I was wondering why my rinse aid levels never dropped. I had thought something must have been clogged. Thank you thank you thank you ! Why dishwashers don't have these instructions imprinted on the door I will never know. Maybe it is to get us to call the repairman every time.
How did you figure that out please? Your problem is like my problem I cleaned out all of the residual rinse aid, thinking the outlet was clogged, then I lost the cap and can not use it now. I need to buy a new cap but from where. Regards, Laurel Merrick Bargara Queensland Australia 4670.
What, no way!!!! I haven't been closing my soap door cause I just throw the tab into the bottom of the washer. No wonder my rinse aide hasn't been being released!!! Running a load right now to see if this was my issue! THANK YOU!!!!
New dishwasher owner here. Couldn’t figure out why every time I look at it, the stuff is still sitting in there. I’m going to look at the manual for the dishwasher online. I’m in a new place, none of the booklets are here, and I’ve never dealt with this before. Thanks for the info on this because I had no idea!
WOW! I’M SO THANKFUL I FOUND THIS VIDEO! I have the exact same Amana dishwasher under the wet bar in my basement. I had the exact same issue as well: bought it new, added Jet Dry, and never consumed a single drop of the stuff after hundreds of loads over about 4 years. Wasn’t a big enough deal to go through the hassle of pulling it out and sending it out for service, but it always annoyed me that it had that one issue. After I saw this video, I set the latch in the correct position before loading the soap and closing the door, and voila! Dry dishes! You rock! Liking and subscribing!!
Omg Thank you! I have this exact same dishwasher. The rinse aid has never worked from the first day that we have gotten it. Thank you for posting this!
Put in glass cleaner concentrate by mistake into rinse. So I had opposite issue, I needed to get it all out before doing dishes again. This video still helped!
Holy crap, I'm glad I stumbled on your video! I couldn't get my rinse aid to dispense, so I went looking around for DIY videos for the Amana brand dishwasher specifically to no avail. I assumed it was broken and couldn't be bothered to take my dishwasher apart, so I was going to replace it, but you just saved me a TON of money! I wish Amana would explain this feature in the user manual.....
@@Crazy4Moore Maybe you’ve solved this issue already, but just in case my experience helps…my “soft click” wasn’t as silent as his when he showed the dispensers uninstalled from the washer. The rinse aid 2nd position made a click when pressing it but was silent when releasing it. The 1st position clicks when pressing and releasing. So the soft click isn’t silent, it just doesn’t click with the release of the button so it feels and sounds softer. I had to play with it a while to be able to discern the difference and to understand it needs to be left in 2nd position with the door open so that when you fill with detergent and close the door it will return to 1st position.
Thank you so much. Kitchen Aid had no idea how to help me since dish soap was put into rinse aid dispenser by mistake. Your information about the door release made it possible to stop all the soap suds from filling the dishwasher. Many thanks.
wow! you fixed my rinse aid issue. i recently replaced my entire wire harness, main board, and the sensor. I just did not want to take the machine apart again. this saved me probably a few hours of work!
Dishwasher's been broke for going on 5 years now. Decided tonight was the night it got dealt with lol. Just before getting started at ripping it open, thought I'd check UA-cam. Thank you! Saved me a bunch of hassle! 👍
I hope it proves useful for you. Let me know if it improves your drying. Another tip is to use liquid pre-wash in addition to the tabs/capsules. After I started using both, it made a big difference.
@@bird2002 Dishes came out spotless! For the first time lol. Had to use the back of a fork to get it unfroze from the position it was in. I guess years of being stuck left it a little unwilling to move at first. 🤣 Once I got the gunk freed or whatever was holding it stuck though it moved happily. Watched the video again to make absolutely positive that it was in the right position n for the first time since I've had it - IT DISPENSED! 😲 Thanks again! Worked a treat! (n my dishwasher was a completely different model, but the concept remained the same nevertheless)
Can’t wait to try this. This still makes no sense to me, since the washer is going through both cycles each load. I would think then that the rinse aid is still being released, just at the wrong time of the load. Not sure how this doesn’t allow any rinse aid to exit the reservoir at all, but since so many people are thanking you in the comments for solving their issue, I will give it a go.
@@kevinfitch7847 I’m no mechanical engineer and I could be wrong, but what I found inside that contraption indicates that there’s two positions inside that door, both will open the door, but only one of them will release the rinse aid. Makes sense too, because you only want to release it during the rinse cycle.
@@bird2002 I am brain dead, so not second guessing you, just confused by my own stupidity 😁. I got faith in you and will update once I can. I just ran a load, but it has been annoying me for over a year that it never drains, so can’t wait to do some clicking after it finishes running. The amount of comments thanking you especially after customer service is no help is insane to me. You would think this would be in their user guides 🤦🏻♂️. Thanks for the tip!!!
Man i just found out why my Rinde Aid kept emptying itself. Just went and clicked it to proper cycle. Apart from slight error that it dies not release, i think you meant releases in wrong cycle. But smart ones get it. Hey thanks for informing The World. Cheers :)
Mine is a bit different, it's a Kenmore and it has a different controller for the detergent. But, inside the dispenser, I did notice that there are 2 ways that the "floor" of the dispenser can be left at. So, I moved it, filled it with white vinegar and turned it on the long wash cycle. We shall see. Your video was excellent, though and should work for lots of folks! Thank you!!
I have the same dishwasher and had the same problem. I had no idea about the soft click for releasing the rinse aid! Yes, we mess with it occasionally. Thank you!
Holy freaking cow!! I have the same dishwasher..same problem and wasn't dispensing since brand new. You sir are a genius 👏. Thank you Thank you thank you😃
THANK YOU SO MUCH MY GUY. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why it wasn't dispensing. It was driving me fucking crazy. I can't believe how simple this solution is. I'd be screwed if not for this video. I probably would've spent hundreds sending a guy out here to take a look at it because I found NOTHING online that helped. Seriously, thank you from Michigan!
OMG, I’ve changed the heating element, swapped over the venting module, and still my dishes are always wet! Finally noticed the rinse aid wasn’t dispensing and came across this video whilst searching for a fix. I’ve tried the fix and running a wash now. Fingers crossed it’ll work. This issue has been driving be crazy! I was about to pull it apart and thought I’d check first before doing so. Going to come back and provide an update once the wash cycle is done. EDIT - Seems to have done the trick. Thank you!!
Thank you so much. I searched the Internet high and low for a solution to this problem 18 months ago and gave up until now. I just decided to search again on a whim and found you. My landlord replaced the dishwasher with an Amana and after the first wash I noticed lots of spots so I watched the rinse aid and it’s level never went down so I told him the rinse aid wasn’t releasing and he sent a technician to fix it. The technician said everything was fine and it just releases slowly and disregarded that the level hadn’t dropped in 2 months. After 6 more months I called Amana (my landlord put me in charge of following up and gave me the purchase paperwork because it was new and he already called a technician) but the warranty had expired. Not one single mention of this mechanism in the trouble shooting guide or installation instructions from Amana nor did Amana customer service know of this. I’m guessing the lever got pressed when open during my landlord’s install. The explanation after showing the fix is a little confusing so thank you for simplifying it by saying that it just needs to be in the soft click position before closing the detergent door. As others have commented, I too am confused how the rinse agent is not dispensing at the wrong time because I just tried this and held it open in the 2nd position to see if rinse aid would flow out so I didn’t have to wait for several washes to see if it was working and rinse aid did come out so mine isn’t clogged. Also, does this mean that my detergent hasn’t been released until the final rinse all this time??
