Dishwasher acting up

[PE]

Hi all: I have a Maytag Jetclean dishwasher that's about 13-15 years old and has been lightly used during that time. Recently, the machine has started making light rattling noises during the dry cycle, and when the door is opened to interrupt the drying cycle a loud clattering noise is heard for several seconds before coming to a stop. Would appreciate any suggestions regarding likely cause(s) of symptoms described above, and regarding whether it would probably be more economical to repair whatever is the problem or just buy a new replacement. I'm handy enough to make repairs myself if service manual/replacement part(s) available for a model of that vintage. Thanks for your replies!

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Got any new dishes which might be large enough for the top spinner to hit, even slightly?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Only the dry cycle? Does it have a fan to assist in drying? If so, I'd suspect that the fan motor is going and something is hitting around the blade or blower wheel.

[Cliff Hartle]

Since its during the dry cycle it may be a small fan that is rattling.

When you open the door the fan slowly stops spinning.

[hrhofmann]

Can you tell where the sound is coming from if it continues for a few seconds after you open the door? Is it early in the drying cycle or late in the cycle? Does it do it even if you run a full dishwasher cycle with no dishes in the machine? There is a lot you need to do to isolate things.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Can you tell where the sound is coming from if it continues for a few seconds after you open the door? Is it early in the drying cycle or late in the cycle? Does it do it even if you run a full dishwasher cycle with no dishes in the machine? There is a lot you need to do to isolate things.

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No dishes: Good testing idea.

[willshak]

on 12/7/2009 10:11 PM (ET) PE wrote the following:

Can't help with the noise, but if you need a repair/parts manual, you might find it here:

[Tony]

It could be the timer motor, you just don't hear it when it's in wash mode. It's mounted in the door so pulling it down at an angle would make the sound change. Others mentioned a fan but I personally only had cheap units without any fan.