Why LG Dishwasher Starts And Stops?

LG dishwashers are a set-and-forget type of appliance. Once you push the Start button, the machine will take over and clean your dishes for you. As such, intermittent starting and stopping is not normal behavior, and will require your attention.

Your LG dishwasher starts and stops intermittently when the door latch is problematic, the pump impeller is jammed, or the main control board is faulty. Besides that, LG dishwashers have a known problem of moisture getting into the control panel, causing the machine to behave weirdly.

This problem might seem frustrating at first, but don’t worry. The guide you’ll read below will help you understand what’s going on and what you can do about it.

Starting a new wash cycle should leave your dishwasher running automatically. But if it starts and repeatedly stops even when you do nothing to it, here’s why:

Door Latch Issue

About this: Generally, the door latch on your LG dishwasher serves two purposes. Firstly, it helps to keep the door shut once you’ve closed it. That way, no water from the washing inside will spray onto your kitchen floor.

Secondly, the door latch also sends signals to the appliance’s computer to let it know when it’s safe to operate. So, when the door is closed, the dishwasher will proceed with the cycle as it should.

However, if you open the door mid-cycle, that same latch will tell the machine to stop immediately for safety reasons.

How it causes problems: The door latch experiences a lot of wear and tear, especially after many months and years of being hit by the door as you close it. 

Eventually, the actuators (or switches) in the latch will stop working correctly. As a result, they’ll fail to accurately sense when the dishwasher door is open or closed.

So, your dishwasher behaves the way it does because the latch keeps sending mixed signals to start and stop during the wash cycle.

Fixing it: LG dishwasher door latches don’t fail very often. But when they do, it’s safer to replace the latch with a new one entirely.

In some cases, you could replace the affected actuator (or switch). However, that’s no guarantee that the rest of the latch will function correctly.

So, again, the most practical solution that saves time and effort is to buy a new door latch.

Read: 5 LG Dishwasher Problems You Need To Know

Water In Control Panel

About this: The control panel is how users like you ‘talk’ to the dishwasher. It has several buttons and controls that you can press to tell the dishwasher what settings you prefer and when to start the wash cycle.

Behind the control panel is a printed circuit board that converts your button-pushes into electrical signals for the dishwasher computer to understand.

Seeing as those parts are electrical, the control panel has a moisture barrier to prevent any damage from water or excess moisture.

How it causes problems: LG dishwashers have a known issue regarding their control panels. On several models, the control panel experiences moisture infiltration, meaning water can get into the control panel even when it shouldn’t.

As you can imagine, water on an electronic circuit board can cause many problems. Those problems can lead to your dishwasher showing erratic behaviors, like starting and repeatedly stopping during a wash cycle.

Fixing it: Once water enters a control panel, it’s no longer useful. The longer you keep it, the more problems it will cause.

In this case, you’ll have to contact the seller or manufacturer about control panel replacements. 

Newer LG dishwasher control panels have an improved design with a more effective moisture barrier. So, they don’t have the same moisture infiltration problem as before.

Read: How To Fix LG Dishwasher Which Has No Power?

Jammed Pump Impeller

About this: LG dishwashers rely on two types of pumps to function correctly: the drain pump and the circulation pump. Each has an impeller inside that turns at high speeds to drive water to wherever it’s needed.

For example, the circulation pump will turn its impeller to drive water through the wash arms to clean your dishes. Meanwhile, the drain pump will turn its impeller when it’s time to remove water from the dishwasher and send it down your household drain.

How it causes problems: Your dishwasher has a well-designed filter to prevent hard objects from getting sucked into the circulation and drain pumps. Unfortunately, there’s always a chance that foreign objects like bones or rocks can get through.

When that happens, the hard object will jam the pump’s impeller. As a result, the pump motor will work extra hard to get the impeller to turn again, to the point that it triggers the motor’s overload safety feature.

As a result, that safety feature will stop your dishwasher temporarily. It’ll start and stop intermittently whenever that overload feature is triggered and when the impeller continues to turn.

Fixing it: When a foreign object is stuck inside a pump, you’ll have to inspect the component closely. You can often remove the foreign object from the pump and restore its functionality.

