Couple months ago, did routine dryer maintenance: clean, belt, lube, etc. Noticed one broken ceramic clip on element. Wasn't shorting, was still mostly in place, so I left it alone.

Christmas Eve, wife notices element is not turning off. Element stays hot while door is open no matter what cycle it's on, even "off." Gets very, very hot at high temp setting, not so hot at low setting, but still hot. But when you close door and turn start dial, timer cycles normally, but element shuts off....until end of cycle, when it gets hot again. Everything runs fine, it seems, except the element wants to operate backward; when it's supposed to be on, it's off and vice versa.

Suspecting a shorted element, I installed a new one with a new housing. No change in outcome. Checked continuity at each of its connectors, got it. Looked for a short there, found none. Checked for continuity at each of the thermostats and they all seem ok as well. Tried to follow some logic and the circuit from timer to element to motor, seems like continuity all along the line.

Already cleaned vent inside and out. Ran it without vent hose, no change. Any suggestions?

OK, great idea. I saw a symbol I didn't recognize on the schematic in line between the motor and the door switch. I couldn't locate a switch or resistor or anything to test. What should I be looking for?