LG Dishwasher Water not draining fast enough, OE error code

There is a 'choke point' in the drain system.

If you remove the white nylon fitting on the left side you will see it.

It looks like a trap or siphon breaker with two large gray tubes and one smaller black one.

If you remove this part, examine it and clear it you can be sure the whole discharge tubing assembly isn't clogged.

In my case it only took two lemon seeds to stop the dishwasher with an OE error.

If you do replace the whole discharge piping assemble the problem will be solved (but only until it happens again).

C Affel

I got the OE error too. Pulled off the drain hose where it enters the household plumbing and turned on the dishwasher on to drain.....worked perfectly.

The problem was not with the dishwasher, the plugged drain was in the household plumbing. Used an air compressor to break the clog free, then pumped some water into the pipe and quickly blew more air into it with the compressor so that the pressurized water could push out any clog remnants.

Everything is working perfectly, hopefully it'll be good for another 5 years!

Well here is another guy struggling with same OE error code . After it came up first time (4 years after we bought the dishwasher) I checked the filter and drain hose where it connects to garbage disposer. There was a small piece of plastic stuck at the junction and filter was pretty dirty. I removed obstruction and cleaned the filter but the code kept coming up . As of now it stops the washing cycle and leaves some water on the bottom of the dishwasher. When I press normal and delicate button together the drain pump kicks in and expels the water out. So since water is coming out I don't think the drain is plugged. any more. So my next mission was to check the drain pump. Since I don't have a new pump yet I didn't feel like pulling the unit all the way out so I tried to remove the drain pump and casing from below. I took the plate off and noticed that pump is accessible. It was a challenge to work around it with very little space. To take it out I had to take off two clamp. It took me a while but I managed to do it . I used vise grip pliers to take the clamps off. The pump assembly didn't have any major obstruction aside from couple of hairs . I also checked the flap valve , it had a clear plastic piece right behind it. I thought it might be causing issues so I removed that. I hooked everything back but the code still came up. So I went online and ordered the drain pump and case (came together, pump alone is more expensive for some odd reason). I will get back to you once I try the pump. I am thinking that maybe my pump is not working as good and not expelling the water fast enough. One thing to note is that pump piece can be taken off without disconnecting hoses There is a little tab that needs to be pushed and then a little turn will remove the pump . This way you don't have to mess around with the clamps . I hope this helps those of you thinking that dishwasher has to be removed and flipped upside down for this project. Changing it from below is not easy but it saves you a lot of hassle disconnecting water supply , electricity , and moving it out. If I am 100% positive that pump is an issue maybe I would move it out but I would hate to keep disconnecting it for any other possible attempt at solving this issue. I am not entirely convinced that new pump will solve the problem but it seems to be logical next step especially since I don't have to disconnect the unit in order to replace it. If it doesn't turn out to be pump my next think to check would be whatever sensor is telling the machine that water is not draining.

If it's covered under warranty why are you messing with it? Let the tech fix it for free.

I blew air back through my lg dishwasher and it blew the flapper plug clear out. So I had to take the bottom drain apart to put it back in. Re routed drain hose then everything worked again.

Had the same 0E error. And dishwasher wouldn't drain fully. I took the hose off at the sink and drained it into a bucket a few times at the start of the cycle, so the pump and drain were working.

I read the post about pumping air from the drain end of the hose. I use a can or air (like for computers) and sealed the hose with my finger against the aircan tube, and wallah, it gurgled and bubbled back up inside the bottom of the dishwasher. did this 2 more times. Ran the dishwasher and it worked fine. May have been a coincident or dumb luck, but tried everything short of taking it apart before this.

Look beyond the drain pulll unit out and follow the drain hose up to the top. There is a small screen just between the hose couplings. Three cherry pits was all it took to block the flow enough to set off the sensor. Let me know if this solves yout problem.

For mine it seems to have been the small black vent hose drop the plastic piece in the middle of the drain hose to the plastic mechanism on the side of the dishwasher. I blew back through it and now it works...

It is possible on the display for a D to looks similar to an O. You probably have a DE error code which indicates a drain problem.

Check your drain line, make sure the drain hose is not kinked and is not blocked especially at the connection to the sink or garbage disposal. This is typically the reason that a dishwasher won't drain. Remove the hose and clear any clogs, then reinstall.

Verify that water from the sink drain is not making it's way into the dishwasher. I would recommend creating a high loop in the dishwasher drain pipe, which is attached to the sink drain below the sink. The high loop can be fastened to underneath the counter-top. This will prevent any water from entering the dishwasher from the sink; it also prevents the dishwasher drain water from making it's way back into the dishwasher.

Verify that the pumps drain impeller is working. You can reach the impeller from inside the dishwasher after removing the lower rack, spray arm and arm support. This typically involves removing a few screws. Once upper parts are removed, inspect the drain impeller (which pushes the water toward the drain port) for any cracks or missing blades. If the impeller is defective the water will not drain properly and you would need to replace it.

Verify that the drain valve is working; many are controlled with an electric solenoid that opens the valve, sending the water to the drain. There is a chance that the solenoid or the diverting lever could be stuck which would prevent the water to drain. If so, try to free up the solenoid and lubricate the lever. Otherwise the solenoid or pump assembly may have to be replaced.

Verify that the motor is turning/ working and that there is power to the motor. If the motor hums but doesn't turn, it may need to be replaced. Motors can get stuck if not used regularly. If the motor is defective, the water will not drain and you would need to replace it.

