55 Comments

  1. Mark Bailey

    Andrew,

    I don’t know if you’re religious, but when I found that my dishwasher was leaking last night, I had no idea what to do. I knelt down in earnest prayer, slept on it, prayed again in the morning, and found the source of the leak – the diverter motor. I prayed again, and started looking for information on the internet, looking for what was supposed to catch the water that comes out of the diverter motor perhaps. I did an image search, hoping to find a picture of something that connected to the bottom of that motor. There isn’t any such thing of course. But I found the image you posted of the bottom of the motor, and recognized it as very similar to mine. On a whim, I clicked it and found your perfect instructions for exactly how to fix my problem. You even posted the part number and an alternate replacement part! You are literally, in the very truest sense of the word, a God-send! I found the part at the parts store less than a mile from my house. And I was done in under two hours total.

    I know you went through great effort to troubleshoot your own fix, but since you posted it online, your effort rewarded me as well, and probably many others. And I needed this help so desperately. I have four kids, and a broken refrigerator too, and some water damage to deal with. This blessing is a testament to the answer I was given to my prayer that it really will all be OK somehow. I don’t know how to thank you enough. What address can I send your cookies to?

    • Andrew

      Hello Mark,

      I am glad that my post was helpful. Now that you have that experience in your tool belt you’ll be even better able to tackle the refrigerator.

      There is no need to send us cookies. Please pay it forward.

      Andrew

    • Vaibhavi

      Hello, I have whirlpool GU3600xtvy2 dishwasher and water is leaking from the diverter. I was excited to come across your blog to fix the problem but upon opening up the inside bottom of dishwasher, I found that the diverter stick looks lot different from what you have in your dishwasher and there is no grommet at all around it. It is T shaped stick sticking up. Any clue what Clue be causing the leakage?

  2. Anonymous

    You the man….Thanks to you and Doctor Google…a 4 year old dishwasher will not have to be replaced…

    Thanks for the detailed instruction.

    Pete,

  3. Mark Soto

    Hi Andrew,

    Wanted to say thank you for your post. It saved me from wasting a lot of time and money! The pictures and diagrams were perfect. Thanks again!

    Mark

  4. Becky

    I am so thankful that I found your post. This is exactly what is wrong with my dishwasher. I was starting to think I was going to have to call and pay for a repair because after hours of google time and time laying in front of the machine I was still stumped. Now I am off to order the part. I do have one question if you don’t mind. In your post you say it would have been easier if you didn’t have to remove the diverter motor under the machine. Did you have to do that as part of the diagnosis process or as part of the repair? In other words will I need to pull out the dishwasher and remove that part or can the repair be made from inside the machine?

    Thank you so much for making this post!!!

  5. Andrew

    I would try replacing the grommet from inside first without pulling the dishwasher out and removing anything from the bottom side. It may be difficult to get the rubber grommet off the diverter post. Perhaps a set of tweezers would work.

    If it is too difficult to get the grommet off the post then you’ll need to remove the diverter motor underneath the machine.

    Like I said, try the easy approach first.

  6. David Olson

    I hope this helps someone in the future. The diverter valve shaft seal, WPW10195677, is no longer available from the manufacturer. They want you to buy the whole diverter motor when all that is leaking is the seal. After a LOT of searching, I found a replacement that works perfectly. Go to http://www.avxseals.com and order a # TC5.5x16x8. Hope this helps.

    • Tom

      Hi David – Thank you for sharing your research on a replacement part for the diverter valve shaft seal. I ordered and installed the #TC5.5x16x8 seal from AVX Seals and the leak is fixed! Much appreciated!

    • Alex

      Thank you David for posting this
      I was ready to give up on finding this seal and I ordered the part from AVX and installed it in seconds….. and NO LEAK!!!!
      Saved huge $$$$

    • Phil

      Thanks, you just saved me a bunch of money. AVX seal TC5.5x16x8 was 3 dollars and change, and it shipped USPS first class for less than 3 more. Got the part in two days, even shipping it clear across the country. Fixed the leak!

      Also, you do not need to remove the diverter or even take the diswasher out of the cabinet. Seal can be replaced from inside. There is a youtube video showing how.

      It’s terrible how Whirlpool does not carry the part anymore… even at $14 they would be making a ton of profit, but it’s not enough. They want you to spend a boatload of money and replace parts that are not broken!

    • Barry P

      This post and the AVX seal part number have been very handy. Thank you very much. I was unable to get the 5.5 mm seal from my local supplier in Canada, so I went with a 5.0 x 16 x 7 in Viton and it works fine.

  7. CJ Elwood

    Same problem. Someone else removed the grommet for me so I don’t know if the flat side should go up or down. Help! The other side of the grommet is cupped (lip seal) and a metal wire is visible inside of it.

