Maytag dryer won't start

Dryer Repair
,
1

Our gas Maytag dryer suddenly stopped working during the middle of the blizzard last week. My wife thought it may have overheated since snow was accumulated by the vent outside the house. Even after clearing the snow from the vent, it will nto start. Is there some sort of a builit-in circuit breaker that may have tripped due to overheating? There is power to the dryer, as our washer is plugged into the same circuit and it works fine. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem would be appreciated. Otherwise my wife is pestering me to go out and buy a new dryer! :eek:

Thanks in advance!

2

[quote=cah14522;350080]Our gas Maytag dryer suddenly stopped working during the middle of the blizzard last week. My wife thought it may have overheated since snow was accumulated by the vent outside the house. Even after clearing the snow from the vent, it will nto start. Is there some sort of a builit-in circuit breaker that may have tripped due to overheating? There is power to the dryer, as our washer is plugged into the same circuit and it works fine. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem would be appreciated. Otherwise my wife is pestering me to go out and buy a new dryer! :eek:

Thanks in advance![/quote]

CAH,

Yes, there is a thermo-fuse,

AP6007561

It is designed to open and not allow the dryer to start,run, or heat, if the temperature exceeds the fuse temperature limit.

The fuse is mounted on the blower housing in the front of the unit interior.

To access the housing,

Unplug the power cord from the outlet(so you don’t hurt yourself or short anything.

Use a “stubby” phillips head screwdriver and remove the 2 screws from the lower area of the front panel kick plate area and swing the front panel out from the bottom until the clips clear the top flange.

There should be enough wire in the switch harness to set the panel aside,if you unclip the harness from the clip.

I’m sure you can handle it from there.

Good Luck,

:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

3

So is this an easily repairable item? I’ll give it a look quick today, since I was already moving forward with buying a replacement dryer, rather than paying someone to fix this one again. Is this part available at a local hardware / big box store, or would I need to order it online?

How will I know the part is actually bad?

Thanks - and sorry for the multiple questions!:confused:

4

Correction to my earlier information, as I tried removing the front of the dryer and could not follow the provided instructions…my dryer is actually model# MDG308DAWW.

Could you please direct me to how I remove the front of this dryer and access the indicated part? Also, how do I determine if that is in fact the defective part in need of replacement?

Thanks again!

5

[quote=cah14522;350705]Correction to my earlier information, as I tried removing the front of the dryer and could not follow the provided instructions…my dryer is actually model# MDG308DAWW.

Could you please direct me to how I remove the front of this dryer and access the indicated part? Also, how do I determine if that is in fact the defective part in need of replacement?

Thanks again![/quote]

Thanks for the update,

Access, is quite a bit different,

You’ll need a putty knife or similar tool,
In the seam between the top of the unit and the front panel top, approximately 3 inches in from each corner, you should see or feel a spring clip, push in on the clip and pull up on the corner of the top.

Once the top is propped up, you’ll need to remove the two 1/4 screws approximately 3 inches down on the inside of the front panel assembly,
allow the front panel to swivel out towards you, disconnect the door switch wires and remove the panel, by lifting up.

Your thermal fuse is located on the burner tube/flue and has gray wires attached to the terminals

AP6009129

The way to test the fuse , is to use a multi meter, and check for infinite resistance at the terminals with the wires off.

Good Luck,
:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

6

[quote=Joe / APP Team;350738]Thanks for the update,

Access, is quite a bit different,

You’ll need a putty knife or similar tool,
In the seam between the top of the unit and the front panel top, approximately 3 inches in from each corner, you should see or feel a spring clip, push in on the clip and pull up on the corner of the top.

Once the top is propped up, you’ll need to remove the two 1/4 screws approximately 3 inches down on the inside of the front panel assembly,
allow the front panel to swivel out towards you, disconnect the door switch wires and remove the panel, by lifting up.

Your thermal fuse is located on the burner tube/flue and has gray wires attached to the terminals

AP6009129

The way to test the fuse , is to use a multi meter, and check for infinite resistance at the terminals with the wires off.

Good Luck,
:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :)[/quote]

Thank you - that was very helpful and descriptive. Is the thermal fuse that I’m after on the right side (as I’m looking from the front) or on the left side? From your description, it sounds like the burner tube is on the left side. I see two parts that look similar to what you’re describing here - how many wires should go into the part? I see the one with the two grey wires on it, but I see no easy way to get that out of there. Is it connected with two philips screws, since I can’t really see in there very well?

I read somewhere else that you can also test if this is what’s wrong by bypassing the thermal fuse - I assume by just connecting the two wires together? Is that advisable, since I’m not very good with a multi-meter, although I suppose I could figure it out.

Thanks again - and I look forward to hearing back from you.

7

[quote=cah14522;350800]Thank you - that was very helpful and descriptive. Is the thermal fuse that I’m after on the right side (as I’m looking from the front) or on the left side? From your description, it sounds like the burner tube is on the left side. I see two parts that look similar to what you’re describing here - how many wires should go into the part? I see the one with the two grey wires on it, but I see no easy way to get that out of there. Is it connected with two philips screws, since I can’t really see in there very well?

I read somewhere else that you can also test if this is what’s wrong by bypassing the thermal fuse - I assume by just connecting the two wires together? Is that advisable, since I’m not very good with a multi-meter, although I suppose I could figure it out.

Thanks again - and I look forward to hearing back from you.[/quote]

CAH,

You’re correct,

The thermal fuse is the component with the two gray wires, and yes it’s a little difficult to access.

Yes, you can do a temporary bypass on the wires, as a test procedure ONLY,

or you can test the fuse with a multimeter, you’d be looking for a closed(infinite resistance)circuit across the terminals with the wires off the fuse.

Good Luck,

:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

8

I was able to successfully remove and replace this part on Saturday morning - saving me $600+ on the purchase of a new dryer (which was our plan if I couldn’t fix this myself). One tip I found as I was looking to put the new part in was to remove the lint filter assembly - this made it much easier to get in there and access the spot where this thermal fuse is mounted. Once I did that, I had no problems installing the new fuse and reassembling the dryer - which now works great again!

Thanks again for all of your help / advice!

9

[quote=cah14522;352634]I was able to successfully remove and replace this part on Saturday morning - saving me $600+ on the purchase of a new dryer (which was our plan if I couldn’t fix this myself). One tip I found as I was looking to put the new part in was to remove the lint filter assembly - this made it much easier to get in there and access the spot where this thermal fuse is mounted. Once I did that, I had no problems installing the new fuse and reassembling the dryer - which now works great again!

Thanks again for all of your help / advice![/quote]

CAH,

Great job,

Glad you’re up and running.

It was our pleasure to assist you, that’s what we’re here for.

Thanks Again,

:cool: :cool: :cool: