Brand: Amana
Model Number: NED5800W1
Main Symptom: Dryer drum will not start turning.
What happens & when: When I go to start the dryer, it hums but the drum will not start turning. If I open the door and hold the door button in, I can give the drum a nug and it will start turning and dry the clothes. We did have a lightning storm a few days before.
Error Code (if any):
Parts or tests already tried: Checked voltage. Its good
Photos / video link:
Hi,
Please recheck, I found…
Hummming, not starting on it’s own, can run with a push start all point to a motor going bad!
Luckily all 3 models above take the same motor.
LINK> Motor Drum
jeff sr.
This sounds like the motor is having troubles overcoming the inertial load to accellerate the drum + clothes from rest. Most single or two-phase AC motors have a start winding that is engaged for a short time while at rest to give the motor that extra initial startup torque that it needs to overcome the inertial load.
Some motors have a capacitor which can sometimes go bad, look for bulged casing or test the capacitance (unplug dryer & discharge the cap first!!) with a digital multimeter that has that capability. Some dryers don’t have a capacitor but just have the start winding and a centrifugal switch. Sometimes the contacts on the centrifugal switch can become oxidized and fail to make electrical contact. Other times, the centrifugal switch’s spring mechanism can become gunked up with dryer lint and need a cleaning. Finally, it could be that the centrifugal switch (or capacitor) failed in the “on” state and caused too much current to flow for too long in the start winding, which can cause it to burn out. In that case, the motor needs to be replaced.
In the other cases, sometimes the centrifugal switch contacts can be cleaned, and the capacitor can be replaced with one of the same capacitance value and voltage rating. The replacement cap’s voltage & wattage rating can be higher but not lower. Try to replace it with one which has the same capacitance value, as that value matters in the circuit’s design much more than the voltage rating.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your repair!