How to Replace Your Maytag Dishwasher’s Outer Door Panel

Sometimes your dishwasher needs a cosmetic fix. The outer door panel can be scratched, dulled, or bent after a few years of use. While this damage won’t immediately impact your dishwasher, it starts to add up. But you can replace your dishwasher’s outer door panel without having to replace the whole machine. Order replacement part #6-917696 for a mew stainless steel outer panel for your Maytag or Whirlpool machine. Then follow these steps.

Whenever you’re making repairs to a major appliance, turn off the power first. This keeps you and the surrounding area safe. During this repair, you will need to uninstall the dishwasher, so unplugging the dishwasher is more than just a safety step. You will also need to turn off the water supply by turning the hot water valve under the sink.

First, disconnect the fill line at the hot water valve. Loosen the clamp with a wrench and then by hand. Lay the end of the hose on a towel to prevent drips and water damage.

Next, disconnect the drain hose. It’s the hose that runs from the dishwasher to at or near the sink’s garbage disposal. Loosen the clamp, wiggle the line free, and set the free end on the towel.

After that, remove the screws connecting the dishwasher to the underside of the countertop. Open the door at a forty-five-degree angle and carefully wiggle a few inches forward. Then you can grab the lip of the body to pull it completely out from under the cabinets.

Start by loosening the bottom hinge springs on either side. Then pull the door open and carefully set it down. Hold it the whole way down because there are no longer springs to control it.

Next, remove the screws around the interior perimeter of the inner door. Hold up the inner door panel at an angle and locate the wire harness connected to the vent assembly. Pry the wire harness out; it will be the one with two black wires and one purple wire. Then disconnect the wire harness with one brown and one black wire near the dispenser.

Once the wires are disconnected, lift the inner door panel complete free. Set it aside.

After that, remove the three screws holding the control panel in place. Set aside the cover and start disconnecting the ribbon cable. The small white panel on top of the ribbon will slide forward toward the ribbon. This unlocks the wires so you can pull the ribbon away.

Lift both the control panel and the door latch assembly free of their positions and set them on the middle of the door. Then loosen the screws securing the outer control panel to the top of the outer door panel. Hold it as you’re loosening it so it doesn’t fall. Then pull it free from the door and set it aside.  Put the cover on the control panel to protect the wires.

Loosen the green grounding wire attached to the door hinge

Then remove the foam seal at the bottom of the door panel. Carefully pull it free from the door panel without letting it rip. Move the door latch assembly and control panel into the body of the machine, out of the way. Do the same with the layer of insulation.

Remove the door. The hinges are perpendicular arms that stick out at the bottom of the door, so you need to do a lot of maneuvering to free them from the tabs and pins locking them in place. Start by lifting the door at a slight angle to free it from the vertical tabs then lift the whole door slightly up to free the hinges from the hinge pins. Once there are no further obstacles, carefully swing the door until it’s almost closed and then pull the door towards you until the hinges are completely free.

Set the door on a flat, protected surface so nothing gets scratched.

First, loosen the screws holding the hinges in place. There are two per hinge.

Reattach the hinges to the new outer door panel by lining the holes in the frame up with the holes in the hinges to secure the screws. Repeat with the other hinge.

Install the outer door. Slide the hinges along the exterior of the dishwasher’s frame above the hinge pins. Then lower the door onto the hinge pins. Lower the door so the hinges hook back around the tabs.

Hold the exterior control panel in position and retighten the screws securing it in place.

Lower the insulation. Push the edges under the frame along the perimeter, and push the bottom foam seal into position. Then pull the ribbon cable through the slit in the insulation.

Carefully lift up the door latch assembly and control panel from inside the machine and put them into position. Make sure the assemblies line up with the tabs and hooks that help secure them in place. Then shift the group of wires closer to the grounding screw and tighten the green grounding wire in place.

Retighten the two screws that hold the internal control panel in place above the box. Open up the cover and slide the ribbon cable back into the control board. Make sure it’s seated straight and then pull the white collar back into place to tighten the ribbon. Close the box.

Reattach the inner door. Slide the metal tabs at the bottom into the matching slots in the frame of the machine. Then carefully lower the top of the inner door until it’s only at a slight angle.

Now, reconnect the two wire harnesses. The first wire harness, with black and brown wires, connects to the dispenser. The second wire harness, with two black wires and one purple wire, connects to the vent system. Then lower the inner door all the way. Make sure it aligns with the screw holes.

Retighten the screws that hold the inner door panel against the rest of the assembly. Use the shorter screws down the vertical sides and the longer ones along the top near the control panel for the best grip.

Close the door.

Reattach the springs by wrapping the spring cable around the roller and securing the white plastic link onto the hook at the end of the hinge arm. Do this with both sides of the machine.

Push the machine partially back under the countertop. Next, pull the wires and hose through the hole until most of their lengths are under the sink. Then push the dishwasher in the rest of the way and pull the cord and hoses fully under the sink.

Next, reattach the drain line and the hot water line. Make sure the clamps are fully tightened. Then resecure the dishwasher to the underside of the countertop. Turn on the water and plug the appliance in.

Go to Dan Marc Appliance for more troubleshooting tips and repair guides. You can also contact us here to schedule an appointment with a trained technician for appliance repairs.