[BryanR4334]

About 1-2 months ago or so, my dishwasher stopped rinsing properly (white, milky film on the dishes) and its cleaning capability went down. Initially I thought it was the arm under the top rack (part # PS1015640) because it wasn't spinning, so I checked it out. There were no cracks in the arm, and the water pressure was fine coming out of the back of the dishwasher (via part #PS651676). The only thing I found there was an obstruction in one of the jets on the end of the arm (looked like a piece of white food about the size of a pea), and when it was cleared the arm started to spin slowly. However, its washing and rinsing were still very subpar.

Then I saw a pattern in the soap dispenser (part #PS958965) not opening all the time. Sometimes a lot of residual soap would still be in the soap dispenser after it completely finished. One time the door didn't open at all. I removed the front of the dishwasher, took that part out, and checked it. However, there weren't any visible problems (no soap buildup, the plastic lever on the back that opens the door worked, etc.) The door opened just about every time, but it wasn't ever at the same time. (Side question - when should that door open? At the beginning, after the dishwasher fills?)

I decided to take a look around at the other parts in the door and came to the main circuit board (the Module Control ASM - part # PS1017033), and I may have spotted a problem. One of the capacitors on the board is leaking and looks corroded. Here are pictures of it:

Module Control ASM
Close up #1 of capacitor
Close up #2 of capacitor (blurry view of side)

I thought of my GE fridge that is about the same age and had a similar defect that led to it malfunctioning (bad, bulging capacitors on a circuit board). Is it possible that this bad capacitor is screwing with the electronics of the dishwasher in the same way, making it not function properly? Like not opening the soap container at the right time, or affecting other aspects of the dishwasher's performance (rinse times, etc.)?

There is another set of threads on this topic that somewhat matched my symptoms:

Dishwasher won't rinse dishes
Top spray arm not spinning

[PS Staff - Sheila]

The capacitor could be causing some of the problems.

If may be effecting timing.

On the wiring diagram for the dishwasher there is a chart that show the timing.

It will show when the dispenser opens.

The wiring diagram should be in the bottom panel of the dishwasher or stuck to the bottom of the tub.

Here is a link to your dishwasher model GSD6960J10SS.

[BryanR4334]

Hi Sheila - This is a long time posting back on this issue, but this is finally resolved. The control ASM (and its bad capacitors) was the problem. Apparently the timing was off on various dishwasher functions, and that was leaving the dishes looking milky, unrinsed, unwashed, etc. With a new ASM, the problems all cleared up.

The hardest part of this process was that it took 3 months to complete. I ordered it from another company because they said they had it in stock (vs. partselect.com, who said it was special order). Then it turned out it WASN'T in stock and it was also special order. Then the other company sent me the wrong control ASM, so I had to wait another 3 weeks or so. Then when I got it, after all of the inserting/removing the (poorly made) control panel ribbon in and out of swapped out ASMs, it finally tore, disabling a few of the buttons. I had to replace the entire escutheon? assembly (the button board) (the ribbon wasn't replacable alone - why, GE??). That was another $75. The morals of the story - 1) don't cut corners to save time when working on lower-end appliances - if you need to do an extra 15 minutes of work to not damage parts you're working on, just do it, and 2) use partselect.com to order your parts. At least I have a much better understanding of how dishwashers work now...

This isn't my first GE appliance to have motherboard problems (my fridge bought in '05 also had a bad motherboard due to bad capacitors). It will be my last GE appliance, however. I wish that you could by commercial-like quality in a home appliance...

[mambro1]

the is a new product out called the dishwasher filtration system. it actually filters the water going into your dishwasher and leaves your dishes spot free. after the first load i was amazed that the white film was gone and my dishes were sparkling. you can get it at DishwasherFilter.com - Say Goodbye to Cloudy, Spotty Dishes.