[Robert Ferrell]

MY Kenmore electric dryer starts and runs for 2 or 3 minutes and then shuts off. When I try to restart nothing happens. If I wait for 5 or 10 minutes, the dryer will start again and run 2 or 3 minutes and shut off.
I replaced the timer but no change.

Thanks,
Robert

[denman]

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for KENMORE 11061802000 | AppliancePartsPros.com

Sounds like a motor problem since you have to wait to restart it.

What is happening is the motor is overheating, it's internal thermal protect trips and then you have to wait for it to cool down and reset before it will start again.

There can be a number of causes of this.

1. Too much drag on the motor.
Try turning the drum by hand. Should turn fairly easily. If not could be the drum is jammed for some reason. You may want to try this on a couple other dryers to get a feel for it.
If it is difficult to turn run your fingers around the back and front of the tub to machine seal. To see if something has jammed between the tub and frame (bra wires are famous for this) but usually you will also hear this. Be careful in case the object is something sharp.
If nothing is jammed in there you will have to open it up and find the cause.
Check the drum seals, rear and front supports, motor bearings etc.

2.The motor's centrifugal switch is not activating.
The motor has 2 centrifugal switches. One is for the heater but the other is for the motor windings. It switches out the start winding which if left in circuit will cause the motor to overheat. Often it is just a lot of lint/dust in the motor causing problems.

3. Hot air is being blown back onto the motor.
Many units have a seal between the blower and the motor. This can be checked by running an air only cycle. If it runs OK I would check for this. Also might be a dirty vent system forcing hot air back onto the motor.

4. The motor is on it's last legs and needs replacing.