I'm glad you found this helpful. I feel they don't publish this information in their owners manual so that the consumers are forced to pay for their technicians to come make repairs. It's all about money, otherwise they would just notify people of the fix and then they would make no money. As for the detergent, the detergent door opens anytime and every time that the wax motor operates. So regardless of which cycle you're on, or which position the piston is in, the detergent door will always open. Rest assured, your detergent is being released at the proper time. The problem comes down to the rinse aid, because that one does specifically rely on the piston being in the correct position to operate.
Thanks for the help, Alberto. With your guidance I was able to get my rinse aid dispenser to work. My dispenser stop opening entirely. The pin that engages the lift lever was out of position so the plunger/stop at the top never opened. By repositioning the pin back to where it belongs the both actions now work. The detergent door opens and now the rinse aid plunger/stop at the top opens and rinse aid dispenses. I had to remove the unit from the door to see the problem. Just one more thing to check in addition to your guidance.
Thank you so much for this! I thought it was so strange that it was staying full after a year.. finally decided to look into it and you are the first vid I ran into. haha The instruction booklet mentions nothing about this. Unless I'm blind and missed it. Hoping this solves it all. Much appreciated!
But when you leave it after the soft click and close the cap (after putting in the main wash pod), the act of covering the lid changes the setting again which makes it even more confusing.
Great video and explanation of how that mechanism works. Mine might be the wax motor, I don't think it's extending the piston far enough to release the plunger for the rinse aid. Thanks to your video I see that it doesn't take much movement of the piston to release the door for the detergent, so I think that's my problem.
I thought the same thing about mine until I connected it to 120V A/C. Then I saw it extended all the way. It saved me from buying a new one. If you have a safe way to test it, you may want to verify if your was motor is extending all the way. Also make sure the lever is in the correct position.
@@bird2002 Tested it today first on a bench, then in the machine. Applying power extended the piston the full distance and opened the plunger. I'm not sure if I'm out of sequence because even if you are out of sequence, the rinse aid would be release, just at the wrong time. We aren't getting it released at all, the reservoir never goes down. Unless, the duration of the plunger extension is shorter for the wash step (opening the door), then longer for the rinse step. In that scenario, if I was off sequence, a small amount of aid would be released during the wash step, but during the longer rinse step, the plunger isn't opened because the sequence is off. My other thought is a bad control board where there isn't a open command given during the rinse step. I'm going to run it with the door face off and see if I can tell what's going on, but it's defiantly not anything wrong with the motor or the dispenser.
My issue is no matter how much rinse aid I put into the cap it never appears in the fill sight glass. I don't think the reservoir is filling up. Any ideas why that would happen?
@@InDreamsYourMine well, I have zero experience with those, but if it looks like the one in the video, then it might be the same part since it’s likely the different brands just use the same parts. If it doesn’t look like in the video, then it’s likely a different part altogether.
We got a new Whirlpool dishwasher three weeks ago. We filled the rinse fluid once and it never left. We called the store and they offered us an exchange with a new machine. I received the new machine today and the machine just finished its first wash. The liquid is still not gone. Are we going crazy or what?
Crazy? Not likely. Those rinse aid dispensers do release slowly. You should get a dozen or more cycles out of each refill, so you shouldn't see it empty out so quickly. But if it was like mine where it didn't empty out for over a year, then you know something is seriously wrong.
UA-cam magic ? Haha... Found your video while searching for tips on a lower door seal leak on my dishwasher. I have (had) a similar rinse aid problem too, so with the right search word I found this. Yours is Amana, mine is Frigidaire (aka Electrolux, also Kenmore) but has a very similar soap / rinse agent dispenser as yours. My unit is from 2004. I had to replace the soap dispenser about a year ago, the detergent door lock no longer worked, the plastic lock hook wears with use (known problem on these machines). So I got a new dispensor online (easy to find) and put it in. A couple months after, I noticed my Low Rinse agent light was not coming on as it normally did before, after 5-6 weeks, and also I noticed more residue on glass. I use regular liquid detergent and did not have a residue problem before. I was considering replacing the dishwasher, being 16 years old and 'not washing well' anymore... Just for kicks, I bought a new liquid detergent ('complete' formula) which contains rinse agent and wouldn't you know it, glasses came out spotless. A few weeks later, I saw your video and thought... uh-oh... I must have messed with the release when I installed the new detergent dispenser. Mine is also a 2-stage mechanism with a hard and a soft click. So today I set the soft click before closing the door and did a load with my old detergent : no spots on glass ! I will be able to confirm this issue is resolved in a few weeks... when/if my Low Rinse agent light comes back to life. To think I almost threw this [good] machine out because of this... So Thank You :-)
I have never been able to get a soft click, the only time I hear a click is when opening and I can get it to click one more time after it is opened. But if I push the button again, no matter how many times, it doesn't click. If I shut the dispenser then I can hear the click again when I open it and one more time if I click again. Mine never uses any of the rinse aide, even when I elevate it and push the button any number of times. Edit: I should note mine is also an Amana and looks exactly like yours.
So I had this same issue. What your video does not mention is that when you shut the soap dispenser door, the linkage will always revert to position one, the far right side of the triangle on the back linkage arm. No matter what position the linkage was left in. I watched a full cycle run and in the wash cycle I can watch the small motor turn on and open the soap door. After the motor piston retracts, the linkage is now in position to release the rinse aid. At least with my dishwasher, the motor never turned on again during the rinse cycle, allowing it to dispense the rinse aid. I’d be curious to see if you’re experiencing the same thing.
that's a new for me. I'd be interested in taking it apart to see if that works. Sounds like an excellent idea for a follow up video! Thank you so much! I'll post it when I try it out.
You’re 100% right, which nullifies the point of this video to begin with. Soft click/hard click doesn’t mean anything if the dispenser resets the toggle when you close the detergent door.
Position 2. With your detergent door open, the last click you want to hear is the *soft click* which was position 2. Then throw your detergent in and close the door, the machine will engage position 1 like it is supposed to. That should put you into the correct cycle.
