Bosch integrated dishwasher not cleaning...

Hi guys,

we seem to have had a cleaning failure with our DW over the last week or so. It's a Bosch integrated unit, SGV4313GB/17, about 6 years old now.

It's been perfectly reliable up to now, bar the odd filter cleanout that I've done, but now it just won't get stuff clean anymore - bits of food matter all over the entire contents, meaning washing by hand again afterwards...

What I've done so far to try and sort the problem:

- Cleaned out the spray arms
- removed the two filters in the bottom and cleaned them
- removed the Torx screws under the filters - all clean there
- run the machine empty with a DW cleaning fluid in the cutlery basket
- tried using it half full - no change in end result, still not cleaning.

As we speak, I'm currently running it empty on a 65-degree cycle using some powder from a silver packet - got this from the Indesit guy who advised us to use it once a month on the washing machine. Says on the pack it can be used with DWs too... It's some sort of solvent, apparently, to break down fatty deposits.

Is there anything else I can get to grips with under the plinth that stretches across the bottom of the DW? Some sort of drain pump or similar? I'm reasonably handy with a spanner etc, and with Xmas here, we're a bit concerned that Xmas Day could be a washing-up nightmare!

Naturally, as a gallant chap, I'll don the pink marigolds if the worst happens and it is a dead pump or other calamity, but if I can fix it over the weekend, I'll have a go!

Your comments, as always, would be greatly appreciated.

just found Sleepyhead's posts about a similar problem:

"Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 7:40 pm Post Subject:

Feed pipe from water matrix to the sump of the dishwasher is partially blocked and it's underfilling. May also have some blockage in the water matrix."



I'm assuming the water matrix the big clear plastic thing on the left side -
it's got some sort of food residue blockage that we're clearing out.

There's the waste pipe running from it, and a blue pipe with a clip attached to it from somewhere underneath - what's this? The "Feed pipe", maybe?

Anyone there??

MM[/i]

The water matrix is indeed the plastic chamber on the left hand side.At the bottom right there is a plastic tube about 25mm in diameter that goes to the base of the sump,this will need to be cleaned to get the water level back to the right amount.

Thanks for clarification, Assuhors.
There was a large food blockage at the top of the matrix, compounded by a barcode label from the bottom of a new dish we washed monhs ago!

We managed to clear the majority of the blockage, but there's still some up there, around what appears to be a valve of some sort within the matrix.

We then ran the DW on a 65 cycle and are about to try a full-load cycle now.

I didn't clear the pipe you're talking about, though. On the left side where I removed the side panel, there are 3 pipes below the matrix, one small blue one, and 2 larger ones - one is the waste pipe and the other seems to take liquid from the bottom of the DW and push it through the matrix - I'm guessing this is the sump evacuation pipe, for want of a better thing to call it.

Do you mean I need to remove the right-hand side panel and get to the pipe that is on that side? NOt such a big issue now I've done it once already!

Many thanks again,
MM