    • Andrew

      My memory is a little fuzzy but I believe it is cup side up like it is shown in the picture where the old and new are side by side. If that doesn’t work, just switch it around! [Edit] I don’t remember there being any metal in my grommet replacement, I thought it was just all rubber. If you can see metal, I’d put that side facing down and away from where it would make contact with water.

  8. Ron

    Andrew,

    I’d like to thank you for posting this information on your dishwasher repair. I had determined where the leak was coming from, was Googling and came across your blog post about a week ago. I have a Kenmore, with the same mechanisms featured in the photos, and the same leak you described. Your information helped confirm my problem with absolute certainty.

    The second bit of gratitude goes to David Olson (Dec 2017 posting) who took the trouble to retrofit an oil seal for a part that Whirlpool decided to discontinue. I ordered the part “TC5.5x16x8” from AVX Seals in Cali. At first I thought it was the wrong size when it arrived as the seal was a little taller (wider), but I quickly realized that was irrelevant as the mechanism is elevated, and the flat portion is properly submerged in the plastic housing.

    I had to ship the seal to Canada, so it was expensive crossing borders and currency exchange, but still cheaper than buying a complete switch mechanism just for the seal. I could find no one supplying the Whirlpool seal part “as is” in Canada, and wasn’t going to waste days to save shipping costs, and time sourcing alternatives. The part is here, installed, and the Kenmore is cleaning dishes without leaks.

    Thanks guys – You were both very helpful.

    • Mike

      Big thanks to Andrew and David Olson for helping me get on the path to fixing my dishwasher leak.
      Like Ron, I also live in Canada and have had much difficulty tracking down a replacement seal. Fortunately just seconds before hitting purchase on the AVX Seals website, I discovered a Canadian business called Bearings Canada which sells the same part. Shipping was still absurdly expensive considering the size and weight of the part, but I did save on exchange rate and border fees which amounted to a cheaper total.
      Cheers,

      Mike

      • Bruce Hancock

        Mike: I’m also trying to get the seal need to repair my dishwasher. Do you have a part number for the part you got from Bearings Canada?

    • Mo-G

      Ive ordered a oil seal from LORDCO they dont do half sizes so Im tring the 5.0x16x8 mm seal. will let you know how it goes. its $4.00 and no shipping if you have a Lordco near by and of course you do if your blood is full of maple syrup.

  9. Marc-André Fillion

    Thank guys for this post. Incredible how internet can be useful . I have exactly the same problem here and cannot find that damn discontinnued grommet. I just ordered the part from AVX today , hope i can get it soon ( im from Montreal , Canada). I’ll let you know if everything ok after replacement, but the way i see it with all your post, it should fix the problem.

    Thx

  10. Hey! I found this gem of a write up on the interwebs the same day my dishwasher started leaking.
    (about 5 hrs ago.) Replacement part ordered from AVX. Thank you for putting this out there for others to learn the easy way.

  11. Evans Forsyth

    Good Grief
    Thank you so much–perfect information! Just ordered the BearingsCanada.com part TC5.5x16x8.

    Amazing how people band together to help each other out.

  12. Shawn

    I just installed one of these seals in my KitchenAid dishwasher – still leaked. the AVX seal seemed to fit loose in the bore so I decided maybe it was seeping past the outside of the seal so I reinstalled it with a small amount of silicone and let it stand overnight. Still leaking today. I installed it flat side down, cup side up. Maybe a faulty seal. Good thing I ordered 2 – I’ll try the other one after work tomorrow. Otherwise i guess I’ll be ordering a new sump housing and diverter motor. 🙁

  13. Kristen

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Pulled out my dishwasher on Saturday, hoping the source of my leak was something straight forward. Started doing research today and stumbled upon this information! Looking forward to getting it fixed and back up and running. Thanks again for taking your time to post this!

  14. FC

    We have trouble sourcing the seal in Canada.

    We found Suzuki oil seal 5.5x16x8. for bike fits perfect. it is only 5$ C and get it at local Suzuki Motor bike shop

    p/n. 09285-05004

  15. Bob Barker

    Andrew,
    Just wanted to give you a quick and hearty “Thanks!” for this blog and all the info about the leaking dishwashers. I have a POS stainless Whirlpool model that we purchased with an entire set of appliances moving into our new home. We’ve had several issues with them but none more troubling than the dishwasher. We have a home warranty as well and none of the contracted service people sent seemed to know how to fix. It started leaking just after the first year and two different companies were dispatched, finally giving up (it was still leaking after being torn apart multiple times) and finally replaced. We were without a dishwasher for 6 weeks through the ordeal.

