Amana dryer: gas valve solenoids

Possibly neither . To test the valve apply 110 volts across the terminals . The valve should click as it opens . The fact that the needle moves indicates you have continuity thru the coils , which is about all you can do with an analog meter .

Possibly neither . To test the valve apply 110 volts across the terminals . The valve should click as it opens . The fact that the needle moves indicates you have continuity thru the coils , which is about all you can do with an analog meter .

Many multimeters that have an analog meter (one with a hand on it instead of digits) will usually have 2 or 3 'times ohms' scales. If the meter does not move on one scale, turn the knob to the next higher ohms settings. Usually you will see something like X1 X10 X 1000 or maybe any other number of zeros after the X1. The more zeros , the higher the resistance. Be careful that you do not have your hands touching the measuring part of the probes ans your skin will have some resistance and throw off the readings. The voltage will be low enough you will not feel it on your skin.

Hi Ralph,

Thanks for your help! I got good readings on everything except the second prong on the three prong solenoid. Is this one the goner?

Thanks again.

Without having a diagram of the solenoid I can not tell you. Check the socket to see if any wires are connected to it. If no wire, it could be just a pin to keep the sockets from being pluged in to the wrong one.

Many appliances will have a diagram somewhere in it, either pasted on an inside panel or an envelope with some paper work in it.

Ralph,

That makes sense. There are wires going to the second prong (blue and purple), so it appears to have use. I think I will go ahead and buy new ones ($18.00) to see if that gets the hire to heat up again.

Much appreciated!

Mike

Usually the easiest way to tell if a solenoid operated device like that is working or not, is to measure the voltage on it while it's in the circuit. If the correct voltage is there and the solenoid doesn't respond, it's kaput.

Wonder if the OP is using ohms scale, and if the "never used a meter" OP is connected to the correct place?

And you're encouraging him to use live power?

Is this a clothes dryer? No they never go out in pairs unless, conceivably your house was hit by lightning, esp. when the dryer was on. but then you'd have a lot of electronics damaged before you had a simple solenoid ruined.

, or am I maybe not using the

You probably could have put it on a different scale Ohms, x10, x100, x100.

But if the needle moves at all, the valves are problaby good, electcrically. It's conceivable but not likely that electically they're good but mechanically they're jammed. But again, not both at the same time.

More likely the switch, the cord, the outlet, the CIRCUIT BREAKER is tripped or FUSE blown.

When you hold the valves up to your mouth and blow into them, are they closed or open? Probably closed since I gather you have no heat and they are out of the dryer now.

What you coudl do is get the cord from some broken electrical appliance. At the end you cut off from the appliance, cut the cord down the middle for a couple inches to separate the two wires, strip the insulation off of a half inch of each wire, and attach alligator clips. with plastic covers if at all possible. OR you can buy a bag of 10 wires with alligator clips at each end. The wire won't be heavy enough to run big things, but the valves take very little current. I used to recommend Radio Shack for a bag of these. Not sure who has them now locally. Not expensive enough to go online, but maybe yo'll have to**.

Connect one wire to each wire of the cord, and the other end to one tang of the vavlve (not counnting the tang you decided didn't do anything) and ONLY then Plug in the cord. Did you hear a click? That's the valve opening. But even if you couldn't hear anything, you can hold the valve up to your moth, avoiding teh electrical parts, and blow into it. Now it should be open, because the 110 volts is applied.

Do the same thing for the other vavle.

This is all really no substituted for RAdio Shack, plus all the other things the store sold. I wonder who is selling the stuff locally.

Unless these are 220 volt valves. I'm pretty sure they're not, are they?

You can do as much with an analog meter as you can with a digital meter.

Sometimes more.

...except on a high scale it will give a reading through your body, if you' re touching the leads! ?( ?'??'?) ?

u're touching the leads! ?( ?'??'?) ?

to the op

if you never used a VOM before, practice on a known good similar device.

Offhand I would use a small fan motor.

Measure the Ohms across the 2 prongs of the plug.

DO THIS WITH THE PLUG ___NOT___ IN THE WALL.

A small fan motor should give you a smilar reading as a good valve.

A good fan will probably be under 100 Ohms.

A good solinoid maybe under 500 Ohms.

Try the different Ohms scales.

Note that K Ohms means x1,000 Ohms. And M or MEG Ohms = 1,000,000 Ohm

Mark

ple), so it appears to have use. I think I will go ahead and buy new ones ( $18.00) to see if that gets the hire to heat up again.

So I changed the solenoids and one of the drum rollers (that took a bit of work). The dryer runs really smoothly and heats up quickly now, but after t he first test (a towel in the dryer for two minutes) I caught a whiff of na tural gas. After the second test (same test), not really. I'm just checking about whether I should be concerned because natural gas scares the s*it ou t of me. Thoughts?

Thanks.

Could be you disturbed something that let some mercaptan loose. The first burn of the gas could have also burned off some dust you disturbed while working on it.

A person's nose gets used to a smell, any smell aiui, and doesn't smell it anymore. This makes it easier for garbagemen to do their job. Until he takes a break. i don't know how long the break has to last. I think it's also possible to stop smelling some odor altogether.

You should have someone else check for the smell, when you're not running the dryer and for several minutes after you start it.

I forget how one connects gas pipes, dope, teflon tape, what? . Did you do it right?

You should be scared? Did you see about the high school that blew up in the Bronx yesterday?. Or the Motel 6 last week? or the home that blew up

I haven't read it yet.

(that took a bit of work). The dryer runs really smoothly and heats up quickly now, but after the first test (a towel in the dryer for two minutes) I caught a whiff of natural gas. After the second test (same test), not really. I'm just checking about whether I should be concerned because natural gas scares the s*it out of me. Thoughts?

Ah, the Muslim wet dream. Clothes dryers that blow up infidel houses. Quick and easy, just redesign the solenoid.

Yes, I'd be concerned about the gas smell, especially if you had the gas solenoid out. Sounds like time to talk to your freinds and neighbors, see if someone you know has some experience with this kind of thing.

of work). The dryer runs really smoothly and heats up quickly now, but aft er the first test (a towel in the dryer for two minutes) I caught a whiff o f natural gas. After the second test (same test), not really. I'm just chec king about whether I should be concerned because natural gas scares the shi t out of me. Thoughts?

I haven't caught a whiff of gas since so I think we're good. I rechecked th is morning when my nose was "fresh." But I am hearing an almost imperceptib le squeak and I wonder if I should have put a little lithium grease on the axle of the drum roller when I replaced it.

Do you have thoughts on that?

Thanks.

and I wonder if I should have put a little lithium grease on the axle of the drum roller when I replaced it.

In clothes driers, dust is always a problem. Graphite or silicone is less dust attractive. Or dry teflon spray.

Dryer drum rollers can be extremely noisy when running, BTDT.

Good to hear no leaks. I have to wonder if you should have replaced all the rollers since it was apart. At this point I'd let it go and see what happens.