a friend has a dryer and it runs for about 3 mins then it shuts off and wont start for about an hour . any ideas.
It sounds like the motor is overheating and tripping it’s internal thermal protect.
You then have to wait for the motor to cool down and the protect to reset before you can start it again. Though an hour does seem very long.
First try rotating the drum in the correct direction. It should rotate fairly easily. You may want to try this on a couple other dryers to get a feel for it. This will tell you if the motor is being overloaded for some reason.
If it is OK you will have to open up the unit.
Check that the motor etc. is clean of lint.
Could be it is jammed solid.
Check the internal seals to ensure that hot air is not blowing onto the motor.
If all is OK then the motor is probably toast.