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No-parts field repairs on two dryers with failed timers


Samurai Appliance Repair Man

9,299 views

I had two service calls recently on two different dryers with the same problem: the motor wouldn't run. 

These are two different dryers: one an old skool Whirlpool-built unit with the lint filter on the top panel and the other a Maytag Neptune-style dryer. Different disassembly, wiring, and schematics, and completely different timers.

But in both cases, the problem was the same--a burnt contact in the timer (failed open so would not close).

In the two videos below, I show you how to use the schematic not only to precisely identify the specific failed contact in the timer, but also how to do a field repair to bypass that failed contact and get the dryer safely running again without replacing the timer--all in the first trip.

Being able to do these repairs was only possible by understanding how basic electricity and circuits work and by reading the schematics. There is no other way. Well, I guess you could just memorize a bunch of monkey tricks like, "If motor no run on a Maytag Neptune dryer, jumper the yellow and gray wires together." Yeah... good luck with that.

What's interesting about these two videos is that the repairs done on each are electrically identical but the physical repair looked entirely different between the two. And that's exactly what you should notice in these two videos.

Would you like to be able to troubleshoot like this? You can! These are the kind of skills we teach at the Master Samurai Tech Academy. We're not teaching anything new or pointy-headed, or academic-- these are the skills that most appliance techs used to have 20 years ago but have been largely lost to the trade. That's why you see so many techs out there who don't know how to even begin to troubleshoot an electrical problem and, as a result, the trade is ate up with parts changing monkeys.

There is a better way: the Master Samurai Tech way. Start with our Fundamentals course. Don't let the name fool you-- many techs, including those with 20+ years experience do not know what we teach in the Fundamentals course. We know because we've had many students in exactly this situation-- over 20 or even 30 years experience-- take our Fundamentals course and then tell us it was a game changer for them. It can be for you, too.

Then, to really kick up your laundry equipment repair skills to 11, take our Washer & Dryer Repair course. You'll be unstumpable!

The first video shows the field jumper repair on a Maytag Neptune dryer and the next one is an old skool Whirlpool dryer. Watch and learn.

 

 

 


 

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Would you ever leave the jumper on and call it good for a cheap fix for the customer? 

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  • Team Samurai
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Posted

That's exactly what I did in both cases. Gave the customer the choice of paying for a new timer (more money, delayed repair) or do a field repair at less than half the price and done right then.  

  • Thanks 1
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I enjoyed those two videos. They certainly put into practice the logical troubleshoot sequence taught in the fundamentals course.

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  • Team Samurai
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Posted

Yes! You have snatched the pebble— that’s exactly what I’m showing. These are real-world skills with real-world results. No more of that awful sinking feeling, muttering to yourself, “what the heck is going on with this circuit.” No more schematics looking like spaghetti but instead seeing them as the indispensable troubleshooting tool that they are. 

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skintdigit

Posted (edited)

Samurai, was the pebble there for the snatching, or have I whiffed on the grab? In your field repair of the Maytag Neptune style dryer(first video), it appears as thought your field repair would complete the circuit and supply 120v. directly to the thermal fuse and motor, bypassing completely the timer assembly, with the only way to open that circuit being opening the dryer door. Yet, you've clearly pulled the timer knob out to start the motor. What gives?  In the bits of the schematic that we can see, it does not appear that the neutral is switched at the timer.

Edited by skintdigit
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  • Team Samurai
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Posted

Ahh, Grasshoppah, you have indeed snatched the pebble from my hand! This is a great question because it gets into basic electricity and circuits— exactly what I was trying to show in the video (though not that particular question). But to answer it, we need both the schematic and timer chart.

In the video, I was working with the paper tech sheet in the control console (which I replaced when finished) that had both the schematic and timer chart.  Both are needed because they work together to tell you which timer contacts are closed when. I have not been able to find a good quality PDF of both the schematic and timer chart. If you have one, please post it so we can look at your question. 

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  • Team Samurai
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Posted

Found a schematic and timer chart for another Maytag Neptune dryer model number that is very close to the one in the video and exactly the same as far as the motor start and run circuits. I've included two schematic markups: one showing the drive motor circuit ready to start and the other shows the drive motor circuit while running. 

The drive motor Line path remains the same between ready to start and running. But the Neutral path changes. The keys to understanding the Neutral path changes are:

  1. Seeing how the drive motor centrifugal switch changes the circuit
  2. The timer chart for timer contact 3, the pull to start switch. In particular, notice that contact 3 is only a momentary contact as shown on the timer chart (no blackened squares for contact 3). 

 

large.723559573_MaytagMDE6400AYQDryerSchematic-Drivemotorreadytostart.jpg

large.1842069107_MaytagMDE6400AYQDryerSchematic-DriveMotorRunning.jpg

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Thank you, Sensei. A most clear, detailed and thorough explanation! 

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Would it be appropriate to indicate a note inside the dryer for the next technician that the line to the motor is “Hot at all times”? For example placing a label on the motor, on the jumper wire, on the Tech Sheet, or a combination.

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  • Team Samurai
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Posted

3 minutes ago, Craig Knight said:

Would it be appropriate to indicate a note inside the dryer for the next technician that the line to the motor is “Hot at all times”?

The next technician better be YOU! 🤓

But seriously, what technician will disassemble without first unplugging? 

Jumper wire on the timer is self explanatory and would not require a label, IMHO. A tech seeing that should know to consult the schematic to see the function of the jumper in the circuit.  

Writing a note on the tech sheet or drawing in the field jumper on the schematic may be worth doing so you could remember what you did when you go back for a different repair on that dryer. 
 

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On the whirlpool, you disabled the wrinkle guard. Was that OK with the customer?

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  • Team Samurai
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Posted

These types of field repairs are always done after advising the customer and getting their consent. In this case, customer didn't even know what the wrinkle guard was or that this even existed! (Probably most techs don't either). 

 

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