Quote: Now
when others search for a similar problem they will see what actually worked instead of just suggestions about what could be the cause.
Holy moly...you nailed it. I DID have a problem with my dryer starting, and searched every single resource I could. Traced out out the wires, tested everything except the motor itself, which I still can't find any info on hooking up 120 direct to the motor to test, although it probably is because you can't...being the centrifugal switch disconnects the circuit to the motor starting circuit untill it stops.....er...I think. I had copied the schematic, and traced it through every single wire. But here is another tip for any one who is working on theirs to the extent of following wires through the black tape that the factory applies to keep the wiring harness neat.
There are two of those black taped areas that do something else. They HIDE two instances of a feed wire, connected to TWO wires that exit the tape. I played hell trying to find those two connections. Only because my Dad told me a thousand times...never assume anything...and LOOK LOOK LOOK.:D Anyway, this thread is the one that helped me isolate my real problem. Which is even weirder than this one.
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It is these weird ones that can drive a person crazy.
You betcha. Just to illustrate how weird things can cause more than one problem, check this out.
A few months back, I began questioning my bill from the water company as it started climbing, eventually adding about $40 per month. After proving they weren't averaging, and turning off all water using devices overnight, I checked the water meter at the the shutoff, and there is a little red arrow on the meter, that shows when water is being used. It was turning like crazy. I checked everything in the house. Nothing was leaking, and nothing was using water. Finally, my wife said she heard water running, but being old and half deaf, I couldn't hear it. Well, that was last week.
Come this week, all of sudden my dryer stopped working. I did all the preliminary stuff. Checked the breakers. Hmmm, they were snapped. Well, I figured that was the problem and reset them, but what caused it? So now, I checked the outlet, which now had voltage. I checked at the connection Lugs. Yup, had power. Still wouldn't start. Thats when I embarked on a complete nightmare.
I've fixed this dryer many times, as I can't afford a repairman, being on SS fixed income. So I dived right in. I opened the case, and checked the obvious. The door switch, the start switch, and started chasing the wires through the chassis to see if anything had become disconnected. Nope. That's when I did a search on various things and found myself here. I registered and posted a thread, which no one had responded to over a 2 day period. No wonder. DUH! Somehow I had inadvertently read the model number incorrectly. No wonder I couldn't find any info. Even Sears was baffled.:D BTW, my dryer is a Kenmore, which must be built by the same company that builds the authors dryer,as everything I've read matches my dryer. That tells me something else too. Hahaha!
Anyway, this morning, after doing every thing the last few people suggested on this thread, I decided to jump the door switch, disconnect the start switch, and see if I could start it by manually jumping the Start switch wires. Plugged it in...nothing. (sighs). Just to make sure the breaker hadn't blown again, I checked it. Hmmm, no. So I checked the voltage at the plug. No voltage. Hmmm. Checked it at the breaker. WTF. It had voltage. Both legs. Now what the heck is going on. This is when things started really getting weird.
A few weeks ago, we had a problem with a big rat. Got rid of that problem after he chewed through a cabinet full of food stored in plastic containers. He even chewed through the sides of a plastic enclosed crock pot. Unbelievable. So , I'm thinking...maybe this rat had somehow chewed through the plastic wrapped wires, and they shorted or something.
Well, this afternoon, I decided to look under the house through an access directly under my bathroom, which is adjacent to the laundry room, to see if I could trace the wires from the plug. LOW AND BEHOLD. As soon as I looked under there...holy moly...there's the leaking water!! Three different ones. I don't know who plumbed this house, but he should'nt be a plumber. What they used was plastic RV pipe. Terrible stuff. And now I see the result of freezing weather last winter. Three of these pipes had cracked. And guess where the wire from the breaker box was stapled. You got it. Right in the path of one of these leaks.
Well, at this point I still haven't crawled under the house as it really is a creepy nightmare under there and it's getting dark. Spiders galore. Wet ground. Pipes from hell. Wires..and god knows what else. Not to mention I'm claustrophobic.:D Anyway, I'm pretty sure what the problem is now. Just got to find where the wires shorted open. I'm also glad it didn't cause a fire. Will do tomorrow...and I ain't looking forward to it. :(:rolleyes::eek:
Well, sorry for the long winded reply, but like the previous poster said. Just trying to help people see it may not even be in the dryer. Crap happens and when it does, without knowing what other people have been through, well threads like this are a godsend. Thank you for supplying information, even though it may not solve my particular problem. It might have. And who knows...once I get the power thing resolved(not to mention the water thing)...it may STILL be in the dryer. Hahahahahaha!!
Rick
