When a Bosch dishwasher has power but will not start, the lights come on and nothing happens, and the most useful first step is not a part swap: it is reading the machine’s own diagnostics. Bosch dishwashers store error codes in Service Diagnostics Mode, and a stored code like E:25, a drain pump fault, can stop a cycle from ever beginning even though the display works normally. E:25 is commonly caused by an obstruction in the drain pump impeller, the low point of the machine where hard debris that slips past the filter ends up. Clearing the jam often restores the pump without replacing anything, and a full diagnostics cycle afterward proves the fix rather than assuming it. That is how this Oklahoma City service call went, start to finish in a single visit.
Job at a Glance
- Appliance: Bosch SHX5AVF6UC dishwasher
- Location: Oklahoma City, OK
- Symptom: has power but will not start
- Cause: error code E:25, a drain pump fault, from an obstruction in the drain pump impeller
- Repair: obstruction removed, drain pump tested, full service diagnostics cycle completed
- Parts installed: none
Issue: Power but No Start
An Oklahoma City customer called about their Bosch SHX5AVF6UC with exactly that complaint, and Kevin was at the home the same day. On arrival the unit was plugged in, empty, and turned off. The customer’s description held up: the dishwasher had power but would not run a cycle.
Rather than start swapping parts, Kevin placed the unit into Service Diagnostics Mode. The diagnostics returned one stored error code and no others: E:25, a drain pump fault. That pointed straight at the drain path.
Cause: An Obstruction in the Drain Pump Impeller
Kevin removed the food filter and found the drain pump cover installed as it should be. Removing the cover revealed the actual culprit: an obstruction lodged in the drain pump impeller, keeping the pump from turning at all.
Solution: Cleared the Jam, Then Proved the Fix
The obstruction came out, the cover went back on, and the pump was tested: water drained from the tub as designed. To confirm the machine was genuinely healthy rather than temporarily cooperative, Kevin ran a full Service Diagnostics Cycle, which the unit completed as designed. A final operations check came back clean, no parts were needed, and the visit was done in under an hour and a half.
One more find worth mentioning: while checking the drain hose under the kitchen sink, which had a proper high-loop installed, Kevin spotted a water leak at the hot water supply line fitting. The customer was shown the leak and advised to have the supply line replaced. That is not a dishwasher part, but it is the kind of thing you want found before it becomes a cabinet full of water.
Another Job Done Right
One visit, one cleared pump, a completed test cycle, and a plumbing problem caught early. The dishwasher went back to work without a single part sold.
If your Bosch dishwasher has power but will not start anywhere in the Oklahoma City metro, call us at (405) 813-4923, or read more about our Bosch service and dishwasher repair.
