2 things,
1 - check your spray arms for plugged holes
2 - stop using powder or gel detergents and go to one of the tab or packet type enzyme detergents. The powders and gels just can't do the job anymore since they removed phosphates from the detergent. The tabs, like Finish Power Ball, Quantum, or Cascade Complete packs have enzymes that clean the dishes.

Insufficient spray can also be caused by a clogged pump ... paper labels, plastic wrap, glass and bone fragments, fibrous food debris can clog the chopper screen.

Also the screen in the water inlet valve can get clogged with mineral deposits, sand, or other bits of debris in the water supply. Dishwashers are timed-fill (with a few brand/model exceptions), depending on sufficient household water pressure and flow-volume to reach the operating water level within the allotted fill time.

My 1.5 yr-old KitchenAid dw has the same problem, and we bought the top-of-the-line model. The repairman replaced the control board and it worked well for a while, but this problem occurred so infrequently that it is difficult to determine if the problem was never fixed, or if it is an issue with another control board. I went back to the powdered detergent, thinking perhaps the tablets were the issue, but it happened again today. I "googled" this problem today, and we are not the only ones with this issue! I do not want to spend another $1600 for a new dishwasher. Have you resolved your problem?? (I hope!)

The only time I've seen the dishwasher tablet not dissolve is if the lid on the detergent container opens prematurely. This can happen if a large plate (or griddle pan, etc.) is placed in front, near where that soap container is. In washing, it can then flop against the container repeatedly, opening that door early.

If that's the problem, then needinfo1's solution should fix this.

I have a KitchenAid Architect dishwasher that is about 8 years old and if I put something like a cutting board, or large pot cover on the bottom rack in front of where the door is for the soap dispenser, the dispenser door will pop open during the cycle, but the soap will not disolve because I imagine that the cutting board or whatever is blocking the water from getting to the soap packet. We use Cascade Action packs.

It will either be that something is blocking water from hitting the dispenser, or that 'stuff' has accumulated in the bottom where the grinder is and is partially blocking the flow. The first is an easy fix, just move things around. The second requires a Torx driver and some effort at disassembly. The bottom rack comes out, the spray arm, unscrewing the cover, and removing the 'tube' for the upper spray arm. In the few times I've done this, i usually find pieces of broken glass, bone and/or paper. After the clean out and reassembly, it works fine for several months.

I think there are YouTube videos showing how to do the disassembly for a KA and/or Whirlpool unit. Some of these have to do with replacing the pump and whatnot.

Try using less detergent . Fill the dispenser only half full. . I use any and all DW soaps-powder,liquid,tablets, even used "additive" for the rinse aide. Any work fine, but don't overload the dispenser. A level tablespoon of powder or liquid is fine. I had a problem with my Sears Kenmore dishwasher.It's now ten years old. Glasses in the top rack just weren't getting clean. The repairman came, gave everything a good cleaning and told me I was using too much soap (detergent). That was four months ago and my dishes (even glasses in the top rack) are still coming out perfectly clean!

I agree with the posters who suggested that you may be loading in such a way as to block the spray from getting to the detergent. And I also agree with Jannie's post--use less than the manufacturer's recommended amount, whether it's the powder, gel or tablets. I suspect the manufacturers upsize the recommended dosage to sell more detergent. I use Method Smarty Tabs, and break them in half to use a half-tab in each load. I never have residue anywhere, and my dishes and glasses are perfectly clean. One reason I do not like the Finish Powerball tabs is that you can't break them in half.

Also, make sure the water going into the dishwasher is HOT. I always run the faucet at the sink until I am sure the HOT water is brought up thru the house piping. Then turn on the dishwasher.
Agree about using less detergent as well. Especially if your on a softener.

This post is a real education as to what people put in their dishwashers. Griddle pans? Cutting boards? Wow! is all I can say.
And according to a manufacturer I will not mention, they recommended NOT running your hot water before starting the dishwasher, reason being that enzymes clean different things at different temperatures, and need the cooler water to do just that. Having said that, I run my hot water and probably always will.

