My dryer just stopped turning on. It has power. The switch and timer appear to be getting power. I ohm tested what I could, but do not see any obvious problems. (I believe I am doing this correctly according to your bulletin)
Any ideas as to what I should be looking at?
Thanks!
Here are your parts
Replacement parts for WHIRLPOOL GEQ8858EQ0 ELECTRIC DRYER | AppliancePartsPros.com
See the attachment for the wiring diagram.
How do you know it has power (120 volts L1 to Neutral)?
The most common cause is that the thermal fuse on the blower wheel (Item 7 in Section 3) has blown.
Unplug the unit and check the fuse with a meter should be 0 ohms.
Jiggery Pokery method is.
Unplug the unit.
Remove both wires from the fuse, short them together and tape them up so they will not short to the frame.
Plug the unit in and give it a try.
If blown, replace the fuse ASAP as it is a critical safety device re: prevents lint fires which can turn into house fires.
Also clean/check your vent system and the blower as these are the most common causes of it blowing.
GEQ8858.pdf (341.9 KB)
Thank you for your help. That was the problem and I ordered the part from you and installed the fuse. Somehow I missed that one when testing.
Now I have a new problem.
The dryer starts and runs but NO heat!
What should I look for as the most likely culprit?
The element appears to be fine.
Thank you!
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First I would try flipping the breaker off/on slowly a couple times.
Sometimes you can loose half the line without actually tripping the breaker.
If this does nothing, check the voltage at the plug
L1 to L2 should be 240 volts
L1 to Neutral and L2 to Neutral, both should be 120 volts.
If OK
Unplug the unit and check the wires at the terminal strip in the machine to make sure none are loose or burned out
If OK
Check the power at the terminal strip.
Do this with the heater off and on.
[COLOR=“Red”]Be careful as 240 volts is lethal !!![/COLOR] -
Next check the heating element. Should be 8 to 12 ohms.
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Then check the heater’s thermal cut-off.
If it is open:
Check the heating coil.
Unplug the unit and both wires to the coil.
Check it with a meter, should be around 10 to 12 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.
The hi-limit should have regulated the temperature so the fuse did not blow, that is why there is a new one with the thermal cut-off..
Note: That unless there is another problem in the unit the hi-limit should never have to open. It is just a safety device with the fuse being a backup safety device.
Just in case it is not a grounded element.
With all the below the high limit will also have to be replaced.
Check that the belt is OK.
Check the seals (drum etc) in the unit. The air is pulled over the heating coils, through the drum and pushed out the exhaust. So any large seal leak will pull in room air and the cycling thermostat on the blower will run the unit hot.
Check that the lint filter is not coated with fabric softener residue which greatly reduces air flow.
Check/clean your vent system.
Check/clean the blower wheel.
If all OK you may want to replace the cycling thermostat as it’s contacts may not be opening (welded shut)
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Then check the operating thermostat.
Note: It is a 4 connector device.
One set is the contacts, they should measure 0 ohms.
The other set is an internal heater, they should be around 5600 to 8400 ohms. -
Then check the Timer Switch 2 contacts. They should be 0 ohms when in a heating cycle.
If all OK then all that is left is a bad wire or the centrifugal switch on the motor is not closing when the motor gets close to operating speed.
If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
- Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
- Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
- When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale’s dynamic range.
- When you start always short the meter leads together. This will tell you that the meter is working and if there is any 0 offset.
There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it’s use.
I just wanted to thank you guys! I have a dryer that had power, but wouldn’t start. I read this post, downloaded the schematics, found the thermal fuse, bought a new one, and it works!!! Saved me money! Thank you!