The dishwasher error code I've been missing for years

I had a call last Tuesday for a KitchenAid that was stopping mid cycle and throwing an F8E4 code. Looked it up in my manual, checked everything water related, still couldn't figure it out. Then I stumbled across a forum post mentioning that code can actually mean the turbidity sensor is dirty, not just a water fill issue. Popped the sump cover off and found it caked with hard water scale from some house in Phoenix that never softened their water. Cleaned it with some CLR and the thing ran perfect. Anyone else ever had a code that turned out to mean something totally different than the manual says?

3 comments

3 Comments

milesbarnes3d ago

Man that F8E4 on KitchenAids is a nightmare, I had a similar thing happen with a Whirlpool throwing a long drain code that turned out to be a corroded wire on the float switch. I spent like three hours checking pumps and hoses before I saw a random YouTube comment saying to wiggle that harness. The manuals are just too generic sometimes, you gotta rely on trial and error from other techs.

kai8393d ago

Swapped the harness on a similar model last month and it fixed the exact same code, those connectors just get brittle over time. @milesbarnes you're dead on about the float switch wiring too I had a GE that acted the same way and it was just a loose pin in the connector. These machines are all about chasing down bad connections once you get past the obvious stuff.

shane1703d ago

Wiggle that harness. Classic. Sounds about right for these brands. I'm convinced half the service manuals are written by someone who's never actually touched the machine.