How to Reset Kenmore Dishwasher [Solution]

When your dishwasher stops mid-cycle, it can be frustrating and annoying. There can be various reasons why the dishwasher has stopped working in the middle of a wash cycle,

and the best solution would be to perform a simple reset that will fix most of the issues.

If you have a Kenmore dishwasher, then you can simply reset the Kenmore dishwasher by following the comprehensive guide given below.

How to Reset Kenmore Dishwasher?

You need to perform a reset of your Kenmore Dishwasher if you find out that the dishwasher has stopped working in the middle of a wash cycle,

if you see the lights blinking on the control panel, or if you encounter any other such issues.

The first method of resetting the Kenmore dishwasher is a general method that will work out for most of the Kenmore dishwasher models.

If you have a Kenmore Elite, Kenmore Ultra Wash, Kenmore Quiet Guard, or Kenmore Standard Dishwasher, you can reset it with the first method.

However, if it doesn’t work out, then we have listed how to reset specific models of Kenmore dishwashers below, so check them out as well.

Solution

You need to have a Heated dry button on your dishwasher, if you have this button, then you are good to go, and you can perform a basic reset of the dishwasher. However, if the heated dry button is not available on your dishwasher, then check out other methods.

First of all, power the dishwasher by plugin the cord into the power source.
Wait for a few seconds until the dishwasher gets turned on completely.
After the dishwasher is turned on, press the Heated Dry button on the dishwasher’s control panel, which can be located at the top or on the front of your dishwasher, depending upon the model you have.

After you press the Heated dry button, the dishwasher will restart, so wait a couple of minutes.
After restarting, try to perform a normal wash cycle by pressing the Normal wash button.
Sometimes, the reset doesn’t work for the first time, so press the Heated dry button again and press the Normal wash button again after the restart.

Next, close the door of the dishwasher, and it will start running for a 12-minute wash cycle. It will be a test cycle that will begin right after the reset.
That’s it. You have successfully reset the Kenmore dishwasher.

How to Do a Hard Reset of Kenmore Dishwasher?

The hard reset of the Kenmore dishwasher is applicable for all models of Kenmore dishwashers. Here are the steps to perform a hard reset of Kenmore Dishwashers.

First of all, take out the power cord of the Kenmore dishwasher from the power socket.
After that, you have to wait for at least 30 seconds so that the dishwasher can completely shut down.
After waiting for 30 seconds, plug the power cord into a power outlet.

Let the Kenmore dishwasher turn on, and check if it is working or not.

This is called a hard reset of Kenmore dishwashers. The hard reset lets all the sequence of the wash cycle works properly when you plug the dishwasher again.

How to Do a Heated Dry Reset of Kenmore Dishwasher?

Most of the time, if the Kenmore Dishwasher has some other issues, such as issues related to software or if the wash cycle is stuck, then you need to do a Heated Dry Reset of the Kenmore dishwasher.

To do a Heated Dry reset of the Kenmore dishwasher, you can follow method one, which is listed above. However, for some models of Kenmore dishwashers, the first method doesn’t work, so they can follow this method.

First of all, press the Heated dry button.
Next, press the Normal wash button.

Again, you have to press the heated dry button and then the Normal wash button.
You have to repeat this process a total of 4 times. Please make sure that you don’t press and hold the buttons. Else the method will not work.
After repeating the same steps four times, you have to close the latch on the door, and the dishwasher unit will reset.

If your Kenmore Dishwasher doesn’t have the heated dry button, try this:

There are many old models of Kenmore dishwashers which doesn’t come with a dedicated Heated dry button.

In such cases, you have to try out to reset the dishwasher with different buttons and their combinations.

For instance, you will have to press two or even three buttons simultaneously in some models.

Depending upon the model, the button combination can be different, and here is how you can perform a heated dry reset without the dedicated Heated dry button in Kenmore dishwashers.

First of all, you have to check the outer buttons of your Kenmore dishwasher.
If you have two buttons, then press those two buttons simultaneously and hold them for 3 to 5 seconds.

If you have three buttons, you have to press and hold all those three outer buttons and wait for 3 to 5 seconds.
After that, you have to close and latch the dishwasher door.
Very soon, the test wash cycle will begin in the dishwasher.

After the test cycle is complete, you are ready to use the dishwasher again.

How to Do a Select Cycle Reset of Kenmore Dishwasher?

Some models of the Kenmore dishwasher don’t come with a heated dry reset.

On top of that, some of those models even don’t have the outer buttons to perform a heated dry reset of the dishwasher.

However, those models do have a Select Cycle button which allows you to reset the Select Cycle of the Kenmore dishwashers.

