Hi,
I have a Kenmore “Special Edition” (very similar to the 90 or 70 series) dryer. It was squeaking quite a bit a week ago so I replaced the belt, drum rollers and idler assembly. The squeak went away but after a day the motor wasn’t running. The dryer still produced heat but the motor wouldn’t turn.
The motor still turned freely by hand without any unusual resistance. I jumped the thermal fuse wires and the motor would run so I replaced the thermal fuse yesterday. It ran a few cycles but today the same thing happened - dryer heating up, motor not turning, new thermal fuse is shot.
Any idea what the issue could be? It isn’t clogged with lint or anything like that… Not the most handy guy so I’m not sure what degree of troubleshooting I’d be able to do but any help is appreciated.
Thanks for the reply. I’m sure that’s the model number - when I called Sears they had it in their system and have me a part number.
Outside it looks like a 90 series but inside like the 70.
If the element was shorting out would it still be heating up? When I turn the dryer on now even with the blown thermal fuse it heats up but just the motor won’t run.
The model number does not come up at the sears parts direct site. Maybe this is a canadian model? The heat should not work with motor not running as heat circuit is through the motor switch which is open with motor not running. With grounded element, you would have 120vac across part of the heater coil when you turn the timer on. Check for a grounded element. You can do this by unplugging the dryer, turn timer on to heat setting, check resistance between metal case of the dryer, must be a good ground such as where there is a screw or bare metal, and one of the two flat blades of the dryer plug. If you get a reading, the element is grounded. I’m assuming this dryer has a mechanical timer, can’t know without proper model number.
Ok thanks. Yes this is a Canadian model.
When I turn it on the element gets red hot quickly - motor doesn’t run. If I jump the thermal fuse then the motor starts running.
Ok just got home from work…
To confirm, tested the thermal fuse and there’s no continuity.
Tested thermostat next to fuse with multimeter and there is continuity so I assume this is fine.
Took lint chute out to check for clogs and it was clear. The vent outside was a little plugged up but not too bad - air should still have got out. Checked the rest of the vent and it was clear.
Took the heater coil out and inspected - didn’t see anything touching the case or any breaks. Tested for continuity and it had continuity.
Sorry I’m not too sure what you meant by test for a grounded element.
Ok I’m not sure if I understood. I attached one end of my multimeter to the outside case of the dryer and the other to the main dryer electrical plug and the multimeter didn’t do anything. Not sure if this is good or bad?
If this was the problem wouldn’t it pop the fuse as soon as I turned it on instead of run for a few loads?
If the motor was drawing too much amps would that potentially pop the fuse? Just seems like a coincidence that this happened right after I changed that belt and idler assembly - could that be related or does that make no sense?
The heat should not come on when the motor is not running. The only way it can do that is if the motor centrifugal switch is stuck in the run position or the heat element is grounded. If the centrifugal switch is stuck in the run position, the motor would not start. The thermal fuse is in the motor circuit, not the heat circuit. The thermal fuse blows due to the dryer overheating, not due to too much current through it. With a grounded element, the dryer overheats due to the element being on all the time and the overheating causes the thermal fuse to eventually blow. Grounded elements are fairly common. Try this. Disconnect the wiring plug from the motor. Turn the timer to a heat cycle. If the heat element comes on, it’s grounded. By unplugging the motor, you have removed the centrifugal switch from the equation.
Eric I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to figure out which wires to unplug on the motor - might need a buddy to come by and give me a hand if I can’t figure it out.
I did notice one thing just now though.
When I said earlier that the element was on but the motor wouldn’t run that was when the thermal fuse blew during a cycle. I noticed now that if I start the dryer with the bad fuse (or wires disconnected) both the motor and element won’t come on, but if I jump the thermal fuse wires both the element and motor run, then if I cut the connection to the wires while they are running (like blowing the fuse) the motor cuts out but the element stays on until I turn the dryer off (I let it go for 5 min). So I guess this is why I was under the impression that the element would still turn on. Is it normal when a thermal fuse blows for the element not to shut off and just the motor?
Not sure if this description helps you or not, but I was misleading before with my initial description.
Thanks again - hopefully I’ll stop bugging you soon.
No, the element should turn off when the motor stops. That’s why the heat circuit is through the motor centrifugal switch. This is a safety thing so that if the motor quits, the heat should go off. What may be happening is that when the heat element is on, it gets very hot and the coil may be sagging and grounding out. Then when the motor stops, part of the coil is still energized through the ground and by one leg of voltage through the timer. Blown thermal fuses are usually caused by an air flow problem due to restriction in the ducting, leaking seals or the blower wheel is slipping on the motor shaft.