Do you have a KA with the upper rotating arm on the bottom of the upper rack?

There is a rubber boot that must align with a water 'pipe' stub in the back of the middle of the unit.

Make sure the boot has not slipped off the plastic brackets holding it in position ad that it mates with the plastic nipple at the back.

Thanks, all, but I have tried everything, switching loading procedures so only saucers/small plates are in front of the dispenser, changing to small amount of powder, etc., to no avail. It has even occurred with only the top rack loaded, which is crazy. The water temp is more than hot enough, as measured by the technician, and I left the bottom rack loaded as it was so he could double-check my loading process. I will have to go back to the drawing board.

Wow! Thanks for the helpful info. I have a GE Profile, but was experiencing similar problems. The top rack glasses were not only not getting clean, but the debris from the plates was ending up on them! I took off the spinning arm below the top rack and found it clogged with many things! One appeared to be a rubber pad of some sort, and bits of undisolved detergent tabs. There was a bunch of other gross gunk I got out with a pair of tweezers. I will move on to try the bottom drain, but I'm hopeful that even doing this quick fix will help a lot!

Old thread here, but its comments led to my success in solving my issue.

My detergent door would open, actuator was good, issue was there is a tiny spring that sit in the door on the right hand side when looking down into the dishwasher from outside. My door had previously fallen off, I did not know i was missing a spring. I disasembled the loweer portion of the washer arm assembley and found my spring in there. through trial and error figured out how the spring installed and we are back in business. 2008 model year Kitchen Aid, KUDP02FRBL3

Yes, there are lots of items other than just plates and that you can put in the dishwasher. For the past three or four decades, I have on a regular basis used dishwashers to wash pans, pots, cutting boards, casseroles, Tupperware, plastic and wooden tools, chopsticks, canning jars, cookie sheets, mixer attachments, blender jars, LEGO bricks, keyboard key-caps, and many other things.

Dishwashers are extremely efficient at cleaning. They need fewer resources than hand washing, and they generally get things much cleaner. With few exceptions, they are also pretty gentle. You need to be careful with heat sensitive plastics (if your dishwasher has a heated dry cycle, disable it before washing plastics). You shouldn't wash sharp knives (they'll need resharpening sooner). Seasoned cast iron will lose its seasoning. Aluminum will oxidize (and anodized coatings will wash off). And enameled pots will turn a little more matte rather than staying super shiny. But no other harm done.

Also, if you put exceptionally large objects into the dishwasher (e.g. a roasting pan), you won't be able to pack the dishwasher very efficiently. If that happens, you might find yourself in a situation where hand washing for once uses less resources.

While enzymes work perfectly fine at colder water temperatures, they need less time to work, if the water is hot. The mechanism as to how they work is pretty much unchanged regardless of temperature. The reason they prefer higher temperatures is that catalyzed chemical reactions work much faster as temperature increases; this is true until you reach a temperature that breaks down the catalyst. I don't think that temperature is ever reached in a dishwasher. And enzymes are just bio-catalysts. As a rule of thumb, each 10°C (or 18°F) increase in temperature doubles the reaction speed.

The reasons dishwashers have these super long wash cycles is to give the enzyme plenty of time to work. You might notice how a modern dishwasher doesn't spray water continuously. Instead, it splashes water on the dishes, then waits for the enzyme to do it's thing, and then repeats this process over and over. This a great way to clean, but it does take time.

Dishwashers are sometimes connected to the cold water line and then they use an electric element to heat up the water. This saves energy, if your domestic water heater uses electricity, as you don't need to heat up the water and the pipes going to the dishwasher. If you heat your water with gas, it might or might not be more efficient to connect the dishwasher to the hot water feed. If you are too far away from the water heater, you still waste energy. Modern dishwashers don't use a lot of water. With long runs of pipes, it might not be enough to flush the cold water out of the lines. So, feeding hot water would just be an utter waste of energy.

That's why some manufacturers categorically tell you to always connect to the cold water supply. You won't break anything by sending hot water to the dishwasher; you merely waste energy for no good reason. But if it makes you happy, feel free to continue doing this.