Whirlpool Electric Dryer needs a resistor that jumps two terminals on the back of the temperature selection switch. It appears to have gotten hot and has no continuity when tested with a multi-meter.
I haven’t been able to find it on the parts diagrams. The back of the switch (3399639) says 6200 ohms with lines connecting the terminals that are jumped. I don’t know enough about resistors to order one (power rating or Watts?) from an electronics store.
Can anybody tell me where to get one & what spec’s I need?
I’m replacing the timer already, but is there something else I may need to address which caused it to fail?
Clip the leads of the old resistor, scrape leads until you have bright shiney metal and solder new resistor to the leads. Resistor may have just failed due to age or the terminals of the switch connector and/or terminals and contacts of the switch may be bad causing the connections to overheat. If terminals of connector and switch look ok and connector fits tightly, I would just replace the resistor and see how it goes. Otherwise, replace both resistor and switch.
Thanks for the info on the resistor. I wasn’t sure what I type of resistor I needed or how to figure that out. I finally found that the heater (heat anticipator??) on the thermostat that this resistor will be powering is listed as 2 Watts. So it makes sense that the 2 watt resistor, 6200 ohms is exactly what I need. Just for my curiosity, are there any other factors that need to be considered when choosing a resistor? Material, etc… Would it be better to get a higher wattage resistor for this to prevent it burning out again.
The resistor is only used when temp is set to medium heat. It will have to dissipate about .6 watts. The 2 watt resistor should be sufficient. The link I gave was for a metal film type resistor which will be smaller in physical size as compared to a standard 2 watt carbon resistor. The metal film type is also flame proof.