[Omelette]

I've finally been able to move out of the barracks and get my household goods out of storage. I bought my w/d in 2001 which have been stored for the last 2.5 years. When drying clothes the backside of the dryer gets excessively hot along with the top close to the control panel. It takes at a lot longer for clothes to dry. Venting system is clean and has been checked several times. I ran the dryer w/o the vent tube connected and the air was somewhat warm. Why is the dryer hot to touch vs blowing out hot air?

[denman]

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for FDE437GHSO models | AppliancePartsPros.com

It could be that an internal seal has disintegrated and you are sucking in room air. This can cause the dryer to run hot.

[Omelette]

Denman - I took apart the dryer to find that I have a felt front seal. Not able to inspect the seal to see if there is any extra spacing along the sides or bottom what do you suggest? I find this whole problem to be odd. The heating element gets bright red and the blower rotates, however, the heat doesn't make it to the front door (remains room temp) and I'm finding lint on the door (minimal amount) as well as the lint catcher. Maybe its a safe bet to replace the felt seal...your thoughts?

[denman]

You will have to check them for wear.
They are in Section 4 if you click on the part's picture then a new page will open with more info on that part.

Also check the rear support bearing for slop.
Check the seal Item 1 in section 4.
Check the lint filter sometimes they can get coated with fabric softener residue and need to be cleaned with soap and water.
Check that the blower wheel is clean.

The air is sucked past the heating coils and through the drum and then pushed out by the blower.
So if you have a large seal leak cold air gets sucked in and then the unit will run hot as the temperature sensing/control thermostat is on the blower.