My Kenmore dryer has been working like a champ until recently it seemed to be heating intermittently. My brother came over and tested some things with his multimeter and everything seemed fine. He took off the top and front and removed the drum. Before trying anything, he tapped on the gas valve. He started it up and we observed it clicking and firing up. We had found a couple socks in there and thought that was the culprit. We put it back together and I used it a few times and heard it clicking and it would heat up. After a few dries, I would hear it clicking but at the end my stuff was cold and wet. Finally, it has stopped clicking altogether. Without wanting to take it all apart yet, I took off the front plug and looked inside while I started it. I watched for a couple minutes and it is completely dark, nothing glowing. Does this seem to indicate the flame sensor? I don’t want to spend money on parts that don’t fix it and I don’t own an ohm meter. I’ve read that when you start the dryer, the flame sensor should be glowing. Since it is not, does that indicate that it is the problem?
It is the ignitor that glows, not the flame sensor. Not much you can do other than swap parts without having a meter to test things. It sounds like the ignitor may be the problem but it could be any number of things. What is the model number of the dryer?
Eric
It’s a Kenmore 80 Series. I thought I read online that the flame sensor should glow when you start the dryer. Anyways, I no longer hear any click when I start it. I look inside the hole and it’s pitch black.
I need the full model number. Should be 11 numbers, something like 110.xxxxxxxx The flame sensor is just a switch. It is initially closed and applies power to the ignitor. The ignitor heats up and glows. The heat from it causes the flame sensor to open which shuts the ignitor off and opens the secondary gas valve. The ignitor is still hot enough to ignite the gas when the secondary valve opens.
Eric
fairbank56 said:
I need the full model number. Should be 11 numbers, something like 110.xxxxxxxx The flame sensor is just a switch. It is initially closed and applies power to the ignitor. The ignitor heats up and glows. The heat from it causes the flame sensor to open which shuts the ignitor off and opens the secondary gas valve. The ignitor is still hot enough to ignite the gas when the secondary valve opens.Eric
Before I do, that. I did a little searching and found out how to bypass the thermal fuse. I disconnected the wires and taped them together. I started the dryer and watched through the hole and it started to glow and fired right up. I guess that was it?!?
Also, I found a sticker inside that has 3397244 G on it. I did a search on parts for that model but nothing came up. I did find this which looks just like it though. Should it work?
Yes, that would do it but thermal fuses generally do not cause intermittent problems, they just fail. You should not run the dryer with it jumped out as it is a safety device and failed for a reason. It may have just been faulty but they usually blow due to an overheating problem which is usually caused by an air flow problem…i.e. excessive lint buildup in either the internal or external ducting. This can be a fire hazard which is why the fuse is there in the first place. There are two other safety devices in this circuit but the dryer must get increasingly hotter in order for them to operate and save the day.
Eric
There was no lint buildup anywhere but I wonder if those 2 socks we found under the drum cause a blockage and the fuse to go bad. I wonder if the fuse could have been partly blown which would cause it to allow heat a few times and then it just finally went. It seems it had to be that because after replacing it it’s fired up every time so far.
Now that the dryer is heating again, I keep hearing a loud rattling, grinding kind of sound intermittently. I went down to try to hear it came from and it seems to do it when the flame kicks on. I wonder what it could be.
fairbank56 said:
Yes, that would do it but thermal fuses generally do not cause intermittent problems, they just fail. You should not run the dryer with it jumped out as it is a safety device and failed for a reason. It may have just been faulty but they usually blow due to an overheating problem which is usually caused by an air flow problem…i.e. excessive lint buildup in either the internal or external ducting. This can be a fire hazard which is why the fuse is there in the first place. There are two other safety devices in this circuit but the dryer must get increasingly hotter in order for them to operate and save the day.Eric
OK I have an update. I did a load of wash last night and put the clothes in the dryer and watched to make sure it fired up. I also heard it clicking on periodically as it should be. I checked this morning and everything is still wet. I turned on the dryer again and peeked through the hole and it fired up again. Why would the thermal fuse fix the problem of not firing up but clothes are still wet?
Apparently, the burner is not cycling as it should or there is an air flow problem.
Eric
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Apparently, the burner is not cycling as it should or there is an air flow problem.
Eric
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Does the kind of grinding sound maybe mean that there is something inside the blower motor maybe? I waited for it to happen and opened the door and it stopped instantly. I’m guessing since the flame is going but the clothes are not getting dried, the blower might not be spinning right? How do I get to it? Is it that long piece on the back that is connected to the lint trap or is it the long piece on the other side from that?
Can’t answer your questions without having the model number, they are not all the same design. You said there was no lint anywhere but apparently, you didn’t check inside the blower housing if you don’t know where it is. The blower housing is part of the ducting. There could be excessive lint in there or the blower wheel could be slipping on the motor shaft.
Eric
fairbank56 said:
Can’t answer your questions without having the model number, they are not all the same design. You said there was no lint anywhere but apparently, you didn’t check inside the blower housing if you don’t know where it is. The blower housing is part of the ducting. There could be excessive lint in there or the blower wheel could be slipping on the motor shaft.Eric
OK Kenmore model number is 110 72832101
Blower is in the rear on this model so yes, after removing the back panel, remove the lint chute on the left for access to the inside of the blower and the blower wheel. Check inside the lint chute and blower housing for excessive lint.
Eric
fairbank56 said:
Blower is in the rear on this model so yes, after removing the back panel, remove the lint chute on the left for access to the inside of the blower and the blower wheel. Check inside the lint chute and blower housing for excessive lint.Eric
Thank you very much. I will report back. Sounds like maybe something got caught in there and caused the thermal fuse to blow. Sound about right?
Blower is in the rear on this model so yes, after removing the back panel, remove the lint chute on the left for access to the inside of the blower and the blower wheel. Check inside the lint chute and blower housing for excessive lint.
Eric
I took off the back cover, removed the screws from the lint holder, and pulled the chute out. It’s a little dirty but not clogged by any means. I looked at the motor and don’t see anything in it and I turned it by hand and it seemed to rotate freely. I ran the dryer for about 10 minutes with it off and watched with a flashlight. The grinding sound didn’t happen at all and I didn’t see anything stop rotating. What the heck? I just know when I put it back together it’s going to do it again. Do you see anything in this photo that might help diagnose?
fairbank56 said:
Blower is in the rear on this model so yes, after removing the back panel, remove the lint chute on the left for access to the inside of the blower and the blower wheel. Check inside the lint chute and blower housing for excessive lint.Eric
Ok here is the latest. I keep hearing the rattling sound and my loads are not drying. I kneeled down and watched through the hole. Each time I heard the rattling start, the igniter would start to flow but it would not fire up and the glow would die out. Each couple of minutes it will repeat the whole thing.
Does this sound like the gas valve, coil, or igniter?
My parts guy told me it might be the coils. Does that sound right?
Yes, the coils are a very common failure item on gas dryers.
Eric