Our Kenmore gas dryer started acting up 3-4 days ago - it started taking longer and longer to dry a load (but ultimately was still working). It got to the point where it took 2-3 hours to dry a load that normally would have dried in one hour. It dried a load like this earlier today and now the next load just turns around and around and there is not heat at all.
Please advise on what I should check - I just replaced the motor on this dryer a few months ago, so I don’t want to throw the towel in on it yet.
I checked the continuity at the thermal fuse and found it had none…I then jumped the two wires that went to the thermal fuse and the burner fired up fine, so I presume I should replace this part but am wondering - will replacing the thermal fuse fix the problem or is its failure a symptom of a bigger problem? Also, why would the drying efficiency have tapered off over the past 3-4 days prior to this fuse blowing? Any advice would be appreciated. I have to mail order parts since I live in a rural area, so I’d prefer to know I am ordering the right parts and properly understanding the problem before I proceed.
Whirlpool (the company that made your dryer) recommended that in case the thermal fuse got blown, to replace the thermal fuse together with the cycling thermostat. It also looks like the exhaust line for the dryer is clogged, causing the dryer to overheat.