Hello,

I have a Kenmore Elite Gas Dryer (110-70952990) that is on the fritz and will no longer start and stay running. This dryer does have Even Heat Control.

I'll begin by stating that when the problem started, the first thing I did was check the tube out the back of the dryer. It was packed full of lint so I vacuumed it all out. Dryer still wont run.

I'll try to describe the behavior of the dryer the best I can.
I push the start button.
The dryer starts for a split second and the motor makes a horrible noise, the drum spins and then the machine stops.
I hear a couple of clicks
A few minutes later I hear another click
After about 5 minutes or so, the machine all on its own will try to start...the dryer turns on for a second and I hear the same horrible noise from the motor and the drum spins for a quick second.
This cycle of the dryer trying to start on its own will continue until the timer runs out.
If I try to start the dryer myself by pushing the button before all the clicking and 5 minutes goes by, the dryer is dead and unresponsive to me pushing the button. If I wait, it will try to start and run

So I took apart the dryer and here's what I've tested and done so far:
Thermal fuse passed continuity test
Start switch passed the continuity test
Belt switch passed the continuity test
Door switch passed the continuity test
Blower wheel spins freely and there are no blockages
Checked for voltage at the Timer
Checked for voltage at the start switch and motor relay
One of the two drum rollers on the back wall didn't spin too freely. I cleaned and lubed it. Spins better now.
Drive belt is intact and seems fine
Drive belt idler pulley is intact and lever seems fine


According to the parts website, if all these parts are good, then the motor is probably bad. I was just about to order a motor, but wasn't 100% convinced. So, I took out the motor, put it on my workbench, applied power, triggered pin 5 to start it, and low and behold it started and ran beautifully! Nice quiet hum and ran indefinitely. So now I'm thinking the motor isn't bad, but part of me wants to reinstall the motor and do the same test to see if the motor sounds or acts differently when there is a load on it (belt and drum installed with some clothes in it)

If I'm understanding my situation correctly, the parts website makes no mention of the the Even Heat Control board being the culprit for this particular problem, but the Troubleshooting guide I found inside the Dryer says that if all the parts test out good, then the Even Heat Control board is to blame and not the motor since it does technically start.

So where do I go from here? What else can and should I test?
How can I test the Even Heat Control board to be sure it's bad?

Thanks in advance for your help
James

Eric, thank you for the detailed and easy to understand response and great suggestions.

I will have the time to do this tomorrow night and will report back my findings on Friday.

Thanks again.

You are bypassing the relay when you operate the start switch. The start switch and relay are in parallel. You activate the start switch which should start the motor and signal the control board to activate the relay so that when you release the start switch, it continues to run. But yes, you can rule out the start switch as the problem by jumping the two wires together. Make sure timer is off first so there is no voltage to the wires. Then you can either jump the two blue wires from the motor relay or the two black wires from the start switch. Turn timer on and motor should start. If not, continue with the voltage drop tests.

Eric

Hi Eric,
I have some new information

For both the BK and BU on the timer, I saw a voltage drop. It read 118.8v and dropped to 107.2v after I pushed the start button. This was with reference to ground. When I did the same test with reference to neutral, it went from 118.8v to 106.5v

Regarding the motor relay, there was no volt reading on the common wire as you suggested so I was unable to do a voltage drop test. I did determine though that after the push button is pushed, that the common wire shows 120v and holds 120v for 3 minutes until I hear and feel a click at the harness that plugs into the motor. After the 3 minutes, the volts drops back to 0.

The same thing happens with the push start switch. There is 120v coming in and 0 volts going out initially. Once I push the button, the circuit closes and 120volts passes through the switch just fine and is held for 3 minutes as well. After 3 minutes passes, the switch returns to being open.

Going back to the motor relay, and testing the normally open (NO) blue wire, I was able to monitor a voltage drop and saw it go from 118.8v to 106.2v once the start button is pushed.

For the belt switch, both terminals showed it go from 0v to 118v (and held 118v for 3 minutes) once I pushed the start button.

I re-installed the motor for the heck of it and kept the drum out, pulled the spring on the idler pulley arm and taped the arm out of the way so it wouldn't interfere with the belt switch continuity. No change, so my hunch of the motor possibly running w/o a load on it has been proven false.

On a side note, my cheapo Harbor Freight DVOM was able to perform these tests, and same with my middle of the road Craftsman DVOM. But my new Fluke 87V DVOM wouldn't pick up the voltage and always showed "OL". Do you know why this is? I really wanted to use the Fluke because it has the ability to capture the min and Max values, rather than me just watching the screen.

Does this new information mean anything to you? Any more advice or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks for your help and time.
James

The Kenmore dryer was switched out to another type and brand yesterday--an older model Whirlpool with a rotary timer. After I got the Kenmore unit back home I plugged it in to the 110 volt outlet and hit the start area of the touch pad panel and it did not work. Thinking I was going to have to scrap it I walked away to get a tool and came back and tried it again. Praise the Lord it turned on and runs well !!! As I suspected however the door lever type switch is the culprit and Sears told me to forget about getting a replacement. A couple of bumps on the door and it would start but not everytime. I am going to go to an appliance scrap dealer and see if they have this type of switch. If anyone out there has the lever type door switch for this model Kenmore gas dryer 110.87994100

In my description of the switches I mentioned that this dryer has 2 pushbutton and one lever type switch for the door. In actual fact the lever type switch is actually a push button actuated by a spring plate. I am still looking for an exact new replacement for this switch as the one set of contacts/terminals are blackened which indicates to me that it is damaged internally. In the meantime I found an old pushbutton type switch I installed to do the function of this switch. It is a single pole type and appears to work for this function. I will report back later to see if it does indeed work OK.
If anyone else has ever noted this blackening of the terminals(and presumably the internal contacts) of these type of pushbutton switch I would like to know. I have noted it on rotary timer dryer switches I have dismantled. Any help in respect to this problem area is appreciated.