Bosch dishwasher SGS47E02GB - water circulation problems!!!!

[FrustratedBoschOwner]

Hi,
Can I have some advice please...Our dishwasher isn't cleaning properly and it appears that the two spray arms aren't moving much (if at all) because the pressure of water is too little to spin them around...the water is not being forced out of them under much pressure at all and consequently some of the dishes don't get cleaned or rinsed.
The machine empties properly and doesn't make any peculiar noises and hasn't been moved.
Could this be a failing circulation pump, a problem with the pressure chamber (what does that part do?) or something else??? All of the filters are clean and we've only ever used Finish brand tablets and salt in it.
I'm pretty handy so I want to try to fix this myself.
Are there any Bosch experts out there that can offer me some advice please on where to start looking?
Also, I noticed that the machine hasn't asked for a salt refill for quite a while and some salt crystals had grown on the underneath of the screw cap that allows access to the water softener, obscuring the clear plastic window...the plot thickens.
Please help - I'd very much appreciate a reply.
Thanks.

 

[cmother1]

Hi - our machine had exactly the same symptoms when it was dying. The problem was that the water level was too low - either pumping out too much or not letting enough in. My solution was to chuck in 1 to 2 litres of water at several stages in the cycle to keep it topped up, but timing was critical. Please see //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=88593 below for what I found after I'd bought a new machine. Could be you have the same problem.

 

[FrustratedBoschOwner]

Thanks for your reply cmother1,
Having sat and watched the dishwasher through most of 1 cycle I'm getting more baffled...at times the top spray arm performs properly, chucking out loads of water, while the lower arm stays in exactly the same position, motionless with no water coming out...and later on in the cycle the bottom arm chucks out loads of water while the top arm stays motionless.
I don't know if it's supposed to behave in this way...seems to defy logic.
Perhaps there's a valve somewhere that diverts the water pressure from the circulating pump into one, or other, or both tubes that feed the arms?
The water level seems ok to me - it covers the large mesh filter that fits over the sump and adding a few pints of water don't seem to make any difference.
Any thoughts?

 

[cmother1]

Hmmm... I didn't even realise that the arms were fed separately! This impaired cleaning seems to be a TDT ('they do that') of Bosch machines. It's happened to me, my mate, you, and countless others on this forum. You'd think we'd have a definitive answer to it by now.
I can only suggest you take off the L/H side panel (see instructions in page 2 of //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=88593 ) and see if anything looks gunked up. If your water softening isn't working right you could have the same sort of problem as I did.

 

[FrustratedBoschOwner]

Thanks for your latest reply.

I wonder if there is a Bosch technician out there that might offer a solution.

The machine washed quite well last night but only the top arm was rotating...still, gravity helped to wash the stuff in the bottom tray apart from the insides of pans. I wonder how it will do tonight?

I think the problem is either related to a micro switch malfunction or a gunk blockage...probably the latter as I don't think the water softener is functioning at the moment. I'll have to investigate when I get time to strip the thing.

Cheers for now!

 

[rocks1]

diverter on heater box faulty. total strip down new heater 100 quid

 

[FrustratedBoschOwner]

Thanks rocks1,

You sound very knowledgeable about these machines...so this diverter is responsible for diverting water flow to either one or both arms...is this an electrical device/micro switch??

Also, how can I tell if my water softener is kaput...I mentioned in an earlier post that salt crystals had formed on the inside of the clear plastic window on the screw cap...the water is very salty - I sampled it today!

Cheers and thanks again for your diagnosis.

 

[rocks1]

softner units never go they are surposed to be salty all they do is take the iron out off the water they are normally a rusty colour ,the diverter is a small elec unit on the heater box .its a pig of a job to do even for a expert totall strip down of door and tank /seals out, takes me about 1 .30 mins to do , not nice at all to do .

 

[rocks1]

http://www.espares.co.uk/product.as...edium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affiliate+window

 

[FrustratedBoschOwner]

Thank you rocks1 for your latest replies - I understand more now about how this operates, particularly interesting to see the 2 outlets on the unit as these no doubt marry up to the sump and the interior pipework for the 2 arms.

Last night we got a satisfactory wash using the hottest auto programme. I think our problems are most noticeable on the eco programme and the quick wash programme - this ties in with the faulty diverter I presume?

Given your comments about the repair I think I'll get an expert in to repair it.

Anyone else with similar problems will now be much better informed - thank you again for your contribution to this thread - much appreciated.

Cheers for now.

 

[Paul740]

Hi I have exactly the same problem. All works fine on the auto wash. was it the diverter valve?