I have a Maytag MDE6000AUW dyer that will not start. When I push the start button is just makes an electrical buzzing sound and if I hold the button long enough is starts to smell like something electrical is burning. For a while it would eventually sluggishly start up and run again, but that was intermittent. Finally it just made the electrical buzzing sound with no start unless I turned the drum while holding the door switch and start button. Today I replaced the motor and the drive belt. Still nothing. It still makes the same electrical buzzing noise after the motor replacement (that was a $150 well spent!) and will not start until I manually turn the drum.
Good day. Ugly problem.
My first choice would have been the motor, but.......
Here is the process, it might help you.
The power to the motor goes first to and thru the door switch. It then returns to the timer.
When the timer is turned to any running position, power leaves the timer where it is split into 2 leads.
One of the power leads goes directly to the centrifugal switch Which is the switch on the motor with all the wires. If you spin the drum, you also spin the motor, and if spun fast enough will close the contacts on the cetrifugal switch, thus sending power to the motor, allowing it to run. I guess you have done that.
The second lead out of the timer goes to the push to start switch, it then leaves and goes to the centrifugal switch but on the power side, so it is directly connected to the main winding in the motor.
That is why when you press the press to start switch, the motor runs, and if held in it will continue to run.
In fact, at this point, the motor had 2 sources of power, either of which can run the motor.
Thus releasing the push to start switch doesn't matter, since it runs off the other source.
Possibilities.
The centrifugal switch is not wired right. Please recheck. (or the motor was bad out of the box. Happens).
The push to start switch is bad, and needs replaced.
Or, the wiring going to or leaving the push to start switch has broken or making a bad connection.
Lastley, I said the power comes out of the timer and splits into 2 circuits. Not always true, in some models the timer sends 2 seperate wires out carrying the power, with the possibility the timer could be bad.
Hope this helps.
and thank for using FixYa
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Good day again,
I Don't question the new motor running, the issue is starting. As you said, you doubt the new motor, as would I, since I've replaced dozens of those motors with no issues.
To cover all bases, I would remove the back cover, and see if the idler assembly isn't binding in some way. Cocked ect. It's a look see thing, and have failed. Could cause a binding when the motor hits, and it does kick hard. Spinning the drum might overcome that long enough to keep it running.
If you read the last part of my original post, I mentioned that the timer in fact, could be using 2 separate feeds. One for the motor, and one for the start switch.
The push to start switch, in fact bypasses the centrifugal switch, so we should be able to eliminate the motor area.
If the contacts in the timer that go to the push to start switch are badly burnt, yes, it could be the issue, but your running out of possibilities.
I guess you get a chance to see the dark side of appliance repair.
I put a compressor in a refrigerator about 10 years ago, it ran for 15 minutes then overheated and shut down. 2 days later, and a ton of grief, found they forgot to put the oil in it from the factory.
Lots of luck,
Jack
This is getting absurd. If you get a new motor take it.
It's either got to be wiring or parts. That's all there is.
You're pretty swift so lets play electrician. No promises.
Install the motor first and give it one short try. If no joy. quit.
I see it's electric.
Unplug the machine, and with your volt meter set at 250 AC or 500AC if that's all you have,
remove the cover of the outet. Be careful.
Check beteen center and left then center and right. They should be identical readings between 115 and 120 volts, then the 230 test, between the ends.
Ths part may be hard but with the meter set at 125AC, check between the center, and earth ground. (a bare pipe if you have it. It must go earth ground. The voltage should read zero.
Any voltage reading at all above zero, means the neutral is lifting off ground and must be corrected.
That was a static test, if O.K. then the next part will be the dynamic test.
P.S. The motor uses only one side of the 230 volt supply. 230 is for the heater only.
A helper would be nice.
Access the 3 terminals on the dryer itself.
Be aware the motor is 1/4 horse drawing about 3 amps, but at locked rotor at start pulls about 16 amps.
Set heat at air fluff only.
With the meter probes on one side reading 125 volts, have someone hit the start button.
Look for a voltage drop. There should be none or very, very little.
Check the other side the same way.
If your getting a voltage drop on either side, your neutral is bad. Usually the cord.
A motor like yours can run quite well at 100 volts or even a little less, but won't start.
The heater isn't affected because it does not use the neutral.
Thinking further, the neutral, even beyond and connected to the cord is suspect. By design, it is a a smaller gauge.
125 to 130 are acceptable. As is 248. The're shooting for 250. and, meters can be off sometimes to the tune of 10%. Sounds good.
The test was to check for excessive variance in left to right, and high voltage drop at the instant of the start sequence.
Where the center wire/wires on the power block leave and travel thru the machine, are not allowed to be switched. They must go directly to the load.
The 2 loads they carry are the timer motor, and the dryer motor itself. If the new motor does no good, tracing these wires should be next.
Hi,
You never got back to me. What's happening with that machine.???
Jack
Ok Guy,
Thanks for the reply. You have pretty much a new machine, and on balance are far better off then the junk the're tossing out now.
Take care of it. It's probably the last good one you'll ever own...
Jack...
...and oh, we'll never know, but timers do fail on electric models. (High current draw,as compared to gas).
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Thanks for taking the time to answer so thoroughly. Most everything you have suggested I have tried.