@@bird2002 took my door cover off , in the right position , ran 1 hour wash. the plunger extended to drop the detergent ,extended to apply rinse agent , then at the end of rinse cycle it extended again which put it out of position it was in the rinse drop position. why the third extension ??? . Then the light came on , looking at the lever reach inside closed the detergent door and it set the lever to the right position , With being said my finding is you can't get it out of position. Something else is the cause. thanks for your input you got me started looking at my problem
So leave it in position two. Then add your detergent and close it??? So you basically close it fully loaded and that will place it back in position one if I understand correctly?? I’m making this too hard 😂😂😂. But I can clearly hear the soft and the loud click on my dishwasher
OMG! I have to agree with the other commentors that you are a blessing! Not once has the level of rinse aid in my Amana DW gone down and my dishes are always wet. I just tried this on my machine and hope that it will fix the issue. So many reviews online talk about this exact issue with Amana DWs. I just did a load last night so don't have any dirty dishes right now but I am so hoping that this is the fix. Thank you! Amana REALLY needs to include this in the Troubleshooting section of the manual.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I hope this was helpful in resolving your problems. They probably don’t include any troubleshooting for this issue because they’d rather you pay their technicians to come out and fix it. They must know this issue exists, I can’t think of any reason they would occult a fix from the public (other than monetary gain of course)
This is so damn helpful, thank you! I want to add that after the long press.. when you close the detergent door, it does the soft click as it closes. So always long click before closing the detergent door and you should be good to go! 🎉
I understand what you have shown, but when I comes to my dishwasher, after a cycle has gone thru, the detergent holder door is open. My question is: should we ensure that it is in the 2nd position prior to inputting the detergent and closing it? Or should we close it, hold the detergent door down, and listen for the 2nd position click?
After the wash when it’s open, fully press the button inward until you hear the clicks. The last one you should hear is the soft click, then just leave it open for the next time you go to wash. By leaving it on the soft click, this means the next action of the washer will be to release the detergent, and that’s the proper order for the wash. Easy as that.
I read in a different Amana user guide to wipe the interior down with jet dry occasionally and it's supposed to help with the wetness. I haven't tried it tho.
I had trouble understanding that too. But i believe at the end he says that after the soft click to leave it there. So i assume after the soft click to put the detergent in and close it. But now i am second guessing because after 3 washes, it is still at full and doesn’t seem to be emptying but dishes do seem dry. So idk
Any suggestions what to do if the rinse aid won't go into the reservoir? I got it 2nd hand & I think it's all gunked up cuz it just sits in the circle part & doesn't go down..
Thank you! I just got rinse aid myself and could NOT figure out how to open the rinse aid compartment. AT least I know which click to listen for bit how do I put rinse aid in?
Awesome information - thank you for posting. I just checked mine - it is a different model, and there is two clicks each time. However, the position one for the detergent door moves further and freer that position 2 to release the rinse agent. I would have never though to look at that if I didn't see your video.
When you leave it on the soft click when you close the door with the detergent it clicks with the door shutting. Is that moving the position again or is that just the sound or the door clicking shut? Because if that shutting of the door and that clicks shifts it again should it be the opposite way around that you leave it on the hard click or does shutting the door not shift the mechanism.
My dispenser looks almost identical to this but mine is a kitchen aid. The switch doesn’t click like that at all. Also I fear mine may be clogged. How do I clear a clog?
You could try to hold the door upright and press the button all the way in, holding it in to see if gravity will pull out some of your rinse aid. Most of the time it’s a blue liquid so you should see it come out. If it doesn’t come out the first time you hold the button all the way in, release it and press it again, holding it all the way in. Check and see if it releases that time. Repeat these steps several times. If you never see the rinse aid drip out, you’ve likely got a clog. How to clean it, will be a different story. I used my mouth to blow pressure into the chamber. This probably wasn’t the smartest move since it blew rinse aid back into my face. But it definitely removed my doubts about my clog. It’s not a safe method, but could work if you are more cautious than I was. Try at your own risk.
Logic tells me yes, but considering that I used this dishwasher for 3 years and the level never moved, experience tells me no. Ever since I discovered this, now my level drops every so often. My guess is that the applied voltage during the door release is very short, too short to release any rinse aid. When on the rinse cycle, I think the computer applies voltage for a lot longer, keeping it open long enough to release the correct amount. Again, I’m just guessing here, but from experience I’ve noticed a world of difference in my dishes.
Another comment from me, this didn't work for me. I left it in the position following the soft click (soft click = position 2), meaning that the next release should have been the hard click but I think that the act of closing the door after putting in the detergent tab caused it to pop out of position 1 and then when the door opened to release the tab, that was the soft click and took it out of position 2 (but this should cause the rinse aid to start going down if it's being released into the wash cycle). So now I am going to try the reverse and see if that works.
You are correct. No matter what position the linkage is left in, when you shut the soap dispenser door, the linkage will always reset to position one. I watched a full cycle run on mine. The small motor turned on during the wash cycle to open the soap dispenser door. When the motor piston retracted the linkage was then in position 2 ready to dispense the rinse aid. With my dishwasher, the motor never turned on a second time so the rinse aid was never released. Lots of folks having this error. Think it may just be Amana.
Thank you so much, so when I out the rinse in should I click it then, then start the wash cycle? Or do I have to wait until it’s time to rinse then open it and release the rinse aid.
I have this dishwasher and for 3 years my rinse aid has been full and dishes have been wet. I just tried it, I didn’t seem to hear a soft click but we will see if it helped. It’s running right now 🤞🏻
@@codavied you’re welcome. I hope it does work for you. Another person commented that it didn’t work for them until they emptied out the rinse aid dispenser and cleaned it.
Thanks! This brand (Eltex) of rinse-aid dispenser is also found in Eletrolux dishwashers amoung others, so would apply to many other machines. Only the front of the dispenser is different, what happens behind is identical. Leave after the Soft Click! (Rinse Aid is Closed).
Holy damn! People need to send out a warning about this whole click process.... its clearly dangerous and/or deadly... or maybe its just that they haven't done dishes in a month 🤷♀️😄
My dishwasher is lg and it doesn’t have a click each time the lever is moved, it only clicks every other time the lever is moved. What would be the correct procedure for it?
If yours looks similar to the one in the video, then it's possible that they operate the same. Mine technically only clicks once, the second "soft click" isn't actually a click, it's just a position that I feel the mechanism gets into the second time I press it in. Yours might be the same. I recommend you try it and see if it gives you better results.
Does this go for every dishwasher because we moved in a year ago and I added Rinse Aid like you said it just never released it and I have no idea where the manual is for this thing so I just discovered your video I've been trying to Google it and couldn't find a video on it I have a Frigidaire very basic dishwasher I did hear the two separate clicks I think I am running the washer now so hopefully it'll work sometimes after the cycle is complete the dishes are still wet and some of them are still dry so I thought it was working I don't know
With Frigidaire, there should be a dial that you move to the left or the right inside where you pour the rinse aid. That dictates how much rinse aid gets pumped out. Or you could try a Cascade Platinum pod in the flatware caddy instead of the dishwasher dispenser and that will also help immensely.
Just to be sure on how to fix it : You want it to leave after the soft click, so you put the soft click, you close the door with your soap inside and there you go?
Yes, before your next wash, listen for the soft click and leave the door open. Fill your detergent, close your door and run your wash. This way, the next position in queue is to dispense detergent, and that’s the correct position.
Dilemma: after following this fix the problem persists. What is perplexing is after the wash is finished and I press the lever it is always the "soft" click. Should it not be the "loud" click since the washer should have released the rinse aid as it's last action which would have been the "soft" click?