However, you might have to replace the affected pump entirely in severe cases.

Read: How To Fix LE Error Code On LG Dishwasher?

Faulty Main Control Board

About this: The main control board sends and receives electrical signals throughout your LG dishwasher. Once it gets your input to start a new wash cycle, the board will coordinate the wash program from start to finish, leaving you with clean dishes.

The main control board is a printed circuit board (PCB) with components and wires connecting to every other part of the machine. It’s the ‘brain’ of the dishwasher, so any damage or fault here will affect its overall functionality.

How it causes problems: A faulty main control board should be the last thing you troubleshoot in this process. 

Unfortunately, any fault on this board will cause your machine to behave weirdly, like intermittent starting and stopping. The fault could be caused by an electrical problem like a short circuit or overheating. Meanwhile, moisture exposure can also cause the board to fail.

Fixing it: The main control board is a part that lasts as long as the dishwasher does. It doesn’t fail often, but you’ll have to replace the whole board if it does get damaged and causes problems.

Many wires will be connected to the board, so be sure to snap a photo to reference when installing the new one.

Read: How To Reset CL Error Code On LG Dishwasher?

Your LG dishwasher user manual is an excellent reference to use during troubleshooting. Still, here are a few helpful answers to add to it:

You can test your dishwasher control board with a multimeter. A standard multimeter will tell you if the board still has electrical continuity. Besides that, a visual inspection can also be helpful. Damaged boards usually have burn marks or smells.

The control panel is where the user (you) inputs your desired settings into the machine. The board then translates that information into electrical signals that the dishwasher understands. Finally, the main control board is the machine’s brain, receiving and executing your instructions.

Read: What Means NE Error Code On LG Dishwasher?

You can reset your LG dishwasher control panel by disconnecting the power supply for at least a minute. That means removing the plug from the wall socket or shutting off the circuit breaker.

Your LG dishwasher door won’t latch if it’s damaged or misaligned. Typically, the same will also happen if it’s dirty with grease and food bits blocking the way.

When you open the dishwasher door mid-cycle, the door latch will tell the machine to stop what it’s doing. This is done for safety reasons to protect you from injury.

LG dishwashers are a set-and-forget type of appliance. Once you push the Start button, the machine will take over and clean your dishes for you. As such, intermittent starting and stopping is not normal behavior, and will require your attention.

Your LG dishwasher starts and stops intermittently when the door latch is problematic, the pump impeller is jammed, or the main control board is faulty. Besides that, LG dishwashers have a known problem of moisture getting into the control panel, causing the machine to behave weirdly.

This problem might seem frustrating at first, but don’t worry. The guide you’ll read below will help you understand what’s going on and what you can do about it.

Starting a new wash cycle should leave your dishwasher running automatically. But if it starts and repeatedly stops even when you do nothing to it, here’s why:

Door Latch Issue

About this: Generally, the door latch on your LG dishwasher serves two purposes. Firstly, it helps to keep the door shut once you’ve closed it. That way, no water from the washing inside will spray onto your kitchen floor.

Secondly, the door latch also sends signals to the appliance’s computer to let it know when it’s safe to operate. So, when the door is closed, the dishwasher will proceed with the cycle as it should.

However, if you open the door mid-cycle, that same latch will tell the machine to stop immediately for safety reasons.

How it causes problems: The door latch experiences a lot of wear and tear, especially after many months and years of being hit by the door as you close it. 

Eventually, the actuators (or switches) in the latch will stop working correctly. As a result, they’ll fail to accurately sense when the dishwasher door is open or closed.

So, your dishwasher behaves the way it does because the latch keeps sending mixed signals to start and stop during the wash cycle.

Fixing it: LG dishwasher door latches don’t fail very often. But when they do, it’s safer to replace the latch with a new one entirely.

In some cases, you could replace the affected actuator (or switch). However, that’s no guarantee that the rest of the latch will function correctly.

So, again, the most practical solution that saves time and effort is to buy a new door latch.

Read: 5 LG Dishwasher Problems You Need To Know

Water In Control Panel

About this: The control panel is how users like you ‘talk’ to the dishwasher. It has several buttons and controls that you can press to tell the dishwasher what settings you prefer and when to start the wash cycle.

