I've got an older Roper dryer, standard drum model, nothing fancy. The dryer stopped working halfway through its first load after I cleaned the lint out a couple weeks ago.

Things I've done:
- Verified 220 volts to the left and right wires and 110 from the neutral to both
- Tested continuity to all the fuses and things in the main rear compartment
- Tested continuity to the door switch
- Replaced the motor
- The timer still runs through its cycle (i.e. if you set it to 20 minutes, 20 minutes later it will buzz and stop in the off position)
- Spot checked the heating element and tested continuity at its wires
- Tested continuity to the start button

All tests were successful, as far as I can tell (I'm a novice after all), it just won't turn on.

Now one weird thing I've noticed is with the start button. There are two wires connected to it in the panel compartment. If the wires are disconnected to the start button, when I test for resistance I get infinity until I press the button, when I get 0. That's what I expect. However, when I connect the two wires and test for resistance, it doesn't matter if I press the button or not, the meter always reads resistance at 0.

Is this the way the start button is supposed to work, or does it indicate that I have a problem in my wiring or another part?

Red4440vq1

Yes, I did. With the wires disconnected from the prongs, the circuit was open until I pressed the button, when it closed. With the wires connected to the prongs, the circuit was always closed.