I tried blowing the drain pipe out with compressed air from the sink end as noted before, and it worked for me too. Thanks Jeff

Woke up to the OE code. Read thru all posts and here is what I did. I removed the line off the drain under sink. Removed the line off pump. And used wet dry vac on line to get all water out. Then removed the pump off machine. Again using vac to control water, as no matter what I tried I could not get it to drain, Now with pump out. I could inspect. 2 cheery pits. Seeing as we have not had cherries in 6 months I think my pump has taken a hit. Anyways. Put it all back together and first load worked fine. Thanks 4 year old LG.

Have same problem.Drain hose and pump motor was replaced but still show error code at the end of the cycle.No water left in dw.

Had the OE code on my LG dishwasher and no draining checked some things finally found this site and disconnected the drain at the disposal .Plugged solid with white rice, sucked everything out with a wet vac and reconnected everything works great thank you so much for the info

There are not one but two “flow check valves” in my ldf6920st. One in the top of u shaped plastic tube with black hose attached. It lets a small amount of air into the pipe and will air break the hose to try to stop siphoning. Another is a one way flapper type in the “drain line “ going to disposal or sink drain. This also will try to prevent back flow. It closes shut from the sink to the pump, it’s open from the pump to the sink. These two checks “should work together to prevent water from going back into the sump. Obviously inadequate and they knew it, since installation instructions say to have airgap or high loop to do the same thing.

blowing compressed air from the sink side to the pump WILL damage the flapper and possibly push it into the pump. Just a piece of rubber waiting to plug something up.

IMO it would work just fine without it in there.

I got into mine because the hose failed and destroyed my oak floor. That hose is junk! Nowhere in the owners manual does it say to replace the hose as part of a maintenance plan. But if you dig around enough you can find where lg does say it to the tech.

i hope mine works again and the water goes where it supposed to, the squealing stops, the sump drains, and dishes are clean after I removed three pieces of plastic from various places inside. All of which came from it but I have no idea where. Possibly there from day one out of assembly plant. A check valve on drain pump was broken and jammed the pump. Plastic pieces plugging drain lines. Shaft seal leaking. no food at all plugging up any thing, it was very clean inside.

Al in all I highly recommend a Bosh or Kitchen Aid or something other than LG. NEVER AGAIN FOR ME.

washing by hand always works and doesn’t need a tech.

I have an LG dishwasher since 2013 and it worked with no issues. Recently, June 2019, I got the OE error and could not get rid of it. I called LG for a recommended repair person in my area. I called the repair person and they came and said the drain pump was bad. He replaced the drain pump and it worked for two weeks then the OE error came back. I called the repair person and could not get him to come back and check why this error is back. So I called LG again and asked for a LG trained technician. They sent a technician and before he came to my house he ordered a new drain pump. When he got to my house he pulled the drain line from the disposal and turn on the dishwasher and it pumped out water. He said it is not the pump it is the control board. He ordered a control board and came back to install it. When he was done he turned on the dishwasher after running for a while the OE error was back. He left before the cycle was completed. I called him and he said the drain line is too low. None of these technicians did any troubleshooting. All they did is change parts. I decided to try and troubleshoot myself. So check this forum and found suggestions to solve the problem. What I did was use my shopvac to suck out the drain line from the end going into the disposal. It sucked out a lot of sediment from over the years in the drain line. After I using the shopvac I turned on the dishwasher and it has worked without any issues since. These technicians only know to change parts and not think through possible solutions. I suspect my dishwasher never needed a new drain pump or a new control board. All that was needed to to clean out the drain line.

Got the dreaded problem draining code too. Just over a yr old. Did the compressed air thing. No luck. It started only having code on Heavy cycle so we used other cycles. Eventually it gave code on all of them. But you could force it to drain. Some. Just put on new pump. Still drain code. I’m betting something electronic. Going to try to drain into bucket test soon with new pump but I bet it’s fine. LG must really stand for “Looks Good” but that’s about it. Won’t buy any of their products again!

I had the OE error as well on model LDF7561ST.

The motor would try to empty the water from the machine but it didn't sound normal when listening from the sink drain. Not the usual rush of water, then the OE error.

I could force it to finish draining by using the diagnostic mode (from standby - press power, then normal, then Delicate + Normal together for 3 seconds) so I wasn't sure if the motor was bad.

I did the things mentioned by others and from the service sheet that came with our unit:

- ensure the drain hose is clear

- ensure the sink drain connection is clear

- checked the motor resistance is between 4 and 5 ohms

I bought a replacement drain motor and noticed right away that the new motor does not allow the impeller to spin freely and the old one did.

It has been in use for a few weeks now with no signs of trouble.

After months of messing with this issue

I loosened the clamp that holds the drain hose on the side out the disposal outlet .

the pipe that came with the kit was long enough that I got the end over to kitchen faucet spout and blew water pressure backwards through the system .

You could see debris bubbling up in the dishwasher bottom under the water arm .

It ran for approx 30-45 seconds .

I reattached the drain hose , pushed power ,And held the start button down til it cancelled out the last wash cycle and started to drain .

When it finished draining I restarted it .

as it cycled your could hear a loud gurgling sound where I believe the flapper (check valve ) going back through the line was blow back the other direction by the water pressure I forced through the hose .

eventually the gurgling went away when the check valve flapper reset itself .

I have to repeat this procedure every few months to rid the machine of the slightest debris .

In the end this LG dishwasher is a $700 piece of excrement , that doesn’t like washing dirty dishes , it only wants to wash clean dishes .

I had a $199 Whirlpool stripped down model in my last residence that BLASTED hot water everywhere and got the dishes spotless .

This LG unit runs on a quart of water and doesn’t perform half as well ,

it’s a crappy design , unless you enjoy scrubbing your dishes before putting them in the LG !

Mike R

Is putting a cherry pit in your dishwasher a British thing? I recommend not putting cherry pits in the dishwasher.