Behind the control panel is a printed circuit board that converts your button-pushes into electrical signals for the dishwasher computer to understand.

Seeing as those parts are electrical, the control panel has a moisture barrier to prevent any damage from water or excess moisture.

How it causes problems: LG dishwashers have a known issue regarding their control panels. On several models, the control panel experiences moisture infiltration, meaning water can get into the control panel even when it shouldn’t.

As you can imagine, water on an electronic circuit board can cause many problems. Those problems can lead to your dishwasher showing erratic behaviors, like starting and repeatedly stopping during a wash cycle.

Fixing it: Once water enters a control panel, it’s no longer useful. The longer you keep it, the more problems it will cause.

In this case, you’ll have to contact the seller or manufacturer about control panel replacements. 

Newer LG dishwasher control panels have an improved design with a more effective moisture barrier. So, they don’t have the same moisture infiltration problem as before.

Read: How To Fix LG Dishwasher Which Has No Power?

Jammed Pump Impeller

About this: LG dishwashers rely on two types of pumps to function correctly: the drain pump and the circulation pump. Each has an impeller inside that turns at high speeds to drive water to wherever it’s needed.

For example, the circulation pump will turn its impeller to drive water through the wash arms to clean your dishes. Meanwhile, the drain pump will turn its impeller when it’s time to remove water from the dishwasher and send it down your household drain.

How it causes problems: Your dishwasher has a well-designed filter to prevent hard objects from getting sucked into the circulation and drain pumps. Unfortunately, there’s always a chance that foreign objects like bones or rocks can get through.

When that happens, the hard object will jam the pump’s impeller. As a result, the pump motor will work extra hard to get the impeller to turn again, to the point that it triggers the motor’s overload safety feature.

As a result, that safety feature will stop your dishwasher temporarily. It’ll start and stop intermittently whenever that overload feature is triggered and when the impeller continues to turn.

Fixing it: When a foreign object is stuck inside a pump, you’ll have to inspect the component closely. You can often remove the foreign object from the pump and restore its functionality.

However, you might have to replace the affected pump entirely in severe cases.

Read: How To Fix LE Error Code On LG Dishwasher?

Faulty Main Control Board

About this: The main control board sends and receives electrical signals throughout your LG dishwasher. Once it gets your input to start a new wash cycle, the board will coordinate the wash program from start to finish, leaving you with clean dishes.

The main control board is a printed circuit board (PCB) with components and wires connecting to every other part of the machine. It’s the ‘brain’ of the dishwasher, so any damage or fault here will affect its overall functionality.

How it causes problems: A faulty main control board should be the last thing you troubleshoot in this process. 

Unfortunately, any fault on this board will cause your machine to behave weirdly, like intermittent starting and stopping. The fault could be caused by an electrical problem like a short circuit or overheating. Meanwhile, moisture exposure can also cause the board to fail.

Fixing it: The main control board is a part that lasts as long as the dishwasher does. It doesn’t fail often, but you’ll have to replace the whole board if it does get damaged and causes problems.

Many wires will be connected to the board, so be sure to snap a photo to reference when installing the new one.

Read: How To Reset CL Error Code On LG Dishwasher?

Your LG dishwasher user manual is an excellent reference to use during troubleshooting. Still, here are a few helpful answers to add to it:

You can test your dishwasher control board with a multimeter. A standard multimeter will tell you if the board still has electrical continuity. Besides that, a visual inspection can also be helpful. Damaged boards usually have burn marks or smells.

The control panel is where the user (you) inputs your desired settings into the machine. The board then translates that information into electrical signals that the dishwasher understands. Finally, the main control board is the machine’s brain, receiving and executing your instructions.

Read: What Means NE Error Code On LG Dishwasher?

You can reset your LG dishwasher control panel by disconnecting the power supply for at least a minute. That means removing the plug from the wall socket or shutting off the circuit breaker.

Your LG dishwasher door won’t latch if it’s damaged or misaligned. Typically, the same will also happen if it’s dirty with grease and food bits blocking the way.

When you open the dishwasher door mid-cycle, the door latch will tell the machine to stop what it’s doing. This is done for safety reasons to protect you from injury.