Hi again!

Okay, so I have a Whirlpool WED4900XW0 electric dryer. Yesterday afternoon, the dryer stopped in mid-cycle. I observed the following:

With door open or closed, the heating element came on
With door open or closed, the drum would not turn
When the heating element was on, turning the dial to "no heat" turned off the heating element

I checked the motor centrifugal switch, and it worked fine. Then I checked for continuity between the heater wire downstream of the switch and ground. It was not open. The combination made me suspect that the heating element was in contact with ground.

I pulled the back panel and removed the heating element. Sure enough, one of the ceramic insulators had turned, letting the heating element contact the metal body of the element holder. I corrected the situation and put everything back together.

The problem now is that neither the motor nor the heating element starts when the door switch is closed, heat level is set to anything but air dry, and the start button is pushed. When I press the start button, I can feel a relay pull in, and when I release the door switch, I can feel a relay drop out, but no heat and no drum movement.

I suspect a fuse or overload switch is stuck. Or perhaps the short to ground caused damage to some part, but I'm not sure where to look first.

So, I guess now I'm just trying to figure out why the motor won't start. I suspect that the previously-shorted element was backfeeding some component and caused additional damage, but I'm not certain. Headed to the dryer with my meter for round 2. :)

OK that is different from the way I was interpreting it.

First thing to check is the thermal fuse on the blower housing.

If it is 0 ohms then try the following:
Unplug the unit.
Attach one meter lead to the line cord's Neutral and leave it there(tape or clip it on).
Meter on it's most sensitive scale also short the meter leads together before starting to see if there is a 0 offset.
Now work your way back through the motor circuit.
Door closed and timer set to mid scale timed dry.

Both sides of the door switch should be 0 ohms.
T and W on the timer should be 0 ohms.
5M on the motor should b 0 ohms.
4M on the motor should be a couple ohms (motor windings)
Both sides of the thermal fuse should be a couple ohms.
LBU (light blue) wire on the start switch should be a couple ohms.
Also the other side of the start switch (actually it is a relay) contacts.
BU and BK should be a couple ohms with the start switch activated.
Also L1 on the line cord.

There that is the motor start circuit.

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.