The short answer
On the TDQR line, dishes that come out gritty, filmed or still wet are almost always a water-delivery problem rather than a failed machine: something is stopping hot water reaching every surface at pressure. On this page the filter and the spray arms come first, because between them they explain most loads that come out dirty. Work from the water path inwards — filter, arms, fill, temperature — before anything is suspected of being broken.
What you are seeing on the TDQR line
- A white film or cloudiness on glassware — A detergent or water-temperature problem rather than a spray one; it builds over many cycles.
- The top rack comes out dirty and the bottom rack clean — The upper spray arm is not turning or not being fed — a classic split that names the fault by itself.
- NEAR MISS — dirty dishes plus standing water in the bottom — That is a drainage fault, and it belongs on the drainage page: dirty water left in the tub gets pumped back over the load.
Causes, most likely first on the TDQR line
- The filter and sump are loaded with debris — Ranked first on the TDQR line because it is the one part of the machine designed to be cleaned by the owner, and a blocked filter recirculates the same soil over the load. It takes no tools and is done in minutes.
- A spray arm is blocked, or is not free to turn — Blocked jets and a fouled bearing both reduce coverage rather than pressure, so the load comes out unevenly clean. Check that nothing on the racks is fouling the sweep.
- Loading, detergent or rinse aid — Tall items block the upper arm and the detergent door; old detergent has lost its enzymes; an empty rinse-aid reservoir shows up as wet plastics. All three are free to correct.
- The incoming water is not hot enough to dissolve detergent — Last, but it is the answer to filming that no amount of cleaning parts will fix.
Check in this order, and why that order
- First — lift the filter out and rinse it — Twist the cylinder free, take the coarse screen with it and rinse both under a hot tap. Look in the sump for glass, labels and seeds while it is open.
- Then — spin each spray arm by hand and look at the jets — They should turn freely with no drag. Clear blocked jets with a cocktail stick and check nothing on the racks catches the sweep.
- Only then — reload the racks and check the detergent — Nothing tall in front of the detergent door, nothing nested, and detergent from an opened packet that is still fresh. Top up the rinse aid while you are there.
- STOP here if the next check needs a panel off or a meter on live terminals — Everything above can be done with nothing dismantled; past it the checks need test equipment.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing the kick plate or the inner door panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and the control and heater terminals sit within reach of standing water. Close the supply shut-off under the sink before disturbing any fitting, and never reach into the sump while the machine is powered: the chopper and the drain impeller start without warning.
Where the owner job ends
Call when the arms turn freely, the filter is clean and the fill is full and the load still comes out dirty — at that point the circulation pump or the diverter is the candidate and both are behind the tub. On the TDQR line, call rather than continue if the sump has to come out. Call sooner if the machine trips the breaker, if there is water under the kick plate, or if you can smell burning during the dry phase.
Other faults covered for the TDQR line
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
