Count the blinks between the pauses
Watch one full repetition without touching anything. Count the flashes, note which light is flashing, and wait for the pause to confirm the group repeats. Write down both the count and the light. A machine that flashes a different count on the next repetition is not reporting a code at all, and that is useful information too.
What you find
- A programme light flashing in a repeating group — This is a code being reported, and the count is the code.
- The machine stops part way with the light flashing — It failed a step, and the flashing names which one.
- Water left standing in the base at the end — A drain fault, and it is what a great many of these patterns turn out to mean.
- The machine will not respond to any button while flashing — Normal in a fault state; the pattern must usually be cleared before anything else happens.
- Lights flashing with no obvious pattern or pause — Not a code. Treat it as a supply or control disturbance instead.
- NEAR MISS: a light pulsing slowly during a delay start — That is a delay indication and not a fault at all.
Ranked for a coded dishwasher
- A drain restriction — First. The filter and the drain path collect food debris continuously, and a drain step that times out is by a wide margin the most commonly reported pattern.
- A fill restriction — Second. A closed supply valve or a blocked inlet screen means the machine never reaches its level, so it stops and reports.
- The door latch not confirming — Third. The machine will not run a heated wash with a door it cannot confirm, and a worn latch is common on an appliance opened twice a day.
- The control board — Last. Boards do fail, and they are ordered far more often than they fail because nobody read the blink pattern first.
Read the code, then clear the easy causes
- Watch a full repetition and write the count down — Without this the rest is guesswork, and it costs one minute of attention.
- Clean the filter in the base of the tub — The top cause, reachable without tools on most of these machines.
- Check the supply valve under the sink is fully open — The second cause, equally free, and frequently disturbed by other work.
- Close the door firmly and listen for the latch to engage — The third cause, and a latch that needs a push is already failing.
Owner steps
- Watch one full flashing group and count it, then wait and confirm the count repeats — A confirmed, repeating count is a code. A varying one is not.
Tools: notepadAbout 10 min
- Take out the lower basket and lift out the filter assembly in the base — Most drain faults are resolved here, and no tools are needed on the majority of models.
Tools: glovesAbout 20 min
- Rinse the filter and clear the sump of debris by hand — Check the sump as well as the filter; glass fragments and labels collect there.
Tools: glovesAbout 15 min
- Check the supply valve under the sink is fully open and the hose is not kinked — A part-closed valve after other plumbing work is a very common cause of a fill fault.
Tools: flashlightAbout 10 min
- STOP before the door harness, the kick panel or the junction box is opened — Mains voltage sits next to standing water there, and that is the boundary.
Before the base is opened
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; prefer the breaker, because the socket is usually inside a cabinet that may be wet. Watch for glass and metal fragments when clearing a sump by hand. Leave the door switch wired exactly as the factory fitted it, and stop at once if you smell burning or find water under the machine.
When to call
Call if the same pattern returns with a clean filter, an open supply valve and a firmly closing door. Call immediately for a burning smell, a breaker that trips, or water standing under the appliance. Give the technician the blink count and which light was flashing: on these machines that pair is the diagnosis.
Nearest pages of this class
Scope
Written for the Frigidaire dishwasher class rather than one model line. Blink tables, filter designs and console layouts differ by family, and the meaning of a particular count belongs on the page for your specific machine.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