Yes, that should be the case. Maybe your wax motor is bad? I have another video about wax motors, specifically the one that’s in my dishwasher. I ran 120VAC to it and the piston went all the way up, so I realized mine was working. This is quite dangerous though, so if you have a safe way to test it, you can pull the unit apart and run 120V to the wax motor and see if it extends all the way. If not, you need a new wax motor, or perhaps the entire dispenser mechanism needs replacing.
Using too much since aide, this video fixed it. One would think this should be in the user manual as a homeowner could easily get this out of sequence by just pushing the button.
I think it might be clogged. Another person commented on here with the same problem and it never drained, so they emptied it manually and washed it out. Afterward, it released rinse aid properly.
Okay so question; do you leave it in the second position once you’ve put detergent in it and shut the lid or leave it in the second position before you shut the lid with detergent in it? I am closing the lid with detergent and then holding the lid down and listening for no click but I think that maybe causing it it cycle in reverse yet again; dishes still come out looking just as wet as before. I’m thinking maybe when you close the lid after you’ve put detergent in it causes the mechanism to cycle just as if you pushed the button. I could be wrong but that’s something to think about to and maybe you could answer that for me and anyone else in the comment section having the same issue as me. I’m going to try doing it reversed with the lid closed and holding it down. I’ll let you know what I discover.
I have the same one but it only clicks once. I cleaned the hole in between the soap dispenser and where the rinse-aid goes and it had mold. I cleaned it with a q-tip until it was clear hopefully that work's, I think that's how the rinse aid dispenses
If you hold down the button while the door is up (nearly vertical position), you can actually see the rinse aid dispensing. If cleaning it unplugged it, you’ll see it drain out. Hopefully that fixed it.
@@bird2002 it did I ran it after I cleaned it. It's been full since I put jet dry in the first month of living here lol. Thank you now I don't think my dishwasher sucks anymore.
Wouldn’t the rinse aid still get dispensed either way. Even if it’s in the wrong position, that only means the rinse aid will be released in the beginning with the dishwashing detergent and though the rinse aid will be wasted, the level will still be decreasing as if nothing were wrong. Yet this fix still seems to be working for so many people. What am I missing here?
You're correct, small amounts of rinse aid are released when in the wrong position anyway. But I think the "door release" position only activates the wax motor for a short duration, just long enough to open the door, so it wouldn't release a lot of rinse-aid. Meanwhile, the "rinse-aid release" position stays open a long time, thereby releasing a healthy amount of rinse-aid. For me, it was the difference between wet dishes and spotless dishes.
I would just keep it on position two all the time and put the pod in the flatware caddy. The pod won't fully dissolve in the prewash but that little bit of detergent released helps to start attacking the grease and then for the main wash, the pod will dissolve completely to clean the load. You won't have any lingering fragrance on your glasses or dishes at the end of the cycle either. For sure, run the hot water at the sink 'til it's ripping hot, and immediately start the machine. Always clean out the filter monthly and use a dishwasher cleaner every month in an empty machine to get rid of lime or mineral buildup. Very good video.
What an absolutely crazy design. Never would I have thought the latch was also a toggle switch.
I tried it and it worked! Thank you, I think you're the only person on the internet telling us this.
Thank you so much! I googled this video while on hold with the Amana warranty company, growing more and more aggravated as I waited and you fixed my problem in less than 5 minutes while I've been on hold for 13 minutes of nothing. You just saved somebody's life. You are greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you so much for posting this. I was going insane couldn’t realize for years the rinse aid never emptied or anything. I never knew this. Thanks for sharing this trick. I’m a single mother & I couldn’t figure this out and with your video now the rinse aid is dispensing. Yay I am so happy. I hate spots on my tubberware and dishes and now I realize it was locked and not releasing the rinse aid. No one would know this because there is no button or anything that shows to do that. And I’m renting so I don’t own the Manuel. I searched videos after videos and none were helpful except yours. I appreciate you showing the mechanism behind it and how it functions. This video was extremely helpful. I am doing a load of dishes right now so I can’t wait for them to be done to see how they came out. I also changed the position to the highest since I have hard water so hopefully that works. Thanks again for sharing. You have been extremely helpful. 😊
OMG thank you so much !!! You saved me from going crazy. I have the exact same dishwasher and had this problem, a technician came home to replace the panel... Then the problem continued, and I saw your video! What a bad design decision. Thanks for solving my problem, because of you I'll have cleaner glasses :)
I had the same situation - realized my rinse was not going down and could not figure out why. Thank you for figuring it out for me!
You have no idea how mind blown I am right now! So thankful I found this video! I’ve tried everything to fix my dishwasher and never could get it to release the rinse aid! I just tried your trick so let’s hope and pray it works!!!! I’m at my wits end with drying these dishes every time!
I know your pain. When I reached my boiling point, I decided to rip my dishwasher apart because I probably needed a new one anyway. Then I stumbled upon the mechanism inside. I've been very satisfied with dishwasher's performance ever since. Hopefully your problem is the same as mine and this will fix it. Best of luck. Let me know if it works for you.
I have the same dishwasher but mine has loud click and silent click. Tried it both ways and neither worked. Glad it worked for others though.
Thanks for the short video explaining this. I have the same problem. As soon as I clicked it, I could hear air shoot out of the hole. I bet it's working now. Thanks again!🙂
This worked awsome. One of the better self help videos out there. I called Amana direct and they were totally useless. Whatever happened to knowledgeable hired help? Guess im too old now to understand why companies hire useless people. As if I'm going to hire someone clueless to look at my dishwasher. This was the solution. What happens on the 2nd cycle is there is an electrical component that engages and actually holds the rince agent plunger open for awhile for it to drain into the water near the end of the entire cycle. I find self help videos are often better than hiring someone totally of no help. Self help all the way!!!!! Thank you Alberto!
Years of mystery solved ! I was wondering why my rinse aid levels never dropped. I had thought something must have been clogged. Thank you thank you thank you ! Why dishwashers don't have these instructions imprinted on the door I will never know. Maybe it is to get us to call the repairman every time.
How did you figure that out please? Your problem is like my problem I cleaned out all of the residual rinse aid, thinking the outlet was clogged, then I lost the cap and can not use it now. I need to buy a new cap but from where. Regards, Laurel Merrick Bargara Queensland Australia 4670.
I cant tell what click is which on mine... someone help me please!!
What, no way!!!! I haven't been closing my soap door cause I just throw the tab into the bottom of the washer. No wonder my rinse aide hasn't been being released!!! Running a load right now to see if this was my issue! THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you for sharing this! You saved me from having to take the whole door apart to find a solution to this problem. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
New dishwasher owner here. Couldn’t figure out why every time I look at it, the stuff is still sitting in there. I’m going to look at the manual for the dishwasher online. I’m in a new place, none of the booklets are here, and I’ve never dealt with this before. Thanks for the info on this because I had no idea!
I was so curious what the mechanism looked like. Thank you so much for showing how it works!
WOW! I’M SO THANKFUL I FOUND THIS VIDEO! I have the exact same Amana dishwasher under the wet bar in my basement. I had the exact same issue as well: bought it new, added Jet Dry, and never consumed a single drop of the stuff after hundreds of loads over about 4 years.
