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Hello,
My dryer will not start. I've never had an issue with it in the past. When I turn the start knob, there is a humming noise.
I have replaced the start switch and tested the continuity on the thermal fuse, and the door switch. These appear to be fine.
The belt is in great shape, and there is not any skipping that I can see. And the drum turns manually as well. There does not appear to be any blockage in the blower wheel, as I can turn that manually too.

I suspect the issue is with the motor, but I'm wondering a couple of things...
1. Is there anything else I should check prior to investing in a new motor.
2. It looks like there is a switch at the pulley assembly - is that the case for this model? Do I need to check it for continuity?
3. Can I test the motor before replacing, if so how.
4. I have looked for parts on line and find a wide variance in price for the replacement motor - from ~$85 on Amazon.com to $350 on the reapair ************ site. $350 for a motor is insane....the exact same Kenmore dryer has a $100 motor on the repair ************ site. What gives? And is there any reason I should not get the cheapest new motor that I can find?

Thank you for your help with this....I'm excited to get my dryer back in working order, or just buy a used replacement.
Sandy

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Update - I checked that the motor turns properly by spinning so the motor is not frozen. I powered the machine up and hit the start button and gave the drum a little nudge, and she spins just fine now.

Anybody know how I can repair the capacitors on the motor instead of replacing the whole thing? Or perhaps I should just get the $85 motor from amazon.com and be done with it.