My dryer will not start. I have found the thermal fuse part # 3392519 to be open. I plan to order a replacement part but would like to know what could have caused it to fail so a replacement fuse will not blow out when I connect it.
Thank you,
Louie
There can be a number of causes for it to blow but the most common is a malfunctioning vent system.
Check/clean the vent system.
Make sure that the outside louvers (if your’s has them) open fully.
Also check/clean the blower wheel.
[quote=denman;379498]There can be a number of causes for it to blow but the most common is a malfunctioning vent system.
Check/clean the vent system.
Make sure that the outside louvers (if your’s has them) open fully.
Also check/clean the blower wheel.[/quote]
I cleaned the vent system, blower wheel and duct to the outside.
When I replaced the themal fuse the dryer worked for a while and then died again. I am thinking something else must be causing it to heat up too much. Any other suggestions?
Regards,
Louie
Here are your parts
Replacement parts for WHIRLPOOL LER5636EQ0 | AppliancePartsPros.com
See the attachment for the wiring diagram
First confirm that the fuse is blown again.
Rare but sometimes another problem can crop up with the same symptoms and you can end up spending hours on a wild goose chase.
I am assuming that when you cleaned your blower everything looked OK.
Also did you check that the outside louvers (if your system has them) where opening correctly.
Did you notice if you could actually adjust the temperature with the dial.
Could be that the main thermostat is welded shut.
If it is you would not be able to get a low temperature.
Check the heating coil. Though this problem usually blows the thermal cut-off not the thermal fuse. I would also remove the heater and check for any signs that the coil has touched the outer case.
Unplug the unit and both wires to the coil.
Check it with a meter, should be around 10 ohms.
Then check from each side of the coil to the case/frame, both should be infinite ohms (open). If not the coil may have sagged or broken and is touching the case. This can cause it to run on high and the thermostats cannot regulate it so the thermal cut-off blows.
LER4634.pdf (125.0 KB)
[quote=denman;382244]Here are your parts
Replacement parts for WHIRLPOOL LER5636EQ0 | AppliancePartsPros.com
See the attachment for the wiring diagram
First confirm that the fuse is blown again.
Rare but sometimes another problem can crop up with the same symptoms and you can end up spending hours on a wild goose chase.
I am assuming that when you cleaned your blower everything looked OK.
Also did you check that the outside louvers (if your system has them) where opening correctly.
Did you notice if you could actually adjust the temperature with the dial.
Could be that the main thermostat is welded shut.
If it is you would not be able to get a low temperature.
Check the heating coil. Though this problem usually blows the thermal cut-off not the thermal fuse. I would also remove the heater and check for any signs that the coil has touched the outer case.
Unplug the unit and both wires to the coil.
Check it with a meter, should be around 10 ohms.
Then check from each side of the coil to the case/frame, both should be infinite ohms (open). If not the coil may have sagged or broken and is touching the case. This can cause it to run on high and the thermostats cannot regulate it so the thermal cut-off blows.[/quote]
Thank you for your help. I will check out the things you recommend. Looking at the wiring diagram I see there are two fuses and two thermostats. Could you explain the diffence in function for them?
It would seem to me that the exhaust air is getting too hot so the thermal fuse blows.
Louie
Thermal fuse - blows when there is an overheat condition at the blower, kills power to the motor which shuts the unit off. That is why a clogged vent system is the most likely cause of it blowing due to the heat build up in the blower area. This is the main protection against lint fires.
Operating thermostat - this is the device that actually regulates the unit’s temperature. You will notice that it has 4 connectors. Two of them are the actual thermostat contacts. The other two are for a built in heater. When in a low temperature setting this heater is turned on, it adds heat to the thermostat which causes it to cycle more often. This results in a lower heat output for the unit.
Thermal cutoff - also a thermal fuse - this protects the unit from overheating in the heater area. It is actually a backup device as the hi-limit should open before the cutoff (fuse) blows. That is why you get both when ordering a cutoff as they assume that the hi-limit also has failed. This in not always true because if the element is grounded it can overheat and none of the thermostats can control it.
Hi-limit thermostat - this is the first protection device in the heater area. It will rest itself when the temperature drops back to normal.
I checked the operating thermostat and got a resistance of 0 ohms, and the heater which had a resistance of 6.9K.
The thermal cutoff had a R=0, and I checked to see that the high limit thermostat would open and close ( I used a heat gun to simulate operation). The main heating element had a resistance of 9.9 ohms.
I then replaced the blown out thermal fuse.The vent was cleaned and is clear.
Not finding anything else to check I plugged in the dryer and lo and behold it worked. Not having “done” anything I knew it was too good to be true. After working fine for two weeks the dryer conked out again yesterday. Again the thermal fuse was blown.
I can’t think of anything else to try. The dryer is 15 years old so maybe it is time to replace it.
Thank you for all your help.
Louie
[COLOR=“DarkRed”]I can’t think of anything else to try. The dryer is 15 years old so maybe it is time to replace it.[/COLOR]
This may be best as your problem is intermittent so is a pain to actually find the faulty part.
If you did want to give it one more shot, the operating thermostat (Item 8 in Section 3) would be at the top of my list.
Perhaps it’s contacts are pitted and stick closed every once in a while, but this is just a guess.