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If your Frigidaire dishwasher is not starting and you notice the lights blinking, try the helpful solutions below to get it up and cleaning your dishes again.
Frigidaire dishwasher not starting lights blinking – What to try to fix your dishwasher
Frigidaire dishwasher lights blinking (Not starting)?
The flashing light is simply as a diagnostic tool to notify you there’s an issue that needs your attention….In summary, check the door latch (ensure it’s closed fully), the control panel(it may have a problem), or if there’s an error code the appliance displays (occasionally the lights will blink simultaneously with a fault code that tells you what’s the issue is)..It may just need a quick reset of the electronics too.
If you’re having persistent trouble starting a Frigidaire Dishwasher (Frigidaire dishwasher 3 lights blinking or specific light pattern keep flashing annoyingly), you may want to try these fixes:
Reset the dishwasher
When the lights are just flashing and your Frigidaire dishwasher won’t start, try to reset the unit first- resetting it to defaults often does the trick.
So, how do you reset the flashing light on a Frigidaire dishwasher?
Simply unplug it or flip the breaker off and wait a couple of minutes (ex. 5 minutes) before powering it back up.
You can now restart your dishwasher and attempt to select a new wash cycle.
Quick Tip: Try to cycle the breaker a few times if it does not get going the first time- sometimes it takes more than one shot to successfully reset the appliance.
Make sure the door is shut good
Just a reminder- make sure the door is shut properly before pressing the start button and see if it will react and finally start.
Super basic yes but there is no point trying complex repairs only to find out much later- and to your annoyance- that the problem was coming up because the door was not shutting tight.
Try to enter error mode or service mode
The other thing you can try if you are still struggling with the Frigidaire dishwasher flashing error when you seek to start it is switching to diagnostic/service mode.
This mode may indicate (by displaying an error code) what is the real meaning of the flashing lights.
You will certainly want to check the service manual for the description of the flashing light error codes.
Fix the control panel (and the touch pad)
The issue could be caused by a problem with the control panel. Try the following (if you feel confident enough to have a crack at control panel repair on your own):
- Open the control panel area via the front panel and clean corrosion off the ribbon cable connectors (check the cable going to the touchpad). Also, be sure to tighten all the connections (the culprit could be a bad connection to the panel).
- Replace the control panel- on occasion, the entire panel is broken and needs to be replaced for the unit to start working again.
Quick Tip: In some cases, both the control panel and touch pad must be changed out to get rid of the problem.
Frigidaire dishwasher flashing lights wont start – the start light blinks then no lights
The other situation that some users experience is the start light button blinking then the lights seeming to go off.
You can try the following (remember it is recommended that you should always start your Frigidaire dishwasher blinking lights troubleshooting by resetting the appliance):
- Take off the control panel.
- Inspect the dishwasher’s latch switch connections – they might be burnt or otherwise damaged.
- Next, pull them loose (from the switch) and use jumper wires (black to black and white to white) to bypass the switch.
Test if it will fire up and run now.
Frigidaire dishwasher not starting lights blinking – troubleshooting related faults
Frigidaire dishwasher all three lights blinking
Reset the dishwasher and if no luck, run diagnostic mode (to know what the 3 blinking lights truly mean).
READ: Frigidaire dishwasher diagnostic mode (How to enter)
Frigidaire dishwasher not starting , Start light flashing
Take the dishwasher apart (search for a YouTube video to guide you).
Check if everything is properly seated.
For example, you may find the PCB board improperly seated when you take the appliance apart leading to communication problems between the buttons and the board.
To solve the issue, re-seat the PCB board properly.
Check around and see if any other part may be dislodged and make sure you have fitted it the correct way.
You can now try to start a new cycle and see if the dishwasher will respond normally.
Frigidaire dishwasher wont start lights on (it does absolutely nothing on pushing start button)
For this issue, first try to reset it.
If this does not bear fruit, proceed with the following troubleshooting procedures:
- Try to press and hold the Cancel button and Hi Temp for about 4 seconds.
- Next, advance through the test by pressing the Start button until it won’t advance or goes blank.
- Now try to start a cycle.
In the event you are yet to succeed, check the door switch – though not very common, it could be the door switch (maybe one-half of the 2 switches in the door switch are not working).
You want to remove the switch then get your multimeter out and test the switch for continuity on both terminals while pressing the switch.
Needless to say, it should have continuity on both so replace the switch if this is not the case.
Oh, and don’t forget that your safety comes first so unplug the dishwasher/ flip off the circuit breaker to the dishwasher before taking anything apart/testing anything.
Quick Tip: The door switch is around $25-$40 and it’s extremely easy to repair. Remember to check your model # before ordering for the part online.
Frigidaire dishwasher not starting lights blinking – frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Why is my Frigidaire dishwasher lights blinking?
There are many possible reasons…a part such as the whole control panel may be fried or there could be a general system fault that needs to be sorted (the lights flash as a way of alerting you).
Why is my Frigidaire dishwasher not starting?
Check if power is coming into the unit first and if it is, confirm if the door is latched tight.
Other issues to check include a tray not being pushed in completely.
Oh, and your owners manual could have more tips..
I’ve read all of these comments and still can’t find my solution. When I select a cycle and then press the start button, it just continues flashing and never says “close” any more. Then I shut the door and then a few seconds later it just shuts off. I replaced the electrical board and then I replaced the entire control panel because and neither one of those worked. It shouldn’t have to do with any of the door latches because usually when I press start the control panel says to close before you shut the door.. Any ideas?
Check your door switches my only thought