UKH

As above... the dishwasher wasn't draining, and came up with an E 25 error code at the end of the cycle, meaning a problem with the pump. I used a wet and dry vac to empty it and that pulled out several items that must have been blocking it - bits of paper towel and so on. I thought that would solve the problem but it's still not draining and I still get the error code so I'm guessing the problem is the pump itself. 

I wondered if anyone knew of anything else I should try before I blow £30 on a new pump?

I don't know how similar it is to a dishwasher, but I had a blocked / jammed pump on my washing machine and I got it working again by dismantling it and freeing it up. Worth a go if you're going to be taking the machine apart anyway.

Probably some of those bits that shouldn’t be there have found their way into the pump. 
 

Is the pump running? 

Thanks, I'll have a look - as you say, I'll be dismantling it anyway. I guess there could be debris in there that can't be removed by suction. 

I'm not sure but it sounds like it. 

Just be careful with water and electrics and capacitors. 

If it’s running but not pumping then perhaps the impeller blades have broke off. Maybe the impeller is available on its own but prob not.

How dare you attempt a cheap and efficient repair without buying a brand new one. 

Check the drain line itself is not restricted. Happens fairly regularly in those which drain into a sink trap. 

This. I pulled mine apart, did the pump and still nothing, pumped into a bucket fine so checked the inlet to the under-sink and hey presto. On mine there was a half-baffle to stop splash-back up into the sink and I´d guess they are mostly like that.

Ah... interesting. I'll have a look.

Eek... capacitors. I'll remember thanks!

Thanks. I can see part of the impeller blades and they look alright as far as I can tell. 

It might be cheap but with me doing it I'm not so sure about 'efficient'!

Check that there's not a bit of broken glass in amongst the impeller blades.  Hard to see, but stops the thing turning

That's a thought...  

{f the dishwasher has a stainless steel base there is a plastic cover held in place{in the sump} with a torx screw. if you remove this cover you can access the impellor , a good broddle round with a cable tie should remove any debris. Grey plastic base means pump removal. If the matrix is blocked {the complicated plastic tube system when you take the left hand side off} its a bit more involved - i had one of these blocked with candle wax last year - best to remove to unblock. Check where outlet pipe connects to sink waste- remove outlet pipe from matrix and blow down, if its blocked with fat you will have to try to poke it out with a garden cane and boiling water. Good luck but remember to remove food waste and other solids before you put stuff in the dishwasher.

The stuff you took out of the pump could have overloaded it. If there's a thermal trip, it could have tripped and need resetting. 

Thanks, very informative. And yes, I know not to put unscraped plates in, but try convincing the others...  

Interesting, thanks.  How would I do that?

There is a float valve I believe that is triggered if the pump doesn't empty properly, and makes the pump run to try to stop flooding.  Even if you've cleaned the pump, if this is still wet, the pump will run. Do you have option to lift the front of the unit , and does doing this make the pump stop?  If so, let the unit dry (some days in my experience), clean the pump and try again 

It would probably look like a small button to push back in. Possibly in the pump itself. I may be remembering something similar in my washing machine.

Well, it looks like the problem was the piece of glass that I found in the impeller chamber when I took the pump out. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions: I learnt far more about dishwashers than I ever wanted to...

Told you

No prizes for guessing how I was pretty sure that that would be the problem!