Elec dryer suddenly stopped?

[Wally]

I have a 10 year old Whirlpool electric clothes dryer and I had it operating this morning. I heard it shut itself off and when I went over to it the control dial was in the middle of the drying setting. Pushing the start button had no effect as did opening/closing the dryer door.

The breaker for the unit was not tripped so not sure what happened (power-wise).

When I get home this evening I'll need to do some trouble shooting. I was planning on taking my voltmeter to the rear contacts to make sure power is still applied.

Does an electric dryer have an internal 'fuse' that might have tripped?

Anything else I can look for?

Thanks for any assistance. Walter

[WDS]

Probably two of them, one electrical and one thermal.

My guess would be the thermal circuit breaker tripped. On my previous dryer due to poor design the internal ducts quickly became clogged with lint and the thermal breaker would trip every few loads until I vacuumed it all out. If you have the manual look for how to reset it or search online. On my old one there was a tiny red button that would pop out the back near the top when the thermal breaker tripped and after the dryer had cooled off you could press it and get it going again.

[jack]

Hopefully someone who knows more than me will get back to you, but the samething happened to me a couple years ago. A fuse in the back had blown. A new one was a couple bucks at an appliance parts store. Sorry, but that's about all I remember.

[Claude Hopper]

I had one do that. The thermal breaker popped because the stupid bushings on the motor shaft bound up. That's right, not bearings, bushings. They were really tight even after cleaning and oiling. They were over 10 years old so I finally bought a new set. No telling what was going to crap out next. The washer was having trouble staying balanced also. It would bang for a while then stop.

[daszkiew2000]

electric driers suck - usually when they quit in the middle of the cycle, heater element(s) are burnt.....sorry about bad news; your next drier shoud be a gas one.......... cheers

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

... a) No, not really...I find them quite satisfactory. b) No, if the elements fail it is highly unlikely to stop the drum; even more frequently only one element fails so the heat output is just reduced

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[AE Todd]

There are two basic Kenmore electric dryer designs, both made by Whirlpool, and starting with 110 in the model number. One has the lint screen on top, with the rear panel coming off to give access to most of the components. The other design has the lint screen inside the door area, with the bottom panel coming off to give access to relevant components. Based on getting the appropriate panel off, you can then check for an open thermal fuse using a multimeter; diagnosis and replacement is the same for both types of dryers. You need to check for ohms across the thermal fuse on the blower housing; the fuse is usually white and is either long (3398218 is the most common) or more rectangular (3390719 is the most common). On the inside lint screen model, take off the lint screen housing to get more accress (remove the screen, then remove screws at the upper corners and usually a bracket at the lowest edge). There is also another thermal fuse on the element and this is less common to open on the top lint screen model, but more common to open on the other type of dryer. I am thinking, though, that this particular fuse controls the heat and not the motor and shouldn't be your first target for testing.

[AE Todd]

Oops, 3398128 is the correct number, not 3398218.

[hallerb]

check for clogged vent line, thats common cause for thermal fuse tripping

[Mikepier]

Jump out the door switch to confirm thats not the problem.

Also check if the belt broke. If I recall some dryers have a safety switch so if the belt breaks, it shuts off and will not turn on again until belt is replaced.

[AE Todd]

Poor venting will impact the thermal fuse on the element, but generally not the one on the blower housing. However, check that the element is not grounded to the element housing. This can cause either thermal fuse to open. Keep in mind, though, that an open thermal fuse can often just be wear and tear.

True, a broken belt will keep a dryer from starting if there is a belt switch, but broken belts are highly uncommon compared to open thermal fuses. A door switch can break, but just press the actuator and if there is a click, you are generally ok.

[Stormin Mormon]

Thermal overload protector.

[Red Green]

Wally wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Check these. First includes part pics & part locations. Novice & sub-novice level.

[Mikepier]

[e-mail]:

Nice link and pics.

[Doug Miller]

Check the door-open safety switch; it's a common point of failure on Whirlpool dryers.