[kfashbur]

I purchased a de-branded scratch/dent gas dryer ~ 7 years ago that has worked fine until this past week. We always dry on the automatic mode, as opposed to the timed cycle. The timer no longer works in this mode, i.e., the timer will not move even though the dryer is running. The heat is very inconsistent as well. Sometimes it seems to get pretty warm, other times there is no heat. I don't believe it has achieved full heat since this problem started.

From what little research I have done online, it appears that the timer control needs to be replaced. Since this dryer has been de-branded, I cannot find any model information in the usual places.

Is the timer control the most likely culprit? Do I need to remove the control to get the necessary part information so that I can order a new one?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[denman]

Gas? Electric?
Most Sears units are Whirlpool.

On most units in Timed Dry the timer motor get power through one set of timer contacts directly from the line.
On Auto cycles it only gets power when the heater shuts off, often through the heater itself. Also sometimes there is a resistor in line with the timer motor to drop the voltage.

Normally if the timer runs in Timed Dry and not in Auto it is not the timer itself.

Perhaps the below will help you narrow it down, there are somew example wiring diagrams.
http://www.applianceaid.com/dryers.html