I cannot find a wiring diagram for this unit so am doing some guessing here.
Check in the units control console for the wiring diagram.
Your unit was manufactured by Whirlpool but I cannot cross reference it.
First unplug the unit and check the heater.
Remove both wires from the heating coil and measure the coil, usually around 10 ohms.
Then measure from each side of the heater to the case, both should be infinite ohms. This tests for a grounded element which can run without control from the thermostats so it is hot all the time.
I think your unit uses a thermostat with 4 prongs.
2 of them are the contacts, the other two are an internal heater. Measure the heater should be around 6,000 ohms.
The way this works is for lower temp settings the unit sends power to this internal heater so that the thermostat is not only getting heat from the main heating coil but also from the internal heater so it turns off more often reducing the units heat output.
Odds are it is one of the above.
Let us know how it goes or if it is not one of the above.
Always a good idea to give the interior a good cleaning, including the blower wheel. I would also clean/check the vent system.
Here is a good site with basic info which you may find useful
http://www.applianceaid.com/dryers.htmlIf you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.
There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.