Wasn’t a big enough deal to go through the hassle of pulling it out and sending it out for service, but it always annoyed me that it had that one issue.
After I saw this video, I set the latch in the correct position before loading the soap and closing the door, and voila! Dry dishes! You rock! Liking and subscribing!!
O.M.G. Such an easy fix.Thank you. I’ve been B!tching about this same problem for years thinking it was clogged.
Brilliant!! Thank you so much for the thorough explanation and demonstration! This issue has been driving me absolutely nuts.
I don’t understand how this wouldn’t empty the rinse aid… seeing as it still opened the rinse aid, just at the wrong time
When starting a new cycle before closing lid. Should it be on position 1 or 2 to get it back to the right track?
Omg Thank you! I have this exact same dishwasher. The rinse aid has never worked from the first day that we have gotten it. Thank you for posting this!
Had the same problem and couldn't find the fix anywhere. Thanks for the video! Much help!
I have had this exact brand for 3 yrs never was able to use the rinse aid til now! Thank you!!!
Put in glass cleaner concentrate by mistake into rinse. So I had opposite issue, I needed to get it all out before doing dishes again. This video still helped!
Holy crap, I'm glad I stumbled on your video! I couldn't get my rinse aid to dispense, so I went looking around for DIY videos for the Amana brand dishwasher specifically to no avail. I assumed it was broken and couldn't be bothered to take my dishwasher apart, so I was going to replace it, but you just saved me a TON of money! I wish Amana would explain this feature in the user manual.....
mine does not soft click
@@Crazy4Moore mine doesn't either. Did the fix work anyway??
@@Crazy4Moore Maybe you’ve solved this issue already, but just in case my experience helps…my “soft click” wasn’t as silent as his when he showed the dispensers uninstalled from the washer. The rinse aid 2nd position made a click when pressing it but was silent when releasing it. The 1st position clicks when pressing and releasing. So the soft click isn’t silent, it just doesn’t click with the release of the button so it feels and sounds softer. I had to play with it a while to be able to discern the difference and to understand it needs to be left in 2nd position with the door open so that when you fill with detergent and close the door it will return to 1st position.
Thank you so much. Kitchen Aid had no idea how to help me since dish soap was put into rinse aid dispenser by mistake. Your information about the door release made it possible to stop all the soap suds from filling the dishwasher. Many thanks.
wow! you fixed my rinse aid issue. i recently replaced my entire wire harness, main board, and the sensor. I just did not want to take the machine apart again. this saved me probably a few hours of work!
Dishwasher's been broke for going on 5 years now. Decided tonight was the night it got dealt with lol. Just before getting started at ripping it open, thought I'd check UA-cam. Thank you! Saved me a bunch of hassle! 👍
I hope it proves useful for you. Let me know if it improves your drying. Another tip is to use liquid pre-wash in addition to the tabs/capsules. After I started using both, it made a big difference.
@@bird2002 Dishes came out spotless! For the first time lol. Had to use the back of a fork to get it unfroze from the position it was in. I guess years of being stuck left it a little unwilling to move at first. 🤣 Once I got the gunk freed or whatever was holding it stuck though it moved happily. Watched the video again to make absolutely positive that it was in the right position n for the first time since I've had it - IT DISPENSED! 😲
Thanks again!
Worked a treat! (n my dishwasher was a completely different model, but the concept remained the same nevertheless)
@@abstract_jeff awesome!! So happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out.
Can’t wait to try this. This still makes no sense to me, since the washer is going through both cycles each load. I would think then that the rinse aid is still being released, just at the wrong time of the load. Not sure how this doesn’t allow any rinse aid to exit the reservoir at all, but since so many people are thanking you in the comments for solving their issue, I will give it a go.
@@kevinfitch7847 I’m no mechanical engineer and I could be wrong, but what I found inside that contraption indicates that there’s two positions inside that door, both will open the door, but only one of them will release the rinse aid. Makes sense too, because you only want to release it during the rinse cycle.
@@bird2002 I am brain dead, so not second guessing you, just confused by my own stupidity 😁. I got faith in you and will update once I can. I just ran a load, but it has been annoying me for over a year that it never drains, so can’t wait to do some clicking after it finishes running. The amount of comments thanking you especially after customer service is no help is insane to me. You would think this would be in their user guides 🤦🏻♂️. Thanks for the tip!!!
Man i just found out why my Rinde Aid kept emptying itself. Just went and clicked it to proper cycle. Apart from slight error that it dies not release, i think you meant releases in wrong cycle. But smart ones get it. Hey thanks for informing The World. Cheers :)
Mine is a bit different, it's a Kenmore and it has a different controller for the detergent. But, inside the dispenser, I did notice that there are 2 ways that the "floor" of the dispenser can be left at. So, I moved it, filled it with white vinegar and turned it on the long wash cycle. We shall see. Your video was excellent, though and should work for lots of folks! Thank you!!
I have the same dishwasher and had the same problem. I had no idea about the soft click for releasing the rinse aid! Yes, we mess with it occasionally. Thank you!
Holy freaking cow!! I have the same dishwasher..same problem and wasn't dispensing since brand new. You sir are a genius 👏. Thank you Thank you thank you😃
Same here.
@@jaimereyes2703 SAME HERE
THANK YOU SO MUCH MY GUY. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why it wasn't dispensing. It was driving me fucking crazy. I can't believe how simple this solution is. I'd be screwed if not for this video. I probably would've spent hundreds sending a guy out here to take a look at it because I found NOTHING online that helped. Seriously, thank you from Michigan!
I’m really glad this was helpful to you. I appreciate the kind words. Regards, from Houston!
OMG, I’ve changed the heating element, swapped over the venting module, and still my dishes are always wet!
Finally noticed the rinse aid wasn’t dispensing and came across this video whilst searching for a fix. I’ve tried the fix and running a wash now. Fingers crossed it’ll work. This issue has been driving be crazy! I was about to pull it apart and thought I’d check first before doing so.
Going to come back and provide an update once the wash cycle is done.
EDIT - Seems to have done the trick. Thank you!!
Yes!! Let me know if it works for you
@@bird2002 Seems to have done the trick!! Thank you heaps.
Thank you so much. I searched the Internet high and low for a solution to this problem 18 months ago and gave up until now. I just decided to search again on a whim and found you. My landlord replaced the dishwasher with an Amana and after the first wash I noticed lots of spots so I watched the rinse aid and it’s level never went down so I told him the rinse aid wasn’t releasing and he sent a technician to fix it. The technician said everything was fine and it just releases slowly and disregarded that the level hadn’t dropped in 2 months. After 6 more months I called Amana (my landlord put me in charge of following up and gave me the purchase paperwork because it was new and he already called a technician) but the warranty had expired. Not one single mention of this mechanism in the trouble shooting guide or installation instructions from Amana nor did Amana customer service know of this. I’m guessing the lever got pressed when open during my landlord’s install. The explanation after showing the fix is a little confusing so thank you for simplifying it by saying that it just needs to be in the soft click position before closing the detergent door. As others have commented, I too am confused how the rinse agent is not dispensing at the wrong time because I just tried this and held it open in the 2nd position to see if rinse aid would flow out so I didn’t have to wait for several washes to see if it was working and rinse aid did come out so mine isn’t clogged. Also, does this mean that my detergent hasn’t been released until the final rinse all this time??
