Whirlpool gas dryer motor repair

[Bob Urz]

My 15 year old whirlpool gas dryer has screwed up again. It has been progressively worse at drying time over the years. The drum does not want to start spinning and buzzes. I can manually help it and it starts to spin.

I think that lint got into the blower wheel housing and in the motor and jammed it up.

I cleaned out the blower housing and blew out the motor.

I don't have it off yet, but it appears to be a split phase motor with a start winding.

I am speculating that the start winding is toast or the contacts that kick it in are jammed or pitted. Anyone try to resurrect a motor in this condition?

The dryer is not worth putting a new motor into. The run winding is fine cause it drying clothes now...

Bob

[John Grabowski]

Take the motor to an electric motor repair shop. If the windings are still good the repair may be quite reasonable.

[bob urz]

I was hoping someone has tried to take one apart before and knew the tricks to revive it. I was hoping the start winding switch could somehow be repaired. Thats assuming the start winding itself is not fried.

Bob

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, If the motor has a starting capacitor, maybe that one is going bad. Capacitor does not cost much.

[Dave Harnish]

Hi Bob,

If your dryer's one of the 29" wide Whirlpools (lint filter pulls out the top), the motors are generally not repairable, but are epoxied or welded together. I grew up in my Dad's motor repair shop, and it's frustrating to see them made this way, but that's progress, I suppose.

What you're describing is nearly always caused by binding bearings, a very common failure in one that old.

The good news is, that motor, part #279827, is only $76.50 new, maybe even less locally, and that's less than repairing one even if it were feasible. And they're not hard to replace if you're a little 'handy'.

I also have a downloadable pdf step-by-step photo manual available to walk you through it, for $6, if needed.

Hope that's helpful. Let me know.

Thanks, and have a great '08!

Dave Harnish Dave's Repair Service New Albany, PA

[e-mail] drs[at]sosbbs.com

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