My mom's Kenmore HE3 Elite electric dryer vibrates rapidly while operating. She was cleaning out the lint catcher area with a toothbrush and dropped it inside, then decided to run it after several failed attempts to get the toothbrush out with tongs... :( I took it apart and found the tooth brush in the exhaust vent post the exhaust fan. The exhaust fan wheel has a single blade half-snapped off and missing. I'm almost certain that when she turned it on, the tooth brush being in the vent got caught in the fan wheel and snapped the blade in half. With the blade snapped half off, is the fan wheel going to cause all of this vibration? It's hard to source it, even with everything open and me looking at it... the entire machine seems to rapidly vibrate.

SOURCE: Kenmore 22932 Top load washer has excessive vibration at end of spin cycle

IF THE FLOOR IS NOT ABSOLUTELY STABLE, IT WILL MAGNIFY A SMALL VIBRATION INTO A LARGE ONE. PUT SOMETHING ON THE DRYER IF IT SETS NEXT TO THE WASHER, AND TURN ON THE WASHER INTO SPIN. IF THE ITEM ON THE DRYER SHAKES, THE FLOOR IS MOVING.
IF THE WASHER IS ON CARPET, REMOVE THE CARPET OR CUT HOLES IN IT WHERE THE FEET ARE SO IT IS NOT SETTING ON THE CARPET. THE CARPET AND PAD WILL BE TOO SOFT FOR THE WASHER TO SET STABLE.
ALSO, PICK UP ON THE REAR OF THE WASHER TO RESET THE AUTO LEVELING REAR LEGS. YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM MOVE AND RESET WHEN YOU SET THE WASHER BACK DOWN.

SOURCE: Kenmore dryer (electric )

You will need to UNPLUG the dryer and remove the back panel to access. The heating element is located inside the heater box on the right-hand side of the dryer (facing from the back). Simply disconnect, the wires leads and remove the mounting screws to remove.

Now...you mentioned removing the thermal fuse. Did you check the thermal cut-out or the hi-limit thermostat? These components are small silver disc-shaped devices mounted on the heater box assembly. As you are facing the back of the dryer, the hi-limit thermostat is located near the terminal connections of the heating element. The thermal cut-out is located farthest away from the heating element closer to the top of the heater box. Usually when you have a no heat problem, it the thermal cut-out, hi-limit thermostat, or heating element that goes bad. If the thermal fuse is bad, you generally have a dryer that not only won't heat, but won't even turn on. I hope I'm not confusing you. In a nut shell, there's a difference between the thermal fuse and the thermal cut-out. If you had large accumulations of lint in your dryer, I would bet you have a blown thermal cut-out.

If you wish to check the parts listing yourself to make sure you have the correct parts, go to searspartsdirect.com, type in your model number and look under the "Bulkhead" heading. The thermal cut-out kit is what you need to order for a no heat problem. It's listed as item #1 (part #279816). This also includes the hi-limit thermostat. It is recommended by the manufacturer to replace BOTH of these components at the same time. The heating element is listed as item #14 (part #279838).

Look under the "view diagram" heading and you can see where all these components are located, using the exploded view of the dryer assembly. The thermal fuse you mention is listed as item #59 in the drawing and is located on the air baffle housing.

This is still an easy fix. I just want to make sure you're identifying the correct parts. I don't think you want to purchase parts you don't need.

I hope this helps you. If I've managed to confuse you, please post back with your questions and I can guide you in the right direction.

onthethejob1

• 640 Answers
• Posted on Dec 26, 2008

SOURCE: Water supply line vibrates making very loud noise.

these vibration in water pipes or cooper lines come from air in thewater supply system..dont take your appliances apart...

SOURCE: Clean Dryer Lint Vent in Kenmore elite HE4

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.

SOURCE: excessive drum vibration

Yes, look into trading in the Kenmore for one of only two manufacturers that employ a dynamic balance system built into the washer drum. Samsung and LG both use this dynamic balance system that balances the load while it is in motion. They also use a vibration sensing system to modify the time and speed of the spin cycles to minimize any vibration that might still be present. LG has this available on only their upper level models while Samsung's VRT is available on most all models. I believe that both of these manufacturer's are available from Sears.