hello, my whirlpool dryer wed5100vq1 heats up at initial start, stays on for about 4 min or so then element turns off and doesnt come back on. i have tested all t-stats with a meter set on 200. the only thing i am not sure about is when i test the small posts[2 middle posts] on the cycling thermostat i get no reading. should i have my meter on a higher setting or is this telling me that is where my problem is. thank you

Here are your parts
Parts for Whirlpool WED5100VQ1 Dryer - AppliancePartsPros.com

See the attachment for your wiring diagram

[COLOR="Blue"]the only thing i am not sure about is when i test the small posts[2 middle posts] on the cycling thermostat i get no reading. should i have my meter on a higher setting or is this telling me that is where my problem is[/COLOR]
Your meter should be on a higher setting.
This is the internal thermostat heater and they are usually up around 5,000 to 10,000 ohms.

This is a weird one as usually the motor is the part that shuts down due to overheating. it may be difficult to find.

I am assuming that just the heat shuts off and the unit keeps running.
If you stop the unit, do you get heat as soon as you restart it or do you have to wait for the unit to cool down?

Have you tried different cycle types? It could be that the timer has a bad spot.
Have you tried different heat settings? This may help determine if the problem is heat related.

Check the heating coil and it's connections. Perhaps it is heating up and the opening and then when it cools down it reconnects.