dryer will not heat

Dryer Repair
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1

[SIZE=5]Our dryer will not heat. We removed the heating element and took it to have it checked. Everything checked out fine. What else could be the cause of no heat? :confused: [/SIZE]

3

I am not an expert, but I just went through the same problem
ie
there are many parts (in addition to the heating coil)
my model (Kenmore) has a fuse, thermistor, 2 overheat protection devices, a heater relay and the electric controls that tells it when/how to heat

all parts seemed to pass each test, so I replaced the electronics-
still no heat - and after some help from this Forum and more testing, just ordered a heater relay this morning

hopefully, you can get a tech manual (maybe from someone here)
and see all the parts in the heater circuitry

4

Here are your parts
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/modelsearch.aspx?model=LEA30W

Here is a service manual not for your exact model but the LEA30A* should be close.
http://www.servicematters.com/maytag_library/docs/RS3200005R2.pdf

Try flipping your breaker off/on slowly a couple times. Sometimes you can loose half the line without actually tripping the breaker.
Better yet measure it 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
Check that a wire has not burned off at the unit’s terminal block
If OK
Check the operating thermostat and the hi-limit thermostats both should be 0 ohms
If OK
Check the thermal fuse this is the one on the heater, should be 0 ohms.
If it is blown also replace the hi-limit thermostat as this should have regulated the temperature so this fuse did not blow.
Only proviso on this is if the original heater was grounded, if it was then the thermostat cannot regulate the temperature and therefore blew the fuse so the hi-limit is probably OK.

If the fuse is blown check that the lint filter is not coated with fabric softener residue, check that the drum seals are OK, check that the seals in the heat path are OK, clean/check the blower wheel and clean/check the vent system.

Here is a good site with additional info
http://www.applianceaid.com/dryers.html

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

  1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
  2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
  3. 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.

There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it’s use.