I'm glad you found this helpful. I feel they don't publish this information in their owners manual so that the consumers are forced to pay for their technicians to come make repairs. It's all about money, otherwise they would just notify people of the fix and then they would make no money.
As for the detergent, the detergent door opens anytime and every time that the wax motor operates. So regardless of which cycle you're on, or which position the piston is in, the detergent door will always open. Rest assured, your detergent is being released at the proper time. The problem comes down to the rinse aid, because that one does specifically rely on the piston being in the correct position to operate.
In the soft click position, thank you+ I still wasn't understanding 😂
Thanks for the help, Alberto. With your guidance I was able to get my rinse aid dispenser to work. My dispenser stop opening entirely. The pin that engages the lift lever was out of position so the plunger/stop at the top never opened. By repositioning the pin back to where it belongs the both actions now work. The detergent door opens and now the rinse aid plunger/stop at the top opens and rinse aid dispenses. I had to remove the unit from the door to see the problem. Just one more thing to check in addition to your guidance.
I'm glad this helped you out. Hope you got your problem resolved.
Thank you so much for this! I thought it was so strange that it was staying full after a year.. finally decided to look into it and you are the first vid I ran into. haha The instruction booklet mentions nothing about this. Unless I'm blind and missed it. Hoping this solves it all. Much appreciated!
But when you leave it after the soft click and close the cap (after putting in the main wash pod), the act of covering the lid changes the setting again which makes it even more confusing.
Great video and explanation of how that mechanism works. Mine might be the wax motor, I don't think it's extending the piston far enough to release the plunger for the rinse aid. Thanks to your video I see that it doesn't take much movement of the piston to release the door for the detergent, so I think that's my problem.
I thought the same thing about mine until I connected it to 120V A/C. Then I saw it extended all the way. It saved me from buying a new one. If you have a safe way to test it, you may want to verify if your was motor is extending all the way. Also make sure the lever is in the correct position.
@@bird2002 Tested it today first on a bench, then in the machine. Applying power extended the piston the full distance and opened the plunger. I'm not sure if I'm out of sequence because even if you are out of sequence, the rinse aid would be release, just at the wrong time. We aren't getting it released at all, the reservoir never goes down. Unless, the duration of the plunger extension is shorter for the wash step (opening the door), then longer for the rinse step. In that scenario, if I was off sequence, a small amount of aid would be released during the wash step, but during the longer rinse step, the plunger isn't opened because the sequence is off. My other thought is a bad control board where there isn't a open command given during the rinse step. I'm going to run it with the door face off and see if I can tell what's going on, but it's defiantly not anything wrong with the motor or the dispenser.
My issue is no matter how much rinse aid I put into the cap it never appears in the fill sight glass. I don't think the reservoir is filling up. Any ideas why that would happen?
I had the same issue. I clicked that lever a few times and BOOM it’s like it primed the liquid into the indicator window!
Does no click count as a soft click? Doing this I get no soft click, press it I get a click, press again I get no click.
@@InDreamsYourMine it could be, or you have a different model. But I would guess yes
@@bird2002 I have a Kenmore portable dishwasher.
@@InDreamsYourMine well, I have zero experience with those, but if it looks like the one in the video, then it might be the same part since it’s likely the different brands just use the same parts. If it doesn’t look like in the video, then it’s likely a different part altogether.
Thanks. You just saved me at least $50 by showing me the correct click position. Now, I can just replace the wax motor vs. the whole dispenser.
We got a new Whirlpool dishwasher three weeks ago. We filled the rinse fluid once and it never left. We called the store and they offered us an exchange with a new machine. I received the new machine today and the machine just finished its first wash. The liquid is still not gone. Are we going crazy or what?
Crazy? Not likely. Those rinse aid dispensers do release slowly. You should get a dozen or more cycles out of each refill, so you shouldn't see it empty out so quickly. But if it was like mine where it didn't empty out for over a year, then you know something is seriously wrong.
UA-cam magic ? Haha... Found your video while searching for tips on a lower door seal leak on my dishwasher. I have (had) a similar rinse aid problem too, so with the right search word I found this. Yours is Amana, mine is Frigidaire (aka Electrolux, also Kenmore) but has a very similar soap / rinse agent dispenser as yours. My unit is from 2004. I had to replace the soap dispenser about a year ago, the detergent door lock no longer worked, the plastic lock hook wears with use (known problem on these machines). So I got a new dispensor online (easy to find) and put it in. A couple months after, I noticed my Low Rinse agent light was not coming on as it normally did before, after 5-6 weeks, and also I noticed more residue on glass. I use regular liquid detergent and did not have a residue problem before. I was considering replacing the dishwasher, being 16 years old and 'not washing well' anymore... Just for kicks, I bought a new liquid detergent ('complete' formula) which contains rinse agent and wouldn't you know it, glasses came out spotless. A few weeks later, I saw your video and thought... uh-oh... I must have messed with the release when I installed the new detergent dispenser. Mine is also a 2-stage mechanism with a hard and a soft click. So today I set the soft click before closing the door and did a load with my old detergent : no spots on glass ! I will be able to confirm this issue is resolved in a few weeks... when/if my Low Rinse agent light comes back to life. To think I almost threw this [good] machine out because of this... So Thank You :-)
Awesome! I'm glad this helped. Let us know how it turns out in a few weeks.
I did the steps but I do not see any drying agent being used. Any suggestions?
I have never been able to get a soft click, the only time I hear a click is when opening and I can get it to click one more time after it is opened. But if I push the button again, no matter how many times, it doesn't click. If I shut the dispenser then I can hear the click again when I open it and one more time if I click again.
Mine never uses any of the rinse aide, even when I elevate it and push the button any number of times.
Edit: I should note mine is also an Amana and looks exactly like yours.
So I had this same issue. What your video does not mention is that when you shut the soap dispenser door, the linkage will always revert to position one, the far right side of the triangle on the back linkage arm. No matter what position the linkage was left in. I watched a full cycle run and in the wash cycle I can watch the small motor turn on and open the soap door. After the motor piston retracts, the linkage is now in position to release the rinse aid. At least with my dishwasher, the motor never turned on again during the rinse cycle, allowing it to dispense the rinse aid. I’d be curious to see if you’re experiencing the same thing.
that's a new for me. I'd be interested in taking it apart to see if that works. Sounds like an excellent idea for a follow up video! Thank you so much! I'll post it when I try it out.
You’re 100% right, which nullifies the point of this video to begin with. Soft click/hard click doesn’t mean anything if the dispenser resets the toggle when you close the detergent door.
Am fairly certain this just cleared up my problem with rinse aid . Thank you!
The problem on mine is that the plunger push the tab and stay on all time...like a relay problem?
So keep it in position 2 - open lid, fill detergent, close lid?
Leave the cap off and it works fine! We still had problems so we didn't replace the cap-now it works fine.
That sounds like a great idea with this model Amana.
