[Humility]

I have a Whirlpool LER8648PWO dryer that we have had for a few years now and it now will not start.

It has power, when I set the timer it starts spinning down. The heat element works fine (Bypassed the thermostat to manually turn it on and check). I picked up a new switch and tried replacing that, but it had no effect. The door switch is properly registering that the door is closed.

I do not have an ohm/multimeter on hand, but have most basic tools I just do not know dryers at all so I don't know what would be my next step to look at.

Thanks in advance for any insight you guys are able to offer!

[denman]

Here are your parts
Parts for Whirlpool LER8648PW0 Dryer - AppliancePartsPros.com

See the attachment for your wiring diagram.

Most like likely part is the thermal fuse (item 7 in the Bulkhead Parts section).

Unplug the unit and check the fuse with a meter should be 0 ohms.

Jiggery Pokery method is.
Unplug the unit.
Remove both wires from the fuse, short them together and tape them up so they will not short to the frame.
Plug the unit in and give it a try.

If blown, replace the fuse ASAP as it is a critical safety device re: prevents lint fires which can turn into house fires.

Also clean/check your vent system and the blower as these are the most common causes of it blowing.

If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.
4. When you start always short the meter leads together. This will tell you that the meter is working and if there is any 0 offset.

There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.

[Humility]

Bypassing the thermal fuse did the trick, I'm placing an order for one from this site now. Thanks a bunch for your help!

[denman]

You are welcome

And thanks for getting back to us. Now when others search for a similar problem they will see what actually worked instead of just suggestions about what could be the cause.