Recently my dryer started making a clicking noise, similar to when the button of a pair of jeans rattles around in the drum. Problem was, it was only sheets in there. I thought I smelled something, and the clicking was getting more frequent, so I pulled the dryer out from the wall. The top portion of the back of the unit is discolored and was too hot to touch - especially for something that says it has a 0 clearance on the back side.
My first thought was the lint trap or exhaust tube, so I checked both. The exhaust runs right through the wall to the outside, so that’s easy to check. The lint trap was good, so I pulled the front off the unit and found a rather large piece of flexible foam in the blower cage. I removed that and some built up lint and figured that would have fixed the problem. Got it all put back together, and the thing is still overheating (and putting out a LOT of air at the vent outside). I put my meat thermometer (all I had available) up against the back of the unit after about 5 minutes of running, and it hit 220 degrees. The clicking is definitely a click rather than a rattle - like a relay switching on and off. It’s randomly timed.
There are 6 screws at the back of the drum, and I’m guessing I have to remove those to get to the heating element. I wasn’t sure if the inner or outer ones would do the trick, and I could only get one of the six to turn anyway on my first attempt. Any thoughts?
Picture of discoloration attached. Somehow the drywall hasn’t yet been scorched.
Thanks!