Indesit dishwasher DFG 15B1 lower spray arm not spinning

[Muttontop]

Hi I’m new to this forum but I have been having trouble with my dishwasher lower spray arm. The top arm is spinning but not the bottom one. I’ve had the recirculating pump out and checked to make sure it is working, it is spinning when 240v is applied and that the impeller has not come loose but that all seems to be fine. The spray arm is clean and water flows through it easily. The y shaped pipe that feeds both the upper and lower arms is clear in both branches and I can pass a screwdriver through the lower arm branch so it can be seen inside the dishwasher indicating that this passage is clear. I can see no reason why the lower arm should not spin unless there is something mechanical closing over when the machine is powered up in between the y shaped distribution tube and the lower arm. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

[electrofix]

this seems a simple dishwasher but you have not given me enough info to narrow it down to less than 10 units

when you test for the bar turning are you putting dishes in?

some units rely on the water jets hitting the plates to push them round

Dave

[Muttontop]

Thanks for the quick response Dave, I’ve tried with both the diswasher empty and full, nothing seems to work. The arm sometimes seems to start to spin (when I’ve tried to check this by noting the position of the arm on starting a cycle and then opening the door during it sometimes the arm has moved slightly other times it hasn’t) but I can see the top arm slowing as the water pressure drops as the door is opened. Is there some kind of mechanism in between the lower spray arm and recirculating pump that could be causing this problem as that is all I can think of that may be causing this problem? I can’t see anything and it looks like a clear and unobstructed path between the pump and the spray arm. Don’t understand why the top spray arm is working but not the bottom one. If you need further information could you let me know what you need as I can’t think of anything else I can add that will clarify the situation. I’m relying on the forums expertise to solve this riddle.
Thanks
Steve

[electrofix]

some have a diverter valve or a half load valve but would need all the numbers off the label to narrow it down to one model

Dave

[electrofix]

well nothing i can see
check both bars for splits on the seams
check water height. in fact if it looks a bit low add a pint and see if it helps

check filters and bascically anything that can slow water flow

Dave

[Muttontop]

Thanks Dave for your suggestions, checked all that you suggested, even added another pint of water but still the spray arm not rotating. There must be something restricting the flow but I sure as hell can’t see it!!!! Anybody else any suggestions where I might look? Looking at it I cannot see any conceivable reason why the arm shouldn’t rotate, it spins freely enough when I spin it so wouldn’t take much water pressure to rotate it. There must be something kicking in when I power it up or something being forced to block the feed under pressure because there is no obstruction at all when the dish washer is not running.
Anybody any help please.

[electrofix]

pics only seem to be thumbnails so cant see it properly

its not something i have ever removed before

Dave

[Muttontop]

Site won’t let me upload original sized photo so I’ve had to reduce the size of the photo but still too large, needs to be less than 9KB for some reason. Obviously still too small, is there a way around this?

[electrofix]

you need to host on an external site and post a public link

Dave

[Muttontop]

Usually fairly OK with IT but not sure what that means, could you explain please?

[electrofix]

most picture sites you can use for storing pictures offer a sharing facility

google photos is one

you can upload to google photos and that can store you pics in case you lose them. As well as this you have the option to share either an album or single photos by posting a public link. Without this link your photos are secure behind a password protected site

Dave

[Muttontop]

Thanks Dave, I’ll give it a try.

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