    Fast Forward 3 years later and the dishwasher was leaking again. It got so bad it would run out of the weep holes in the outside brick, so we naturally had to stop using it. The dispatched repair company nearly destroyed my base board trim examining it and then decided they could not fix it. The warranty refused to replace it this time as well and only offered a cash settlement, which wasn’t even close to the cost for a new one. I took matters into my own hands and after purchasing the part and 30 minutes of labor, it’s fixed.

    Our dishwasher is a Whirlpool w10632082a and the part I used is here on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CTI6O64/

    Who could have guessed a $10 part and so little effort could fix this recurring issue that has caused so many people so much grief.

    Best of luck to everyone and we will not be purchasing any Whirlpool appliances in the future. We will also be cancelling our home warranty. Thanks again!

    • Andrew

      Bob, I’m glad you were able to solve your problem and appreciate you paying it forward to the next person with the product link. These little parts can be hard to find!

  16. Dave L

    Thanks for the blog as this post solved our leaking dishwasher. We have a Kitchen Aid KDTM354ESS. The AVX part via the above link worked fine, it was a bit taller than the factory part, but no issues. It appeared the factory grommet was installed upside down. I was initially concerned when I first started trying to get grommet out that it was glued in. Eventually after I was able to get it underneath it, the bottom and outer portion slid out (I had destroyed the inner portion trying to pull it out with a needle nose pliers). Applied some silicone grease to the new seal, installed with the spring side down and no leak on the first wash.

    I was able to replace with generally following the instructions in the YouTube video, and without taking the dishwasher out of the cabinet.

    Hope this helps,
    Dave

    • Nando

      Thank you. This is my exact model and I just ordered the part from AVX. Good to know the fix will work. I’ve had this dishwasher for 2 years and this will be my 3rd repair. I wanted to get rid of this garbage dishwasher but my wife thinks it’s too early. Never buying a Whirlpool made appliance again.

    • Amy

      Dave , how were you able to get the metal part of the seal out ? I had to pull the old seal out in pieces ( it was stuck fast!) and I can’t seem to budge the metal ring inside . Every place I’ve seen says it’s hard but doable – so far , Im stuck !

  17. Scott Shively

    Thanks everyone for this post. As several others pointed out Whirlpool no longer make the seal/grommet and wants to sell the entire motor assembly that cost close to $400 for purchase and install by service tech.

    Following the info from the video and this thread I was able to replace mine for $14 on Amazon and so far one wash in and no leaks.

    Here is what I can offer from my experience:

    Removal of my original grommet was very difficult. It seemed the heat of the dishwasher almost fused the rubber grommet to the dishwasher plastic housing. The suggestion of the dental tool was brilliant. I don’t think I would have gotten the old seal out without the dental tool. I had to destroy the inner part of the seal and pick the rubber out tiny piece by tiny piece. Once I got what I initially thought was the old seal out I was left with a metal insert…which wasn’t in the video. When I tried to insert the new grommet it would not fit. Thinking I was crazy I finally looked closer and then realized the rubber grommet actually has a metal ring inside it and since I had to destroy all the inner rubber the metal ring I was seeing was actually part of the old grommet. Using the dental tool again I had to dig a very thin layer of rubber out from between the metal grommet ring and plastic housing of the dishwasher. Eventually the metal ring came out!

    I ended up pulling my dishwasher out and removed the diverted motor (simple) so I could get the shaft out of the way for convenience since I had to dig my old seal out.

    Grommet install: I added a little dish detergent to the new grommet like in the video and it slid right in…not as tight as I would have thought…but it’s in. Earlier in the this thread there was a question about which way to insert the new grommet. My original grommet was installed flat side down so I installed the new one flat side down which didn’t seem to make sense to me but so far no leaks.

    Hope this helps.

  18. Melissa

    I want to add my thanks. I also discovered a mystery dripping underneath my dishwasher, and found it very difficult to find out the name of the part it was coming from, let alone how to fix it! Your blog post saved me so much time and money – Thank You!!!

  19. Krishnanand

    Today I fixed my dishwasher with exact same problem. Thank you for this awesome post and video including the correct parts link. Everything worked flawlessly for my dishwasher Whirlpool WDT790SLYM2.

  20. Shannon Vandaveer

    Thanks so much for your help! I replaced the grommet, but unfortunately the dishwasher is still leaking. What do you think? Diverter motor or sump pump?

