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tmannel0  
#1 Posted : Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:24:31 AM(UTC)
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tmannel0

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Hello,
My wife set the dryer at night around 9 and I found it running still the next morning. I inspected the dryer.
I found the Timer motor no longer works, It does not move as time goes on, so If you turn it on it never goes off. (I t used to tick now nothing)
NExt, the dryer no longer heats.
I inspected the heating element and I found power wire on bottom left, Black was burned off the unit, It was live down there and 2 mm from the bottom frame, wow that could have been dangerous.

So I repaired the wire and the elemant heats fine, I get 20 ohms when disconnected, both contacts, nothing when grounded. So the elemant looks fine.
My question is why would the wire burn off, is it just from cycling on and off for 12 hours?? The thermostat seems fine, the elemant turns on and then off and a few min later it turns on. Is the hi/low thermostat usually open or closed? I dont know how to check but it seems open.
I am purchasing the timer Ap4043083 (there are 2 choices but the #'s match on this one), Should I buy a thermostat also and fuses, Just so I dont have to worry about it, I really dont want to spend unneeded money.

So in short do I need a new hi/low thermostat or just the timer.
Any technical help would be great.
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denman  
#2 Posted : Thursday, October 22, 2009 5:22:25 AM(UTC)
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denman

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Here are your parts, includes the wiring diagram.
Replacement parts for MAYTAG MDE6400AYW | AppliancePartsPros.com

I found the Timer motor no longer works.
Have you tried it in timed dry, it gets power directly in this mode.
In Auto modes it gets power when the Cycling Thermostat opens through it's normally open contacts.

My question is why would the wire burn off, is it just from cycling on and off for 12 hours??
Yes it could be from being on for so long, for sure it did not help. The problem may have been there for a long time. If the connection to the heater was not good it acts like a resistor, as current passes through the connection it generates heat which makes the connection worse which generates more heat and so on and so on till the connection fails.

The thermostat seems fine, the elemant turns on and then off and a few min later it turns on.
This indicates that its Normally Closed contacts are OK but does not ensure that the Normally Open (Which run the timer motor is Auto) are OK

Is the hi/low thermostat usually open or closed? I dont know how to check but it seems open.
Not sure which thermostat you are referring to, but all thermostats should be closed at room temperature. If one is open you should not get any heat.

So in short do I need a new hi/low thermostat or just the timer.
Try the above test you may not need the timer.
Only way to be sure is with a meter.
Run the unit in timed dry, measure the voltage across the timer motor's winding, it should be 120 volts AC. If the timer does not advance it is toast.
Run the unit in Auto mode, measure the voltage across the timer motor's winding, when the heater shuts off (cycles) you should get 120 volts. If not then odds are high that the thermostat is toast.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
tmannel0  
#3 Posted : Thursday, October 22, 2009 5:57:02 AM(UTC)
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tmannel0

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Thanks for the reply.
The elemant and hi/low works fine when its on timed dry. Also the timer is advancing on timed dry now? What does this mean? Do I still need a new timer becasue I already ordered one?
tmannel0  
#4 Posted : Thursday, October 22, 2009 6:05:39 AM(UTC)
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tmannel0

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Joined: 10/21/2009(UTC)
Posts: 4

Thanks for the reply.
The elemant and hi/low works fine when its on timed dry. Also the timer is advancing on timed dry now? What does this mean? Do I still need a new timer becasue I already ordered one?
tmannel0  
#5 Posted : Thursday, October 22, 2009 6:09:23 AM(UTC)
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tmannel0

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I just read what you wrote one more time and now I understand!
Your the best!
The timer wasnt working because It wasnt receiving the power through the cycling. Everything works fine now, I didnt want to have a working elemant and a timer that doesnt even shut off, but it is working in all modes now. It was that loose wire, U just saved me about 100 bucks! Thanks
denman  
#6 Posted : Thursday, October 22, 2009 6:10:52 AM(UTC)
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denman

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What does this mean?
It means that this machine is messing with you!!!
The problem is intermittent and both the components can go this way so there is no way to figure it out.
There is also a possibility that you have a loose/poor connection in the unit.

Do I still need a new timer becasue I already ordered one?
I cannot say. If you cannot cancel it then I would install it and wait and see.
Not much else that you can do.
THIS FORUM IS DEAD!!!!!!!
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