My dryer stopped heating up about a month ago. Checked the element which was burnt. Replaced the element with identical part. worked for 15 minutes and stoped heating again. Checked… element was good… .thermal cut off was burned. Replaced it with a new one, burnt again. Cleaned ducts thoroghly. Replaced thermal cut off. Ran couple of loads and Bunrt again.withing 15 days… :(… Dont know what to do now. Now about to change the cut off again but before I do it, any advise or anything else which I should do. Shall I replace both the items in thermal kit, because i have been changing only thermal cut off… 3977393 (309F) Shall i change it with 352F. I am not a pro… just learned couple of things by looking at other people working.
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…Replaced the element with identical part…
…Shall I replace both the items in thermal kit, because i have been changing only thermal cut off…
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What did you mean? What is the part number of the new heating element?
Whirlpool specifically included the high limit thermostat in this kit what means you have to replace BOTH parts.
- The thermal cut-off kit AP3094244
Here are the breakdown diagrams and http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=262028
Gene.
the thermal cut out only blows if the high limit thermostat fails YES ALWAYS REPLACE BOTH IN THE KIT but that is not the problem it is a symptom of the problem the cut out started blowing when you replaced the element ohm the element to ground make sure part of the element isnt shorting to ground the heat from the element isnt leaving the element canister so be sure the canister is mounted properly the blower sucks the heat from the element so make sure it isnt sucking air from a poor seal or improperly installed element
Element part no. 3403585 … this is no. 17 in the breakdown diagram. It looks alright as far as the mounting is concerned. now i bought a new kit which has cutoff (352F) and the other piece has (L248-80F) written on it. Can i use these parts or have to order the other one (307F). The cutoff will go at no. 9 in the breakdown diagram. Where would the other piece go. At no. 15 in breakdown diagram?? and how to connect wires as it looks different than the one already installed.
Check your cycling thermostat on the blower housing, probably bad/shorted. Test in an oven to see if it opens above the temperature written on it.
yes the L248 goes at #15 as far as wiring – there should be instruct with the kit but the wire that came with the kit goes on the L248 - small terminal on the t-stat big term on the element – you say you bought a new kit and mention temperatures – I dont know what temp t-stats go with which models so as long as you replace t-stats and cutoffs with the parts for your model then you’lll be ok (safe) – if you’re replacing your 307 deg with a 352 deg because you dont want it to blow again you’re playing with fire… literally!! there are 13,000 - 15,000 house fires a year caused by dryers that is why the factory puts in the cutoff!! if you can’t find the cause of the cut off blowing it is cheaper to call a professional than it is to recover from a burned down house the operating t-stat could be the cause but the operating thermal fuse will usually blow when that t-stat goes bad you say the element looks alright but did you check it to ground with an ohm meter if the element is shorted to ground it will stay on even after the op t-stat is supposed to shut it off you can get a cheap ohm meter from harbor freight ($2-$5) or I think even Sears has on for $10
Thanks Reliable bud. I am ordering the exact part (309F) and i have bought a cheap ohmmeter ($5). Will follow your instructions when i put that in. Can element be tested for grounding when not in operation, i mean when it is mounted but dryer is OFF.
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…Can element be tested for grounding when not in operation, i mean when it is mounted but dryer is OFF…
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Yes, it can. Unplug the dryer. Remove the heating element leads. Set the ohmmeter on the highest possible scale. Touch one lead to the heating element body (clean point of contact) and other probe to each heat element terminal. If reading is obtained, the heating element is grounded.
Gene.
I have a problem with the heating coil not always turning on when it should. The heating element has continuity. I have replaced the operational thermostat that is mounted on the fan housing. Sometimes the heating element will come on and sometime it will not. I have temporarily bypassed the temperature limiting thermostat and the safety thermostat but it did not fix the problem.
In order to better see what was going on, I removed the top panel and the tub. I blocked the micro switch for the dryer belt open so that the motor would run with the tub and belt removed.
Regardless of which setting I used on the timer, the heating element would work part of the time when I turned the start switch on and part of the time it would not. The motor always ran when I turned on the start switch regardless whether the heating element came on or not.
I could even leave the timer setting and temperature settings untouched between tries and sometime the heating element would come on and sometime it would not. I even used the door switch to turn it off so that I would not be turning the timer to turn it off and then turning it back to the same setting.
I don’t have a wiring schematic for this dryer so I am at a loss as to what to check next. If you know what could be causing this problem please let me know.
Thanks, Jack