    I know you didn’t have to replace either of these. I’m just looking for a suggestion.
    Thank you

  21. Martin

    In case it helps anyone, there are dishwashers which look very similar to the one mentioned in the post, but where the seal for the diverter motor shaft goes BELOW the sump (you have to remove the motor from below the DW). the seal is a TC10x18x4, which I was able to buy from Bearings Canada (there are other possibilities too, it was cheaper to get it from Germany, but with a longer shipping time obviously)

  22. Greg Schenker

    Andrew,

    Thank your for your blog post. I have spent the day looking into my dishwasher leak and found that it is that seal around the diverter motor. I am curious if you are still using this dishwasher and if you have had to replace the seal again?.

    I have been digging around the net for how to fix it and found a few things.
    1. The diverter should be replaced as well because of wear from the gasket. (prevents it from leaking in the future)
    2. The diverter stem should be greased with silicone grease to limit wear and increase gasket life. (if you buy the diverter it should come with grease)
    3. the red connector that is corroded on my machine (as well as in your images) should be replaced. This tells the machine that it has diverted to a position (the mechanism presses a button every 1/4 rotation). this needs to be replaced or the motor will just spin forever. causing a new leak or until the motor stops working.

    I am trying to figure out what the connector part number is, or I may just be forced to be creative with a soldering iron…

  23. Mark Nielsen

    I replaced the Grommet with one purchased on Amazon but still have dripping on the bottom of the diverter shaft motor. Would you suggest purchasing a different Grommet, replacing the diverter shaft motor or something else? I placed a lubricant on the Grommet to see if that would help but no success. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

    • Mark Nielsen

      So on another website they talked about a smaller grommet up inside the shaft of the diverter that can drop down and cause dripping. Well after taking the diverter motor apart and finding the other grommet and pushing it back into place the dripping to stop.

  24. Amod

    I am really glad that your post is still useful and handy for laan as well. Today i am having the same issue and upon searching on internet, I found your article which
    helped me to save hundreds 0f thousand of bill. You know even in 2020 the whirlpool dishwasher sucks! And your 1 post is still saving people like me. God bless you. You are a true savior for all people who face this situation.
    Appreciate and once again Thank you for posting this ❤️😊 God bless you 🙏

  25. Paul Schenk

    Andrew just found your posting on repairing of my leaking dishwasher, thanks ill be following your steps on locating the leak on my whirlpool dishwasher
    oh and by the way great last name, not common where i live

  26. David

    Just repaired a 7-year old Whirlpool Model WDF775SAY using your instructions. Amazon has the replacement diverter grommet:
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B087HCSV7S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    They also have some useful little o-ring pick tools:
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NPPBQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    I used the 45 degree tool and had to pierce the old grommet and work the tool underneath to pull the grommet out. I did manage to slightly gouge the bottom of the grommet housing with the tool, but avoided damaging the OD or ID seating surfaces, so no harm. Applied some silicone grease to the diverter shaft, rinse aid to the OD of the new grommet, and seated it into place by pushing it with a 7/16 deep socket. As noted elsewhere, the new grommet is taller than the old one, so hopefully that is an improvement. Reassembled and ran the dishwasher through one cycle, all dry underneath. Hurray!
    Thanks so much for your blog and the linked video. $20 repair. Good stuff!

  27. Marty

    Like everyone else, I cannot thank you enough! There was a slow drip from the bottom of the diverter. I found this blog and knew this was the same problem. I ordered the part linked from avxseals.com and waited. I have a different brand and model, but everything looks pretty much the same. It was tough getting the old grommet out. It was caked in with dry white soap all on it. We pulled out the inside of the grommet and kept working the outside and it finally came out. I slid the new one in flat side down and put everything back together. Works great!! The video really helped!!

  28. Craig

    You sir are a god-send and a saint. Will be paying forward good deeds as much as humanly possible. Saved me hundreds (if not 1k to replace). Fixed this myself in about an hour and I’m not in the least bit mechanically inclined. Total cost – about $22 – and most of that was shipping. Thanks so much – from the easy to follow video to the links to the parts – this was just fantastic.

  29. Ryan

    Great post, and good to read all the comments! I replaced the grommet, ran a rinse cycle, and it’s still leaking…I wonder if I need to let it run a few cycles? I’ve seen in other posts/comments that people have had to run it a few cycles. If it’s not that, anyone have any ideas?

  30. Brad

    We should all get together and file a class action lawsuit for the damage these whirlpool dishwasher have caused to floors and cabinetry. Mine had the diverted pump hose come off and flooded my kitchen with water that ruined my end board of my cabinets and is causing delaminating of the engineered floor. I would yank this garbage dishwasher out and replace it with something else, but now there is nothing to even be bought at the stores. So disappointed with whirlpool, it’s a terrible design how the pump can vibrate so much.

  31. Olivier Schreier

    Stupid question:
    (I replaced the grommet and the leak stop.
    But how do I tell whether diverter motor is still good or needs to be replaced?
    Thanks!

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