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MARKY  
#1 Posted : Saturday, December 6, 2008 8:41:23 AM(UTC)
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MARKY

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Over that last 2-3 months my wife and I will occasionally enter the laundry room to discover the smell of Natural Gas. The laundry room door is kept closed and this odor appears only when the dryer has not been running. Other than this intermittent odor the dryer functions without any issues. I’ve checked the flex line from the wall shut off valve to the dryer and found no leaks. Obviously I’m concerned due to the dangers associated with gas leaks. Looking at the exploded parts view it would appear that I need to replace the Gas Valve Part number: AP4038318
Part number: AP4038318
. Is the best approach or am I missing something?

Thanks in advance for your help!
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abadfish66  
#2 Posted : Saturday, December 6, 2008 8:49:27 AM(UTC)
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abadfish66

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The best thing to do would be to use soap bubbles around all connections of the gas including the oriface to find the leak. A leak detector is even better
MARKY  
#3 Posted : Saturday, December 6, 2008 11:03:16 AM(UTC)
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MARKY

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Originally Posted by: abadfish66 Go to Quoted Post
The best thing to do would be to use soap bubbles around all connections of the gas including the oriface to find the leak. A leak detector is even better


Thanks for the quick feedback! I tried the soap test method but there was no odor at the time and the line from the wall shut off valve to the dryer, including the Gas Valve, did not have any leaks (no bubbles). I will contact our gas supply company to see if someone can come out with a leak detector, but without the odor I don't think they will find anything either.

The Owner's Manual does not discuss maintenance, is there an expected life for this Gas Valve or is there a history of it being replaced frequently?
windguy  
#4 Posted : Monday, February 16, 2009 11:00:07 AM(UTC)
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windguy

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Hey Marky,

Did you resolve your dryer gas problem?
I have very similar problems with a 20 or so year old Kenmore dryer and haven't yet looked into the problem. I put a new valve on the wall and new flex two years ago so I doubt those are the problems. The dryer works great. Only had to replace the belt and a tensioner a few years ago.

Thank!
MARKY  
#5 Posted : Monday, February 16, 2009 11:28:20 AM(UTC)
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MARKY

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Originally Posted by: windguy Go to Quoted Post
Hey Marky,

Did you resolve your dryer gas problem?
I have very similar problems with a 20 or so year old Kenmore dryer and haven't yet looked into the problem. I put a new valve on the wall and new flex two years ago so I doubt those are the problems. The dryer works great. Only had to replace the belt and a tensioner a few years ago.

Thank!


No, the problem still exists. I've confirmed that the wall valve and flex hose are not leaking, so now I'm trying to decide if I should replace the valve coil ($15) or just save the hassle and purchase the entire gas valve assembly ($78). It appears there is a new/better coil assembly avaliable now, however I can't see where this would fix the problem as the leak has to be from gas passing through the valve and the valve should be fail closed (ie: Spring close - power to open).
windguy  
#6 Posted : Monday, February 16, 2009 11:35:22 AM(UTC)
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windguy

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Originally Posted by: MARKY Go to Quoted Post
No, the problem still exists. I've confirmed that the wall valve and flex hose are not leaking, so now I'm trying to decide if I should replace the valve coil ($15) or just save the hassle and purchase the entire gas valve assembly ($78). It appears there is a new/better coil assembly avaliable now, however I can't see where this would fix the problem as the leak has to be from gas passing through the valve and the valve should be fail closed (ie: Spring close - power to open).


Thanks for the quick reply.
Sorry to hear you're still having the problem.
I just started to look at the available parts. There are a few related to the gas portion. I haven't figured out the function of each yet but will look into it more. Last time I worked on the dryer I borrowed a friend's manual. Might have to buy my own if I plan to keep this dryer.
Logic tells me that some gasket is leaking or the valve isn't closing very well.
Maybe one of the repair experts can weigh in on this. Their advice would help both of us and could save us some money and time, both of which are in limited supply. My dryer works great but need to find the source of this gas smell.

Thanks

12/02/09 UPDATE - My problem is now solved. Turned out it was the flex connection at both the valve and the dryer. Redid both, leaked checked and it's all clear.
JRW  
#7 Posted : Friday, October 9, 2009 12:21:04 PM(UTC)
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JRW

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When you say the dryer smells like gas, is it more of a rotten egg smell or more like kerosene?

I ask b/c if you have been doing any painting/staining, especially with oil-based products, it can cause a kerosene smell to come from the dryer. You mentioned it happens intermittently- can you think if it has happened when you've been doing a project like this, even on another floor of the home?

It is not a leak and will go away when the air is cleared. Just ventilate the area as best you can.

HTH.
quoc_tech  
#8 Posted : Wednesday, December 2, 2009 5:49:29 PM(UTC)
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quoc_tech

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I am having the same problem. I used the soap/water solution to detect the leaking area, and it came from the orifice. How can I fix this? I had just replaced the two coils and eversince, started smelling gas. Could it have been the defective coils that is causing this? It it be fixed by replacing the coils again?
MARKY  
#9 Posted : Thursday, December 3, 2009 10:33:23 AM(UTC)
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MARKY

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12/02/09 UPDATE - My problem is now solved. Turned out it was the flex connection at both the valve and the dryer. Redid both, leaked checked and it's all clear.


windguy;
Thanks for posting your update, I'm starting to believe I have the same problem. Can you elaborate more on your repair? I sounds like the soap test did not show the problem with your flex connections - is this true? When you say you "redid" both connections what did you do, replace the hose and connections or just clean them up or something else? Thanks once again for posting your results and congratulations.
MARKY  
#10 Posted : Thursday, December 3, 2009 10:54:01 AM(UTC)
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MARKY

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Originally Posted by: quoc_tech Go to Quoted Post
I am having the same problem. I used the soap/water solution to detect the leaking area, and it came from the orifice. How can I fix this? I had just replaced the two coils and eversince, started smelling gas. Could it have been the defective coils that is causing this? It it be fixed by replacing the coils again?



I have not disassembled my dryer yet and therefore haven't seen the gas control valve with the orifice. The orifice is downstream of the valve and if you didn't replace it during your last repair I would say there is something wrong with the coil and/or valve. What you are experiencing is why most of the time I just buy the entire assembly (ie: gas valve and orifice) rather than having to take the dryer apart twice!! Hopefully a technician will chime in here…

Good Luck, and please post back with your results!
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