How to Replace a Dishwasher Door Cable

A perfectly operating dishwasher door should stay open, if you are finding that this is not the case and the door falls down then you could be on the receiving end of a faulty or damaged door cable.

Most integrated dishwashers allow you to fit a decor door, this is ideal to help it fit in place with your kitchens units. Due to the varying weights of decor doors dishwashers include these cables which can be adjusted to counterbalance the weight when the door is open.

This guide will help you through the replacement process for integrated dishwashers...but if you find that your dishwasher is not an exact match to the one in the video don’t worry because the process should be very similar.

This video shows an example on how to remove or replace the part on a typical machine, some models may be different but the procedure should be similar.

Safety First! Please ensure that you have disconnected the appliance from the mains before starting any repair.

Caution: Due to the sharp edges exposed we suggest suitable Safety Gloves are worn to help prevent injury when carrying out this repair.

To begin - with the dishwasher removed from its cavity you can undo the side panel - this will be held together by screws and undoing them will release the side panel.

With the side panel out of the way you should now see the tensioning cable.

If the cable is extremely tight before removing it from the spring you will need to loosening it. This is when an allen key comes in handy - on the top there will be an adjuster, turning this with the allen key will loosen the cable making it easier and safer to disconnect it from the spring.

Once the cable is loose close the door and you can then unhook the spring - simply lift the spring off its pivot and you can easily unhook the cable from the spring.

With the spring removed you can move the cable away from around the pegs which fix  the cable in place.

With installing the new cable you need to begin by passing the cable underneath the adjuster - remember those pegs? The new cable needs to be hooked onto them - once connected the cable goes around the adjuster and then round the second peg.

Now over the edge and then hook the cable to the spring all before attaching it to the lower pivot. 

Now with the cable connected to the spring and the spring attached to the pivot you can now refit and fix the side panel.

However before you do that ensure that the cable is tight enough which you can do using the allen key (this of course only applies if you had to loosen the cable originally).

With the side panel reattached and secure you can now fit the dishwasher back into its original location.

There you go! You have successfully replaced the door cable for your dishwasher. The benefit of performing this job is to save you money on an expensive call out or stopped the purchase of a new appliance. 

Don’t forget to give you dishwasher a good clean

If this has given you the bug to fix up more appliances throughout your home - then we recommend to take a look at our other advice articles to give you the knowledge needed to become the hero of your home.