20 Most Recent Kenmore Elite HE4 Electric Dryer - Page 8 Questions & Answers

If you wish to clean the interior cabinet of the dryer follow these steps:

1. UNPLUG the dryer. Dangerous voltages are still present even with the dryer turned off.

2. Open the dryer door and remove the lint screen. IMPORTANT: You must remove the lint screen first in order to remove the blower fan housing.

3. Remove the lower toe panel directly below the dryer door by removing the screws under the bottom front edge of the panel. With the screws removed, the panel will drop down, then come off. NOTE: For better access, you can prop the front feet of the dryer up (a 2x4 works well).

4. Loosen the screws on the blower fan housing directly below the drum and remove. There's usually a small clip holding the cover in at the bottom that you may need to pull out to release. NOTE: You may also have to disconnect the auto dry sensor plug (yellow wires with white plug - use a small screwdriver to release the locking tabs) and/or ground wire to accommodate removal of the cover.

You should now have access to the dryer interior and the blower fan squirrel cage motor. Take the time to clean out the blower fan housing cover as well. A long bristle brush made for dryers works well at removing any lint inside the dryer in the hard to reach places, followed by vacuuming.

NOTE: After cleaning, you may experience a slight burning odor. This is normal as lint gets stirred up in the cleaning process and can settle on the heating components. The odor should dissipate after a short period of use.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope this helps you.

I would recommend you have someone take the dryer completely apart and clean the lint out. In the last 3 months, I have cleaned out 2 or 3 shoeboxes of lint from each of 5 machines. This has nothing to do with the filter screen you are supposed to clean after every use. It has to do with the lint that escapes the ductwork inside the machine itself. You may be amazed how much you will find. You will also need to check the ductwork from the back of your machine to the outside air. That pipe can also get clogged and cause the same results. Be blessed.

The F40 error is a communication error which means the main control W10111616 is not communicating with the motor control part number 8544799.

First - go through the machine and check all harneses 7 plugs. This expensive machine uses the cheapest parts possible. Unplug and re-plug all connections you can find.
Particularly the controller (CCU) and motor.


Most likely neither control is the problem but since the main control was replaced we know it's not the problem.

The key to diagnosing this problem is to check voltage to the motor control. There is a black and white wire going to L1 and neutral.
Refer to the wiring diagram for an image of this.
If there is 120 volts to the control and the blower motor is not running then the 8544799 motor control is most likely at fault.

It is more likely you will not read voltage there.
Use extreme caution checking live voltage and only do so if you're comfortable and confident using a volt/ohm meter.

If there is no voltage to the motor control and the main motor doesn't run the thermal fuse can be at fault or the main control which was replaced and didn't help.

From the description you give I believe the main motor is running when you get the F40 code so the thermal fuse and main control are most likely okay.

If there is no voltage to the motor control then the problem can be a fuse link that may be open preventing voltage from getting to the motor control.

This part is not the thermal fuse and is not listed in the parts diagram or even shown on the wiring diagram. The fuse link is most likely the cause of your troubles.
If the inline fuse link is open you will have to replace the entire wire harness. The inline fuse link is not available as a separate part.


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shut door,choose setting then hold start button for a few seconds.if it doesnt start check and make sure water is turned on.

it sounds like you have a grounded heat element and the heat will stay on all the time,very easy to check,unplug the dryer,pull the two wires off of the heat element,with a meter touch one lead to the outside metal cover of the heater and the other lead to one of the element,then check the other side of the element the same way,if it shows continuity on one end of the element it's grounded and needs to be replaced with a new heating element.and every year or 18 months you have to clean out the dryer,i use a shop vac and a leaf blower,unplug the dryer,remove the bottom panel,remove the lint filter and the metal duct that the filter slides into,vac up all the lint you can see,brush out the hole where the filter goes and with a long thin screw driver dig out the lint that's in the right and left sides of the plastic slots where the filter slides in,now with the shop vac set it to blow and blow all the lint from the back forwards and blow the motor off and vac up the lint,after you clean out the cabinet go to the back and remove the vent line from the dryer,stick the leaf blower into the vent line and blow it out to the outside,if you do this every year you'll have less problems with the dryer,your clothes will dry on time and you don't have to worry about a dryer fire.

It maybe rollers what is the model number from the model tag.

Check the door switch for continuity heres the part number 8283288 If you need more help let me know

PF is power failure, press cancel twice and then see if it will start.

What is the model number?

If you take the bottom kick panel off, there is a technician sheet that tells you how to run tests. The bad news is the control panel is about 150 and the control board is 240 dollars.

Does it come on with heat for a few minutes and then cut out. If so then filters or vent pipe might be restricting the air flow causing the temperature to rise.