I would have bet a million dollars that it was the motor as it sounded like the motor was on it's way out for about a month or so whenever I started the dryer and also when it was running. This was a progressive build up of the problem to a point where the drum would no longer start on it's own. I don't feel that bad about replacing the motor because I feel like it's days were numbered anyway.
I guess it's possible that that I got a bad brand new motor, but not likely. Also the fact the new motor makes the same sound when I push the start button as the old motor leads me to believe that the problem lies else where. The good thing is once the new motor is running it is quite as can be, not growling like the old one. And once it's running it turns and dries great, as if there isn't a problem in the world.
On a side note, I did a little experiment with the old motor today. I put it back in and pushed the start button and held it but didn't spin the motor manually. The spindle makes a jerking motion like it wants to go, but it just doesn't. I then see a little smoke and I hear a click, then nothing. I unplug the dryer wait a few minutes and I hear the motor make another click. I plug it back in and the same thing happens again. It's as if it's getting power, but the signal that tells it to start is getting lost somewhere. Does that mean anything to you?
I have checked every connection and lead and everything is solid. I have owned this dryer since new so I have to rule out the idea that the wiring is wrong. It just doesn't make sense that it worked great for 10 years and then the wires just got twisted up one day with no one touching them.
Today I replaced the push to start switch, but it's still doing the same thing. I figured I'd try that since it's a $10 part.
The only thing I haven't replaced in the dryer is the timer (New heating element last year, new motor, belt, and push button this week). I'm just hesitant since it's a $120 non-fundable part. If I buy a new timer and it's doesn't work, I'm start to get to the point where that money would have been better invested in a new dryer. But I guess that's the only thing left to try, right?
Any other ideas before I go drop another $120?
Hey Jack,
First, thank you for all your time. If I sounded condescending in the last post I apologize, I didn't mean to be. I am grateful for all your help. I'm just at wits end.
Since we last talked I went ahead and replaced the timer, and the door switch while I was at it. I pushed the switch...and nothing. I'm pretty sure my neighbors two blocks over heard me scream. Still same old thing is happening. I have now replaced every single electrical part in the dryer to the tune of $300+, not to mention the time and money I put into it last year when the heating element went bad.
I am with you now in thinking that this motor is bad as well. What are the odds???? Although, I'm wondering if there was something wrong with the old push to start switch or old the timer and when I put this new motor in one of those old items fried the new motor just like it did the old motor. Is that possible? Or like you said, maybe the new motor was just bad from the factory, and I spent and extra day and an extra $160 fixing parts that were perfectly fine? Who knows.
Well anyway, the parts place said they would replace the motor so I will give it one last ditch effort tomorrow...and then I will cry as there is nothing else to replace and I am out of money.
If anything else pops into your head I would love to hear it.
Ryan
By the way, I checked the idler assembly and and all the rollers, and they are working fine. I checked those long ago to make sure they weren't putting any undo resistance on the motor. When I was testing the motor I didn't have anything attached to it (I basically had the dryer stripped bare except for the motor, but yes I did have all the electrical wires connected). I was just trying to fire up the motor all by it's lonesome to isolate it as the problem. I was just spinning the spindle coming off the motor to get it going. That's how I could see it buck when I pushed the start switch. But like I said, as soon as I gave it a twist it took off, and as soon as it got going I heard a loud click like a relay closing.
On a good note I am drying a load right now and it's so nice and quite. I do think my old motor was it's way it because it was getting loud. Now if I could just get the damn thing to start by itself! :)
Thanks again Jack. I really appreciate all the time you have given me. I will go exchange the motor tomorrow morning and then check all the wiring and let you know how it goes. Hopefully some one else will find all this helpful as well.
Thanks again Jack. I really appreciate all the time you have given me. I will go exchange the motor tomorrow morning and then check all the wiring and let you know how it goes. Hopefully some one else will find all this helpful as well.
Okay, tested all the wiring this morning. The wall outlet tested (looking at the wall): Center/Right 124, Center/Left 124, Left/Rigt 248. The dryer cord tested (looking at the dryer from behind): Center/Left 124, Center/Right 124, Left/Right 248. Front the cord when the start button was pushed: Center/Left 124, Center/Right 122, Right/Left 248. So there was a slight drop from the cord on the Center/Right side, but only 2 volts. I was concerned that the overall voltage was so much higher than you said I should expect to see. Could that be the problem? Let me know what you think. Do you think I should I go ahead and pull the motor out and go exchange it?
Jack, I am so sorry. I really wanted to thank you for all your help and I just got completely sidetracked. Well the good news is I got it running. I took the motor back and exchanged it for another. Put it in, and it fired right up. I guess I will never know whether the first new motor I got was bad from the factory, or if one of my other switches or timers was bad and it caused that first new motor to short out as well. I put that first new motor in before I replaced anything these, but then of course I replaced and everything else, followed by replacing the motor again so who knows. Is that even possible, could one of the other components have been bad and caused that new motor to go bad the second I put it in??????? Again, I really do appreciate all your time and help. I learned a lot from you for future reference and your advice did help to eliminate some of the possible culprits. So any way, long story short, $300 and some change and it's humming along like new. :) Well, I guess it is basically a new dryer. Everything in it is a year old or newer except the sheet metal.
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