GE electric dryer has stopped heating. Motor runs and blows air out of the vent, but there is no heat at all. Tried every setting and nothing.
Checked the voltage to the dryer, running 240 and 120 V, breakers are good.
Checked the vent and no obstructions. Checked the heating element, it is good. Checked all the thermostats, they are all good. Checked the timer and heat selector, they are good.
Anyone have any ideas? About ready to just get a new dryer.
Checked the voltage to the dryer, running 240 and 120 V, breakers are good
Did you check the voltage at the dryer’s terminal strip?
It is not unheard of for a line cord or terminal strip to go bad.
Do you have the wiring diagram for it.
If not it may be in the control console.
GE likes to keep all tech info a secret so getting a wiring diagram is difficult.
Yes, that is how I checked the voltages coming to the dryer. Checked it for 240V and 120V twice.
Anything else?
What you really need is the wiring diagram.
Here is a good site with general info
http://www.applianceaid.com/dryers.html
Go to 5 GE and then #28 sample wiring diagrams perhaps one of them on that page will help you trace the heater circuit to find the open.
I have the wiring diagram. It was inside of the dryer.
It says to check the resistance between the heater and the cabinet. I have not done that, but checked it in another way. Just between the ends of the heating element with no wires attached to it and it was 0 ohms.
The heating element should be around 8 to 12 ohms.
Some units use 2 elements then they are up around 20 ohms.
You may be using too high of a meter scale.
Could you scan the wiring diagram and insert the image in a reply.
I have attached the wiring diagram. If it is hard to read, here is an url to a better picture.
Thanks
Should be able to find the open.
Set the unit to cottons (high heat) mid scale.
Attach one meter lead to L! at the line cord or TB at the timer and leave it there.
Use the most sensitive meter scale usually 200 ohms. Short the leads together before starting in case there is a zero off set
The following test points should all give 0 ohms
Timer TA
15 and 16 on the Selector Switch
Both sides of the Safety Thermostat Left
Both sides of the Drum Outlet thermostat
Both sides of the Control Inlet thermostat
The above 2 thermostats have 4 wires two are the contacts with the other two are for an internal heater.
If all the above are OK check to the common on the heater (right side on the diagram), it should be about 11 ohms.
If all OK then either the centrifugal switch is toast 0r a bad connection from the heater to L2.
Timer TA
15 and 16 on the Selector Switch
Both sides of the Safety Thermostat Left
Both sides of the Drum Outlet thermostat
Both sides of the Control Inlet thermostat
Checked all of these from TB, they all gave me around 1900-1800 ohms.
Unless I am checking them wrong, they were all the same reading.
Sounds like the timer is toast.
Timer contacts B to A should close (0 ohms) when in a heat mid cycle.
Changed the timer, and still no heat.
I also checked the new timer from B to A and it was the same as the old timer. Any ideas?
What was that reading (B to A)?
You said earlier "Checked all of these from TB, they all gave me around 1900-1800 ohms."
It should be 0 ohms.
If you look at the timing chart it shows when A-B should be closed.
Checked the timer again, from the timer chart, when it is closed
Get the same results.
I think I checked the wrong thing previously.
When putting the ohm meter on Timer A and B - get 0 ohms.
But everything else from before was 0 ohms, the switchs and the thermostats.
The 0 ohms makes more sense as that is what it should be.
Attach/tape one meter lead to L1 (TB) and leave it there.
Set your meter to it’s most sensitive scale usually 200 ohms.
I would set the unit to mid cycle, timed dry, high heat.
Now work your way back through the heater circuit.
One thing to be careful of is that you do not measure the internal heaters in the thermostats as they will show an open (infinite ohms) at this meter scale. All that matters is the thermostat’s contacts.
If everything checks out OK all the way to the Purple (common) on the right hand side of the heating elements then odds are that there is something wrong with the centrifugal switch on the motor.
The way this switch is supposed to work is that it closes when the motor gets close to operating speed. This ensures that the heater does not come on until there is air flow.
I could not find anywhere in the circuit that was bad. They all looked good.
The centrifugal motor switch, that part is called ‘interlock switch’ or it is the ‘motor connector’ part?
Thanks
Here are your parts.
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/modelsearch.aspx?model=DBSR463EG6WW
The centrifugal switch is part of the motor (Item 630 in Section 1)
If you click on the part’s picture a new page will open with more views and info.
The centrifugal switch is actually 2 switches.
One switch looks like M% and M6 on the wiring diagram disconnects the start winding which would cause the motor to overheat if left in circuit. It also closes a a circuit so that you can let go of the start switch and the unit keeps running.
Since you can let go of the start and it keeps running we can assume that the mechanical parts in the motor that close the switches is OK.
The other switch switches in the heater circuit. It’s wires are usually a heavier gauge then the rest, looks like Black and Purple.
There is a way to confirm it is the culprit.
Unplug the unit and the wires at the switch and then short them together.
Tape them up so they cannot short to any thing else or get caught in the motor.
Plug the unit in if you have heat then you know the switch is toast.
Do not let it run for very long like this as you will not have air flow over the heating coils so it will blow the thermal fuse (safety thermostat)
Did you mean part "631"? Because 630 is the motor itself and that really is not worth buying because it is more than half of what of dryer originally costs.
Unfortunately no.
630 is the correct number, you cannot just buy the switch. You have to replace the motor.
And I agree with you at over $200.00 it really is not worth replacing.
Thanks for the help anyway. Any advice on a dryer that will last longer than 3 years?
Just checked what you said about taping the Black and purple wire together and running the dryer. There was heat coming out, so that would mean I would have to replace the motor switch. Which means the entire motor?