Stumped on Dishwasher inlet valve

Greetings,
I have a GE QuietPower 2 model GLD5800L00WW, 6 years old. The other day I wasn’t getting enough water into the washer for it to clean anything. At the start of the cycle, I could hear the inlet valve open and let some water in for about 30 seconds, but it wouldn’t let enough water into the washer to power the jets, etc.

So I removed the water inlet valve, thinking it was clogged. The filter in this model is some kind of white plastic screen inside the valve that can’t be removed (although it seems to move up and down for some reason I don’t understand), so I blasted it with compressed air. There was a few very small chucks of something in there, but not much. I also ran about 3 buckets of water through the supply line – there was quite a few small black particles initially, then the last bucket was clean. I ran a rise cycle and it worked – I could hear the full water flow and everything. Thinking it was fixed, I ran a regular wash cycle – about halfway through I knew I couldn’t hear the water swishing around anymore and sure enough my problem had returned.
Here’s some links to what my valve looks like:

http://www.appliance-parts-experts.com/WD15X10011-valve.html

http://www.appliance-parts-experts.com/assets/images/WD15X10011-valve.jpg

I appreciate any advice – is it possible some debris has gotten past the filter and prevents the valve from fully opening? I can hear some water flow through there at the start of the cycle, just not enough to fill the washer. I’d hate to drop money on a new valve if there is still some way I can fix this.

Thanks much!
Steve

Your best bet is to replace the valve.

The valve could be malfunctioning. The timer could be malfunctioning. Or the water level switch could be turning the valve off to soon. Don't change anything until you know exactly what is happening.

Check that the wiring is good. While the value is in the open mode trying to fill up, wiggle the spade lugs at the value. There might be a iffy crimp causing the problem. Also, I checked the diagram of your model, there is a float-switch inside the tub that is wired in series with the water valve. When the water reaches a certain level, the float rises and opens the circuit to prevent overfilling. Check this switch (electrically), that the float is clear and free, and be sure it is dropping back down to close the switch. If you have a volt meter, check the voltage at the valve while its failing. If there is no voltage, check the float switch. If still no voltage it could be the timer.