I have a 10 yr old clothes dryer that will not heat. When you start it up it gets hot them the heat quits. Vents are clear and lint is cleaned out of unit...any thoughts on diagnosing the problem.
Top ten problems:
1) Dead:
If a dryer is not working at all thats not good! But
it doesn't mean you need to go appliance shopping just yet. It may be
something very simple like a bad door switch or even a broken door
switch
actuator, in a kenmore dryer there is a tab thats sticks out of a
hole in the wall that allows the dryer to run only if the door is shut,
other models may have button that protrudes out of the dryer and when
the door is shut, this allows the dryer to run. These switches go out
from time to time, also if a dryer is full of lint build-up over time
this will cause the dryer high limit or fuse
to blow. The fuse is located near where the blower is in most cases.
When the air in the dryer gets way too hot the fuse/hi-limit will blow
and the house wont burn down.
2) Runs but drum dont turn:
Usually this means the belt is
broken,the belt may have just been old and worn out and it was time to
replace it,or perhaps the wheels locked up or the idler and caused the
belt to break. Look around for stiff wheels, bad bearings, glides and
idlers. Its a good idea to oil the rollers with some temp resistant oil
such as zoom oil. Dont use WD40 as this stuff is highly flamable and
may cause a fire.
3) Runs but dont heat:
Ok maybe the heating element got old and
brittle over time and finally gave up the ghost. But it may not be the
element. It could be one of the safety Hi-limits have blown. All parts
of the dryer will have continuity if its working properly. Test for
continuity by using a meter set on Ohms,or use a poormans meter. You
can make your own poormans meter by using an ordinary flashlight .
Break the circuit in the flashlight and add a couple of wires to it so
that you can make the light come on in the flashlight, thats right hot
wire that flashlight. When the bulb lites up you have a circuit! You
now have a poormans meter. The next step is to check each little gizmo
on the dryer that the wires attach to. All the little black thingies
attached to the side of the heat element, the door switch (when door is
closed) etc.should have continuity (closed circuit)(the light should
come on in the poormans meter) If you come across any little thingie
near the blower housing with 2 wires attached to it, well that a
sensor, a safety (Now so as not to get a false circuit you need to
remove one of the wires to each thingie you check) where was I? oh
yeah.It safe guards you from having to call 911. These things blow
because of lint and too many clothes or blocked vent going out the
house or all of the above.
4) Runs but takes a long time to dry the clothes:
Sometimes
blower wheels will get loose in dryers. Sometimes they will get a whole
lump of lint in them or you can hear a rattling noise in the dryer,
this is the blower wheel, its worn out and it can cause the fuse to
blow too,or it can half *** work and take fifty forevers to dry the
clothes.Or it could be just that the dryer needs a good blowing out .I
use a lawn blower to get all the lint out of the dryer as well as the
vent pipe and vent to outside. I take the filter HOUSING out and wash
it also. That is, I remove the housing and clean is good! Making sure
that the dryer is properly flowing air is a good thing!
5) Squeals,Scrubs,Squeeks:
All dryers have to have a way of
allowing the tumbler (thats the thang you put the clothes in) to turn
freely, not all of them are the same tho,some use bearings, some use
slides,others use rollers. Over time these rollers will need to be
oiled,the slides will get thin and start metal to metal contact causing
a noise, The rear bearings will then start to make their way to china
and cause the tumbler to rub into the heating element and OUCH! These
things will cause the motor to prematurely DIE! Its best to examine the
dryers, rollers, and slides when you first hear the noise, but who does?
6) Runs and never stops:
In all probability this may well be the
timer motor has quit,and thus the timer needs replacing right? Maybe,
but you need to first check to see if your dryer has a moisture sensing
system, If the sensor board contacts get corroded or goes caput, then
the dryer wont know when to advance and shut off in newer models!
7) Runs for a few minutes then quits:
This is probably the motor
going bad. The sensors wont cause this to happen. The start switch
either, replacing all the sensors in the world wont make the motor be
good again. But their is something you can do to try and make the motor
last a while longer,their isn't any holes to oil the dryer motor so you
must make some,using a 1/8th inch drill bit make a hole in either end
of the motor where the bearings are (taking care not to hit the shaft),
then add some hi temp oil such as zoom-oil, (dont use WD-40) and work
the motor free as you can by hand. If this frees up the motor it may go
a while longer. Also oil the rollers and check the slides to make sure
they are not pinching and stalling the motor. If the motor can't reach
top speed it will get hot,overload and stop.
8) Runs only if you hold the button down:
this is the motor
trying to get up to top speed but it cant for some reason do it, some
models will not run unless the button is pressed if the belt is broken
(also,see above). Some folks try and trick the dryer into staying on by
lodging something in between the switch and letting it dry, but the sad
reality is the motor is probably shot and needs to be replaced. The
switch itself is not the fault, all it does is start the motor up and
then the secondary windings in it take over, if the motor is dragging
it will not switch over to the run mode, it soon will die anyway.
9) Runs but KEEPS blowing fuse:
Almost all the time this is
because of a heavy lint problem some where in the housing of the lint
trap. Keeping the lint filter housing clean will stop the fuses from
blowing. THIS MEAN REMOVING THE HOUSING AND WASHING IT OUT THROUGHLY!
10) Runs beautiful at repair shop, dead at home:
This an
electrical problem usually caused by a bad breaker or a bad receptacle
where the cord is plugged in. In fact bad breakers can cause you to
have fits trying to figure out why the dryer wont work. If the dryer
breaker is over 20 years old it may need replacing.
General Electric dryer repair pix
Kenmore.Estate/Roper/Whirlpool repair pix
Frigidaire/Westinghouse/Gibson/Kelvinator repair pix
Maytag/Admiral/Crosley/MonkeyWards dryer repair pix
If you need further help, reach me via phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/dan_73bbd84fe1d95b61
Hey Kenneymark, I have worked on a lot of dryers and I will tell you their principle means of drying and hopefully that plus my input will help. Electric dryers regulate their heat by cycling the heating element on and off according to the settings you apply, hot=less cycling warm=more cycling of the heating element on and off. This is done by the master controller. There is also a Hi-Temp switch that will shut down the heating elements should they quit cycling and run the heat up to high. From what you said, either the Master Controller is bad and is replaced as a unit, or the Hi-Temp switch is bad and opens the control circuit shutting off the heating process as soon as the element heats up. If you feel confident, pull the panels off AFTER you unplug the dryer and there is a schematic drawing that will show the Hi-temp switch location. I usually bypass it with alligator clips and try to turn on the dryer, being careful to not let the alligator clips touch anything. Be careful to watch the heating element (you will have to insert something in the door switch to simulate the door being shut) if they stay on and heat up and cycle then BE SURE to remove the jumper and replace the switch by contacting the manufacturer. If that doesn't do it it is most likely the master controller, again that can be ordered from the manufacturer, just be sure you get the EXACT controller by giving them the model and serial nimber and any revision codes that may be on the nameplate.
Good luck,....and remember DO NOT EVER LEAVE A SAFETY SWITCH JUMPERED, such as the hi limit heat switch. It is a sure fire fire hazard, and a very serious and likely one. PS Always install a smoke detector above your washer and dryer as well as the areas adjacent. Good luck! Let me know if I helped.
1,012 views
Usually answered in minutes!
×