The Kenmore 13802 model is one of those models which doesn’t have the Heated dry button, so you can perform the Select Cycle Reset for Kenmore 13802 and other such models to fix the issues.

In the Select Cycle Reset, you would require to press some particular series of buttons.

On some models, you would require to press a total of 3 buttons, but in the Kenmore 13802, you would require to press a total of 3 buttons.

You can try and test out this method two to three times and check out which one works out for you.

After pressing the three buttons, you will also need to press a 4th button which will start the reset process of the Kenmore dishwasher.

First of all, press the series of three buttons in the sequence. You need to press the “1-2-3” buttons at least 3 times.
After that, press the 4 buttons to initiate the reset process.
Make sure the Kenmore dishwasher is connected to a power source and turned on.

After that, click on the Select Cycle option and choose the Heated dry option from the menu.
Now, you have to repeat the process: Select Cycle and then choose the Heated dry option.
You have to do it 2 to 3 times, and once all the lights of the dishwasher turn on, you can stop repeating the process.

Once the lights are on, press the Cancel / Drain button on the dishwasher to start the test wash cycle.
Make sure you press the buttons in sequence without taking a break in between. Also, make sure that the dishwasher door is closed and latched so that the test cycle can begin right after the reset process starts.

How to Reset Pot and Pan Wash of Kenmore Dishwasher?

If you have tried heated dry reset and the Select Cycle Reset option with the Kenmore dishwasher, and none of them worked for you,

then you should try resetting the Pot and Pan wash of the Kenmore dishwasher and it might fix the issue.

The Pot and Pan reset is highly likely to work for you if the other reset option doesn’t work. Below you can find out the Pot and Pan Wash reset guide for Kenmore dishwashers.

First of all, find out the four-cycle option in your Kenmore dishwasher.

When you have successfully found the four-cycle option, press the Pot and Pan option.
Next, you have to press on the Normal wash and then the one-hour wash option.
Now, you have to repeat the sequence two times more.

When you see all the lights are turned on, then you can stool repeating the process.
After the lights are turned on, the test wash cycle will begin. Before the test wash cycle begins, make sure you close and latch the door completely.

How Can You Find Error Codes in Kenmore Dishwashers?

The Kenmore dishwasher throws error codes when you have an issue with them.

The error code indicates the issue that is there in the Kenmore dishwashers.

Different issues can signify different error codes.

You have to find out which error code you are getting in your Kenmore dishwasher in order to fix the issue.

This method is the best way to fix any kind of issue you are getting in the Kenmore dishwasher.

Different models can show up the error codes differently.

However, most modern Kenmore dishwasher works the same way as Kenmore Elite dishwashers.

You would require to press the three buttons in sequence in order to get the error code on the LED display of the dishwasher.

Here is how you can find the error codes in Kenmore dishwashers:

First of all, press the three buttons in sequence: ” 1 + 2 + 3 “.

After pressing all the three buttons in the sequence, close and latch the dishwasher door and open it again after 2 seconds.
Now, check the dishwasher LED panel. You should see the error code on the screen.
Every time when you close and latch the door and then open it again, the Kenmore dishwasher will come up with a different code.

You can repeat the process until you get all the relevant error codes on the dishwasher screen.

Kenmore Dishwasher Manual Codes

The Kenmore dishwasher manual codes can help you resolve some issues. Most of these error codes can be fixed, including 1-1 and 1-2, respectively.

Different error codes have different meanings, as per the Kenmore dishwasher manual.

For instance, the Kenmore dishwasher manual error code 1-1 means that there is a problem is a stuck relay.

Moreover, the error code 1-2 will indicate a problem with the main board’s memory.

The majority of these error codes can be fixed with a hard reset, in which you have to keep the machine unplugged for a few seconds or even a couple of minutes sometimes.

When you plug the dishwasher back into the outlet, then you have to use the three-button sequence “1-2-3” in a repeated manner to fix the error code.

If you don’t see the error code anymore on the display of the dishwasher, then that means that the error code has been fixed.

However, if you are still seeing the error code on the screen, then you need to get in touch with a technician and get the Kenmore dishwasher repaired.

Conclusion

So, there is everything you need to know about resetting the Kenmore dishwasher.

Hopefully, you will be able to fix the Kenmore dishwasher just by resetting the dishwasher.

We would advise you to check the Kenmore manual for the error codes to fix other common issues.

Apart from a basic reset, you can check the power cord is intact and that there is no obstruction in between the door.

If the door is completely latched and closed, none of the reset functions will work properly.

The most common issues that the Kenmore dishwasher can throw are the Error code IE, UE, OE, FE, PE, DE, TE, LE, EE, PF, AE, HE, NE, and others.