You load the dishwasher, run a full cycle, and your top rack dishes come out looking like they just sat in a warm puddle, food still stuck, glasses still cloudy. Bro, your Whirlpool dishwasher not cleaning the top rack isn't a mystery, and it's almost always one part.

Cartoon scene inside a home kitchen. A frustrated person stands in front of an o

What's Actually Going On

The top rack of your Whirlpool dishwasher gets its water from the upper spray arm, a rotating plastic arm that spins and shoots pressurized water up through the rack to blast food off your bowls and glasses. When that arm is blocked, cracked, or straight-up broken, the water either trickles out weakly or doesn't reach the top rack at all. Result? Dirty dishes every single cycle, no matter how good your detergent is.

Here's the thing most people miss: the spray arm doesn't fail dramatically. It doesn't make a loud noise or throw an error code. It just... quietly stops doing its job. The holes in the arm, called spray jets, clog with mineral deposits and food debris over time. Or the arm cracks and loses pressure. Or the little retaining clip that holds it in place breaks and the arm stops spinning entirely. Any one of those scenarios leaves your top rack not getting clean.

Before you start googling a new dishwasher, pull the top rack out and look at that spray arm. Give it a spin with your finger. Does it move freely? Hold it up to the light, are the holes clogged? Run your thumb along the arm, any cracks? If you're nodding right now, you've found your problem.

Cartoon scene close-up inside a Whirlpool dishwasher. The YAP Dude is leaning in

The Fix

Replacing the upper spray arm on your Whirlpool is genuinely one of the easiest dishwasher repairs out there. No tools required, no YouTube rabbit holes. Here's how it goes:

  1. Pull the top rack all the way out and set it aside.
  2. Locate the upper spray arm, it's mounted to the underside of the top rack or to the back wall of the tub, depending on your model.
  3. Twist the retaining nut counterclockwise (it's usually hand-tight) or unclip the snap fitting, and pull the old arm straight down.
  4. Snap or thread the new W11032770 upper spray arm into position, it clicks or tightens hand-tight.
  5. Give it a spin to confirm it rotates freely before you put the rack back in.
  6. Run a short cycle and check that the top rack is actually getting clean.

That's it. The replacement spray arm W11032770 runs right around $25-$35 depending on current stock, and we keep it on the shelf here at YAP. The whole repair takes maybe ten minutes if you're moving slow.

Pro tip: while you've got that rack out, rinse the new arm under the sink and make sure none of the jets are pre-clogged from the packaging. Takes thirty seconds and saves you a re-run.

Cartoon scene of the YAP Dude kneeling in front of an open Whirlpool dishwasher

When to Call YAP vs. DIY

DIY this one. Seriously, if you've ever changed an air filter or assembled IKEA furniture, you can swap a spray arm. No special skills needed.

Call us at 405-876-8100 if you swap the arm and the top rack is still not getting clean, at that point you might be looking at a water inlet issue or a pump problem, and we'll help you figure out the next step without guessing.

This is a $30 fix, not a $600 appliance replacement. Don't let a busted W11032770 talk you into buying a new dishwasher. Swing by the Piedmont shop or text 405-876-8100 and we'll have that spray arm waiting for you.

Cartoon scene inside the YAP appliance parts store in Piedmont, Oklahoma. The YA
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Part #W11032770, Upper Spray Arm

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