Hi my Sharp dishwasher is not releasing rinsing aid . it does not have the same dispenser mechanism i watched in yr chanel. Thanks
When do you close the detergent door? After you click it to Position 1 or Position 2?
Position 2.
With your detergent door open, the last click you want to hear is the *soft click* which was position 2. Then throw your detergent in and close the door, the machine will engage position 1 like it is supposed to. That should put you into the correct cycle.
@@bird2002 took my door cover off , in the right position , ran 1 hour wash. the plunger extended to drop the detergent ,extended to apply rinse agent , then at the end of rinse cycle it extended again which put it out of position it was in the rinse drop position. why the third extension ??? . Then the light came on , looking at the lever reach inside closed the detergent door and it set the lever to the right position , With being said my finding is you can't get it out of position. Something else is the cause. thanks for your input you got me started looking at my problem
My Amanna dispenser never uses any rinse aid but the latch does not click at all when used in. It does release the detergent!
So leave it in position two. Then add your detergent and close it??? So you basically close it fully loaded and that will place it back in position one if I understand correctly?? I’m making this too hard 😂😂😂. But I can clearly hear the soft and the loud click on my dishwasher
I think that is correct. However, i did about 3 dishwasher loads leaving it after the soft click (position 2) but the level still shows full.
OMG! I have to agree with the other commentors that you are a blessing! Not once has the level of rinse aid in my Amana DW gone down and my dishes are always wet. I just tried this on my machine and hope that it will fix the issue. So many reviews online talk about this exact issue with Amana DWs. I just did a load last night so don't have any dirty dishes right now but I am so hoping that this is the fix. Thank you! Amana REALLY needs to include this in the Troubleshooting section of the manual.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I hope this was helpful in resolving your problems. They probably don’t include any troubleshooting for this issue because they’d rather you pay their technicians to come out and fix it. They must know this issue exists, I can’t think of any reason they would occult a fix from the public (other than monetary gain of course)
@@bird2002 It didn’t work for me. I left a follow up comment. No matter what position I leave it I no rinse aid is ever released.
Wait so what position do we leave it in? 😩
This is so damn helpful, thank you!
I want to add that after the long press.. when you close the detergent door, it does the soft click as it closes. So always long click before closing the detergent door and you should be good to go! 🎉
Am I still suppose to close the flap with the pod after the soft click ?
Q: When I fill the detergent and close it it does do the big click. Doesn‘t it mean it would release the rinse aid instead of detergent?
It shouldn’t because the clip that holds the door closed does not depress it far enough to send it to the next position. Key word “shouldn’t” lol
Mine doesn't have a two stage clicker - and mine says cascade in it
Thank you for this!! I have the same dishwasher & the rinse aid has been full for 4 years!
I understand what you have shown, but when I comes to my dishwasher, after a cycle has gone thru, the detergent holder door is open. My question is: should we ensure that it is in the 2nd position prior to inputting the detergent and closing it? Or should we close it, hold the detergent door down, and listen for the 2nd position click?
After the wash when it’s open, fully press the button inward until you hear the clicks. The last one you should hear is the soft click, then just leave it open for the next time you go to wash.
By leaving it on the soft click, this means the next action of the washer will be to release the detergent, and that’s the proper order for the wash. Easy as that.
I read in a different Amana user guide to wipe the interior down with jet dry occasionally and it's supposed to help with the wetness. I haven't tried it tho.
I’m still confused - you leave it in position 2 (soft click) AND THEN close it? Or leave it in position 1 (loud click) and then close it?
I had trouble understanding that too. But i believe at the end he says that after the soft click to leave it there. So i assume after the soft click to put the detergent in and close it.
But now i am second guessing because after 3 washes, it is still at full and doesn’t seem to be emptying but dishes do seem dry. So idk
Any suggestions what to do if the rinse aid won't go into the reservoir? I got it 2nd hand & I think it's all gunked up cuz it just sits in the circle part & doesn't go down..
Hi, can you do the similar video for GE dishwasher ? that latch is very different than this one
@@kumarbabu4039 unfortunately this is the only model of dishwasher I have so I can’t make a video for any other model.
Thank you! I just got rinse aid myself and could NOT figure out how to open the rinse aid compartment. AT least I know which click to listen for bit how do I put rinse aid in?
Sorry for the late reply, but it’s the dark gray circular cap, you twist it open and pour the rinse aid inside.
Awesome information - thank you for posting.
I just checked mine - it is a different model, and there is two clicks each time. However, the position one for the detergent door moves further and freer that position 2 to release the rinse agent. I would have never though to look at that if I didn't see your video.
Thanks for sharing this, i almost got rid of my machine before seeing your video.
When you leave it on the soft click when you close the door with the detergent it clicks with the door shutting. Is that moving the position again or is that just the sound or the door clicking shut? Because if that shutting of the door and that clicks shifts it again should it be the opposite way around that you leave it on the hard click or does shutting the door not shift the mechanism.
Shutting the door doesn’t move the mechanism enough to alter the cycle
My dispenser looks almost identical to this but mine is a kitchen aid. The switch doesn’t click like that at all. Also I fear mine may be clogged. How do I clear a clog?
You could try to hold the door upright and press the button all the way in, holding it in to see if gravity will pull out some of your rinse aid. Most of the time it’s a blue liquid so you should see it come out.
If it doesn’t come out the first time you hold the button all the way in, release it and press it again, holding it all the way in. Check and see if it releases that time.
Repeat these steps several times. If you never see the rinse aid drip out, you’ve likely got a clog. How to clean it, will be a different story. I used my mouth to blow pressure into the chamber. This probably wasn’t the smartest move since it blew rinse aid back into my face. But it definitely removed my doubts about my clog. It’s not a safe method, but could work if you are more cautious than I was. Try at your own risk.
Holy crap. Thanks! My rinse aid reservoir has been full for 2 years and I couldn’t figure out why!
Thank you ! Been in this house for 2 months and it never worked. Running now- I bet it works!
how did you remove the dispenser?
Wouldn't you see rinse aid levels go down in the view window even though it's being released out of sync?
Logic tells me yes, but considering that I used this dishwasher for 3 years and the level never moved, experience tells me no. Ever since I discovered this, now my level drops every so often.
My guess is that the applied voltage during the door release is very short, too short to release any rinse aid. When on the rinse cycle, I think the computer applies voltage for a lot longer, keeping it open long enough to release the correct amount.
Again, I’m just guessing here, but from experience I’ve noticed a world of difference in my dishes.
Another comment from me, this didn't work for me. I left it in the position following the soft click (soft click = position 2), meaning that the next release should have been the hard click but I think that the act of closing the door after putting in the detergent tab caused it to pop out of position 1 and then when the door opened to release the tab, that was the soft click and took it out of position 2 (but this should cause the rinse aid to start going down if it's being released into the wash cycle). So now I am going to try the reverse and see if that works.
did it end up working after all?
You are correct. No matter what position the linkage is left in, when you shut the soap dispenser door, the linkage will always reset to position one. I watched a full cycle run on mine. The small motor turned on during the wash cycle to open the soap dispenser door. When the motor piston retracted the linkage was then in position 2 ready to dispense the rinse aid. With my dishwasher, the motor never turned on a second time so the rinse aid was never released. Lots of folks having this error. Think it may just be Amana.
