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Replacement parts for WHIRLPOOL EL5030VW0 Residential Dryer | AppliancePartsPros.com[COLOR="DarkRed"]
My first question is what part of my dryer is broken? Is it the motor or the temperature sensor or something completely different?[/COLOR]
Sounds like the motor.
What is happening is that the motor overheats, it then trips it''s internal thermal protect and then has to cool down for the protect to reset before it will try to start again.
Try turning the drum in the correct direction by hand. It should turn fairly easily. You may want to try this on a couple other dryers to get a feel for it.
If it is hard turning check for anything jammed under the drum seals.
Check the idler wheel, the front drum bearing, the rear support wheels, the motor etc. to see what is causing the overload on the drum/motor.
It is a good idea to also check in the blower assembly in case something has dropped in there and is jamming it.
If you get heat when it is trying to start then the two centrifugal switches on the motor may be closed. This could be they are jammed solid with lint.
These switches are supposed to close when the unit gets close to operating speed. One is for heat but the other is for the motor's start winding. So if you have heat you probably do not have the start winding and the motor will overheat.
If all the above are OK then odds are the motor is toast.
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Depending on what is broken is it really worth fixing or should I just try to find another cheap dryer?[/COLOR]
The motor is approx. $80.00 so I do not know if it is worth replacing. Depends on the condition of the unit and if it needs more parts for a decent overhaul.