Details pertain to AWM 328 Whirlpool but may be relevant to other machines. I will echo Ken Baldwin's response and add the following : pay particular attention to the roof of the soap/conditioner docking area, inside the machine. The Whirlpool has a series of holes in the 'ceiling' through which water is pumped to the area of the drawer appropriate to the phase of the wash cycle. I used an old toothbrush and warm water (vinegar would probably be better - the acid would help) to clean the gunge from these holes. I tested by trying a normal wash cycle. On my Whirlpool I noted it was possible to have the soap/conditioner drawer partially open for short periods to check that water was indeed reaching the drawer compartments (water can usually be heard rushing in through the soaping and conditioning stages) but during the conditioning phase the water is a little more wild and a small amount of water managed to find its way out. If you don't 'need' to see what is actually going just wait for the trial wash to finish, and inspect and smell the clothes : )) I made a repeat inspection of the roof holes on my Whirlpool after the first cleanup and noticed that there was still some black gunge debris present, partially blocking a few holes - this debris probably having been pushed up through the 'ceiling' holes and into the 'loft' - the bit you can't get at - by the action of the toothbrush and washing back down during the cycle. This just needed cleaning away again but in any case didn't affect the first test wash in any noticeable way which got conditioned just fine! Just a little more efficient second time around....maybe : ))
If you've a clean drawer and docking area and there is still a problem then things look nastier and probably need professional advice/attention. Please follow the above at your own risk and especially with other models/makes which may well have a completely different dispensing system.
Taostream, June 2007
