Hi everyone, hopefully someone can help me solve this. I have Kenmore 80 series gas dryer, which I bought new in 1999. My previous research tells me it was made by Whirlpool. It stopped working, and would not start. I replaced the thermal fuse, and it now runs, but the flame in the blower only lasts about five minutes, so I’m not getting nearly enough heat to dry clothes.
I don’t have the model number with me at the moment. (I thought I did, but in fact it’s the motor model number I have, and I don’t expect that will be of any help.)
Any ideas what I should check next? I’m a novice to fixing dryers.
Does it have an inspection panel or a plug you can remove to see the flame? If so, watch as it cycles, and tell us whether the igniter glows and cycles off.
Thanks for the quick response. Yes, it has a small plug in the front for watching the igniter. When I start the dryer up, the igniter does glow, and it does ignite the gas. The flame then lasts for about five minutes, then the flame goes out and does not re-ignite unless the dryer is shut off and restarted.
If, after the flame goes out, the igniter continues to glow, then go out, then glow, etc., you probably have weak coils. These are the electromechanical (solenoid) gas valve controls. They should be replaced. AP3094251
Thanks, I’ll take a look and see if the igniter does glow again after the flame goes out. I did not see it do that last time, but I may not have watched long enough. Would it indicate a different problem if the igniter does not glow again?
Well, I gave it a good look, and the igniter does light up again and go off, like you expected.
There are a few other things I noticed that I want to mention before I proceed to replace the coils:
There was an initial successful ignition, then after that went out, a second successful ignition. Then, I watched the igniter glow and go out two times.
When I opened the dryer, it was fairly warm, and there was a mild burnt rubber smell. Should I be replacing the belt and the idler pulley? (In fact, my dryer has the old style idler that doesn’t even have a pulley – just a smooth area for the belt to glide over.
It never hurts to replace the belt. Your idler is probably just fine, but a replacement (with a pulley) is not that expensive. While you havethe cabinet open, it is highly recommended that you also clean out all the lint that made it past the filter screen.
Well, I switched out the coils and that solved the heating issue, but now I have another problem. I also replaced the belt and put in the new belt tensioner.
The dryer runs and gets plenty hot enough. However, after about 15-20 minutes, it just stops, even if the load is not yet dry.
I checked the drum rollers when I had the machine opened up, and they spun freely.
I’m concerned it may be the motor. The drum is difficult to rotate by hand. It is especially difficult to turn clockwise, but turns a bit more easily counter-clockwise.
Are there any possibilities other than a motor problem? Should I take the info I’ve written here and make it into a new post to get some wider feedback?
Try removing the belt and checking the blower wheel to see that it turns freely; Check the rollers to make sure they also turn freely. Make sure the belt is the correct one for your dryer, and properly installed and tensioned; and finally, that there is no bind in the drum as you replace the front of the cabinet.
I’m not sure where the blower wheel is. I couldn’t figure it out while I had the machine apart. However, I ordered the belt and pulley from Appliance Part Pros and I’m pretty sure they are the right part and installed properly. The rollers spin freely. Also the drum looks good at the front and the back.
I tried to spin the motor by hand, and I can no longer turn it. I can, however, turn it with a wrench.
I took the drum out, and hooked the electric back up, and the machine almost started, but not quite. As it hummed, I could see the motor spun, but wouldn’t fully turn over.
So, I think I need a new motor. From what I’ve read on forums like this, they cannot be serviced. Is that true?
Just to put a period on the end of this thread, I did also need a motor. Installing wasn’t too hard, but I was unable to detach the fan, so I had to break it and order a new fan. So, if you need a new motor, make sure you can detach the fan (which is attached by a reverse thread) before you order the motor. That way, if you need to break it and order a new one, you can save yourself the wait of having to order parts twice.
Hello, I’m hoping someone can help me out, my dryer runs for 2 mins and then the flame goes out and does not turn back on until you restart it, I changed the coil valves per the discussion above but that did absolutely nothing. Any ideas
One other thing I replaced that was needed was the thermal fuse. I’d recommend doing some research to see if that might help. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do recall I needed one of those. Best of luck.
[QUOTE=Gigs28;689510]One other thing I replaced that was needed was the thermal fuse. I’d recommend doing some research to see if that might help. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do recall I needed one of those. Best of luck.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I am going to try this and I will post a reply. Hope it works.
[QUOTE=Gigs28;689510]One other thing I replaced that was needed was the thermal fuse. I’d recommend doing some research to see if that might help. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do recall I needed one of those. Best of luck.[/QUOTE]
I changed the thermal fuse but it didn’t do anything :(. Any other ideas?
