Grinding Noise Partway Through the Wash
| Reading | Likely cause | Owner check | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crunching or grinding; glass or a fruit stone found in the filters | A hard piece slipped past the filters and is being churned by the pump | Power off; with gloves on, lift the filters out and look, but reach no deeper | $190–$380Dishwasher pump or control |
| A steady knock in time with the spray, dishes rattling | A spray arm striking a pan handle or tall tray on every turn | With the racks loaded, turn each spray arm a full circle by hand | Quoted after the diagnosis |
| A low growl that gets a little louder week by week | The wash motor wearing out | Nothing to try; note when in the cycle it starts and when it stops | $190–$380Dishwasher pump or control |
| A rattle from the cabinet sides rather than inside the tub | The machine has worked loose in its opening | Look for a gap along the top edge; leave the brackets alone | Quoted after the diagnosis |
A grinding or rattling noise starts partway through the wash. Something caught in the pump, a spray arm catching, or a worn motor.
Something hard in the sump, or something worn
Row one is the harsh one: an uneven crunch that comes and goes as something hard is thrown about. Broken glass is the usual culprit. Viking’s loading advice keeps glasses leaning on the rack rather than on each other, because the force of the water can knock them together hard enough to break, and a sliver that passes the filters ends up with the pump. Fruit stones and small bones do the same. The band applies only if the pump is damaged; a piece that comes out cleanly needs no part.
The second row is a knock, regular as a clock, because a spray arm hits the same thing on every turn: a pan handle hanging through the lower rack, or a tray standing too tall. Viking’s own troubleshooting asks you to turn both arms by hand before starting, to be sure they spin freely.
Row three takes weeks to show itself. A growl that keeps growing, with clean filters and free arms, points at the wash motor on its way out. It goes on washing for a while, which is why it tends to be lived with. That is pump-or-control band work.
The last row is a Tacoma one. Kitchens redone inside the older houses of the North End and Proctor do not always leave a square opening, and Viking’s installation guide wants the machine fastened to the cabinetry. One that has shaken loose rattles against the cabinet sides, not inside the tub; say so when you book.
Owner checks, in this order
- Stop the cycle and cut the power at the dishwasher's breaker before reaching toward the tub floor.
- Wearing gloves, lift the filter set out and shine a light down the hole it sat in. A shard or stone lying loose on top can come out; anything deeper stays for the visit.
- Load the lower rack the way you usually do, then turn each spray arm through a full circle by hand. Move whatever it touches.
- Refit every filter before the next run, since Viking says never to wash without them, and listen at the point in the cycle where the noise began.
- Stop there. Anything past these checks means panels off or gas and wiring, and that is the $89 visit from Viking Repair Tacoma: (206) 472-1140.
Asked about this one
Can I run it once more to see if the noise has gone?
Once, with the filters cleared and back in place, is a fair test. Stay close for the first part of the wash. A grind that returns means the piece sits below where an owner can reach, and each run wears the pump against it. Leave it off and call Viking Repair Tacoma, (206) 472-1140.