Amana LEM847W won't heat!

Dryer Repair
1

My Dryer tumbles but won’t heat. I’ve checked the circuit breaker box. It’s okay. It shouldn’t be the thermal fuse because that would stop the motor from running. So I believe it’s either the thermostat, Heater, or Heating element. So here is where I"m at.

Okay, I’ve got my dryer disassembled and have the drum out and can see the thermostat. Where is the heating element and how can you tell if it is broken? How exactly do I check to see if the thermostat isn’t working? If I replace the thermostat do I have to replace the Heater, thermostat, part#AP4070513 and the thermostat part#AP4291810. or just one or the other?

Thanks,

GB

2

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for AMANA LEM847W Dryer - Ele | AppliancePartsPros.com

[COLOR=Blue]My Dryer tumbles but won’t heat. I’ve checked the circuit breaker box. It’s okay.[/COLOR]
Did you flip it off/on slowly a couple times. Sometimes you can loose half the line without actually tripping the breaker.
Better yet measure it with a meter at the plug
L1 to L2 should be 240 volts
L1 to Neutral and L2 to Neutral, both should be 120 volts.

[COLOR=Blue]It shouldn’t be the thermal fuse because that would stop the motor from running.[/COLOR]
I could not find a wiring diagram for this unit so cannot say. You only have one thermal fuse and on many units it only removes power from the heater.
So I believe it’s either the thermostat, Heater, or Heating element. So here is where I"m at.
[COLOR=Blue]
Where is the heating element and how can you tell if it is broken?[/COLOR]
See section 6. There is the heater, the thermal fuse and the hi-limit thermostat.

Remove both wires from the heater and measure it with a meter, should be approximately 10 ohms. Also measure from each heater connector to the case, this checks for a grounded element, both should be infinite ohms (open)

Remove one wire from the thermal fuse and measure it, should be 0 ohms.
If open replace both the fuse and the hi-limit thermostat as the hi-limit should have regulated the heat so that the fuse did not blow. Odds are high that it’s contacts are welded together.

Remove one wire from the hi-limit thermostat and check it, should be 0 ohms.

Same applies to the operating thermostat on the blower housing.

Be sure to put the wires back on the components right after you take your measurements so you do not mix them up.

Also if the fuse is blown check all internal seals (drum etc.), check/clean the blower wheel and clean/check your vent system.

You may as well check the rear support rollers, front glides, idler wheel and belt for wear and replace as necessary.

If 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.