Thank you so much, so when I out the rinse in should I click it then, then start the wash cycle?
Or do I have to wait until it’s time to rinse then open it and release the rinse aid.
I have this dishwasher and for 3 years my rinse aid has been full and dishes have been wet. I just tried it, I didn’t seem to hear a soft click but we will see if it helped. It’s running right now 🤞🏻
Thank you for uploading this btw!
@@codavied you’re welcome. I hope it does work for you. Another person commented that it didn’t work for them until they emptied out the rinse aid dispenser and cleaned it.
@@bird2002 well I think it did help! Thanks again for sharing
I just came across this video.
My dishwasher doesn’t even have a soft click, only clicks one time and stays quiet the next click after.
Any ideas?
That might be the same thing. If you’re hearing a click, and the next time you push you don’t hear a click, that should be the same thing.
Thanks! This brand (Eltex) of rinse-aid dispenser is also found in Eletrolux dishwashers amoung others, so would apply to many other machines. Only the front of the dispenser is different, what happens behind is identical.
Leave after the Soft Click! (Rinse Aid is Closed).
I’m clicking I hope mines does it because my new dishwasher has never dispense the rinse aid. I will come back after to let you know if it worked.
Week later we still waiting.....
How can we eat at a time like this?
Holy damn! People need to send out a warning about this whole click process.... its clearly dangerous and/or deadly... or maybe its just that they haven't done dishes in a month 🤷♀️😄
Thank you for the information on the Rinse Aide not working, very easy to understand!
Glad this was helpful.
My dishwasher is lg and it doesn’t have a click each time the lever is moved, it only clicks every other time the lever is moved. What would be the correct procedure for it?
If yours looks similar to the one in the video, then it's possible that they operate the same. Mine technically only clicks once, the second "soft click" isn't actually a click, it's just a position that I feel the mechanism gets into the second time I press it in. Yours might be the same. I recommend you try it and see if it gives you better results.
Does this go for every dishwasher because we moved in a year ago and I added Rinse Aid like you said it just never released it and I have no idea where the manual is for this thing so I just discovered your video I've been trying to Google it and couldn't find a video on it I have a Frigidaire very basic dishwasher I did hear the two separate clicks I think I am running the washer now so hopefully it'll work sometimes after the cycle is complete the dishes are still wet and some of them are still dry so I thought it was working I don't know
With Frigidaire, there should be a dial that you move to the left or the right inside where you pour the rinse aid. That dictates how much rinse aid gets pumped out. Or you could try a Cascade Platinum pod in the flatware caddy instead of the dishwasher dispenser and that will also help immensely.
Just to be sure on how to fix it : You want it to leave after the soft click, so you put the soft click, you close the door with your soap inside and there you go?
Yes, before your next wash, listen for the soft click and leave the door open. Fill your detergent, close your door and run your wash. This way, the next position in queue is to dispense detergent, and that’s the correct position.
@@bird2002 so your saying leave the detergent door open after you do the soft click? we can never close the door anymore? lol
Dilemma: after following this fix the problem persists. What is perplexing is after the wash is finished and I press the lever it is always the "soft" click. Should it not be the "loud" click since the washer should have released the rinse aid as it's last action which would have been the "soft" click?
Yes, that should be the case. Maybe your wax motor is bad? I have another video about wax motors, specifically the one that’s in my dishwasher. I ran 120VAC to it and the piston went all the way up, so I realized mine was working. This is quite dangerous though, so if you have a safe way to test it, you can pull the unit apart and run 120V to the wax motor and see if it extends all the way. If not, you need a new wax motor, or perhaps the entire dispenser mechanism needs replacing.
Using too much since aide, this video fixed it. One would think this should be in the user manual as a homeowner could easily get this out of sequence by just pushing the button.
I have the exact same washing machine as you it looks like and I have been having this problem and it's been driving me nuts thank you
Mine doesn’t click loud 😢
But why would the rinse aid stay full forever if it is releasing into the wash cycle? That should still cause the rinse aid to deplete.
I think it might be clogged. Another person commented on here with the same problem and it never drained, so they emptied it manually and washed it out. Afterward, it released rinse aid properly.
@@bird2002Mine won’t go down at all either, so how do I drain it manually as you suggested?
Okay so question; do you leave it in the second position once you’ve put detergent in it and shut the lid or leave it in the second position before you shut the lid with detergent in it? I am closing the lid with detergent and then holding the lid down and listening for no click but I think that maybe causing it it cycle in reverse yet again; dishes still come out looking just as wet as before. I’m thinking maybe when you close the lid after you’ve put detergent in it causes the mechanism to cycle just as if you pushed the button. I could be wrong but that’s something to think about to and maybe you could answer that for me and anyone else in the comment section having the same issue as me. I’m going to try doing it reversed with the lid closed and holding it down. I’ll let you know what I discover.
I have the same one but it only clicks once. I cleaned the hole in between the soap dispenser and where the rinse-aid goes and it had mold. I cleaned it with a q-tip until it was clear hopefully that work's, I think that's how the rinse aid dispenses
If you hold down the button while the door is up (nearly vertical position), you can actually see the rinse aid dispensing. If cleaning it unplugged it, you’ll see it drain out. Hopefully that fixed it.
@@bird2002 it did I ran it after I cleaned it. It's been full since I put jet dry in the first month of living here lol. Thank you now I don't think my dishwasher sucks anymore.
Omg I have this exact problem! The rinse aid has never budged. Thank you so much!!!!!
I almost purchase the new dishwasher . Thank you so much for this video!! You are amazing!!
So happy this was helpful for you! It's very rewarding to know that my contributions are helping others. I appreciate you letting me know :)
I am so enraged after watching this. How ridiculous. Thank you!
Omggggg this just saved me bc i was just gonna buy a new dishwasher!!
Wouldn’t the rinse aid still get dispensed either way. Even if it’s in the wrong position, that only means the rinse aid will be released in the beginning with the dishwashing detergent and though the rinse aid will be wasted, the level will still be decreasing as if nothing were wrong. Yet this fix still seems to be working for so many people. What am I missing here?
You're correct, small amounts of rinse aid are released when in the wrong position anyway. But I think the "door release" position only activates the wax motor for a short duration, just long enough to open the door, so it wouldn't release a lot of rinse-aid. Meanwhile, the "rinse-aid release" position stays open a long time, thereby releasing a healthy amount of rinse-aid. For me, it was the difference between wet dishes and spotless dishes.
We bought our dishwasher a few years ago and it never worked. I can't believe it was that simple
I would just keep it on position two all the time and put the pod in the flatware caddy. The pod won't fully dissolve in the prewash but that little bit of detergent released helps to start attacking the grease and then for the main wash, the pod will dissolve completely to clean the load. You won't have any lingering fragrance on your glasses or dishes at the end of the cycle either. For sure, run the hot water at the sink 'til it's ripping hot, and immediately start the machine. Always clean out the filter monthly and use a dishwasher cleaner every month in an empty machine to get rid of lime or mineral buildup. Very good video.