whirlpool dryer doesn't heat up

Dryer Repair
1

I have used this site before to fix my washer machine with great sucess. I now have a problem with my electric Whirlpool dryer which does not heat up. I checked the breakers by shutting them on and off. I also changed the two 30 amp fuses in the small box that the dryer hooks up to. Now what? Thanks.

3

Here are your parts.
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=502849

See the attachment for the wiring diagram.

Check the power for 240 volts:
Set the unit to mid cycle timed dry.
Does the timer advance?
If not then you probably have a power problem as the timer on this unit runs on 240 volts, the same as the heater.

If it does advance.
Unplug the unit.
Disconnect one side of the heating coil and measure it with a meter.
It should be 8 to 12 ohms.
Another way to do this is to set the timer to mid cycle auto mode. Turn the dryer on. Does the timer advance?
If it does then your heating coil is probably OK as in auto mode the timer motor gets power through the heating coil when it is off.

So if the timer advances then the problem could be the thermal cut-off, the hi-limit thermostat, the operating thermostat or timer contacts/switch 2.

All the above should be 0 ohms at room temperature.
If the thermal fuse is blown then there are other things you should check before replacing it.
Also there is a possibility that a bad heating coil may blow the thermal cut-off.

If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity

  1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
  2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
  3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale’s dynamic range.
  4. When you start always short the meter leads together. This will tell you that the meter is working and if there is any 0 offset.

There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it’s use.

4

Looks like the attachment did not get included so here it is, I hope.