Kenmore Dryer 110.62802101 - thermal cut off

[jmm]

Dryer was running but had no heat a couple weeks ago. I checked thermostats etc with my multimeter and the thermal cutoff was bad (per YouTube videos). I replaced it and checked air flow throughout the system - heat was working again and there were no clogs - plenty of air flow. Yesterday there was no heat and the new thermal cutoff tested bad - air flow was still good. I was able to reset the cutoff (YouTube again) but I'd like to know if there is something else to look at for the root cause. Thanks for any help!

[Vance R]

Could be the cycling thermostat staying closed and the dryer temp is cycling on the high limit thermostat. Sometime the cycling thermostat got stuck on and the high limit is starting to stay closed. The other possibility is the element is grounded to the case causing part of the heater to stay on. 

[citizenX]

You say you have plenty of airflow but how are you checking that? Is the heating element glowing real bright? If so that is a good sign of restricted airflow. To test, you can unhook the venting from the back of the dryer and see if it makes any difference in how the element cycles. Is the element cycling on and off or just staying on the entire time (with a dry or no clothing load)?  Also, check the filter housing to make sure it's not clogged up - look inside the dryer on the back right rear bulkhead and you will see holes where the filter is behind it. Take the filter out and inspect as best you can inside the duct to make sure there isn't a big ling clog in there. And how did you reset the thermal cutoff? The oem parts are not resettable. Was that a universal type? If so was it the proper temperature spec? 

All that said, it is possible you just had a bad part, especially if it was an Amazon special, but as Vance said above, could be an issue with the heat staying on too long if the airflow checks out ok. 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

14 hours ago, citizenX said:

And how did you reset the thermal cutoff? The oem parts are not resettable.

He watched a YouTube video on how to reset the NON-resettable thermal cutout t-stat.

That would be he slammed it really hard on a hard surface - sometimes you can get them to reset this way.

[jmm]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've done the following:

Removed the back cover and observed the element - it did cycle on and off a couple times within a 5 minute or so timeframe with an empty dryer.

Air flow was a subjective measure at both the blower exit with the exhaust tube off and at the end of the exhaust tube when reconnected. I pulled the filter and looked as best I could - no obvious lint blockage.

The new part was an Amazon special. I used the OEM part number from the parts list but it may still have been universal since it was listed as a replacement quite a few makes and models. The YouTube video showed resetting the thermal cutoff by smacking it on a hard surface a couple times. It appears to have worked but I think I'll order another one to have on hand just in case. Things can get testy around here when I have to suggest the laundromat as a temporary solution...

Thanks again for your help. Always appreciated!!

[citizenX]

45 minutes ago, Budget Appliance Repair said:

He watched a YouTube video on how to reset the NON-resettable thermal cutout t-stat.

That would be he slammed it really hard on a hard surface - sometimes you can get them to reset this way.

Oh wow I never knew or tried that! I mean, I've beat my share of machines with a hammer before but never knew that was a thing. LOL  

[citizenX]

On 12/9/2024 at 9:10 AM, jmm said:

Thanks for the suggestions. I've done the following:

Removed the back cover and observed the element - it did cycle on and off a couple times within a 5 minute or so timeframe with an empty dryer.

Air flow was a subjective measure at both the blower exit with the exhaust tube off and at the end of the exhaust tube when reconnected. I pulled the filter and looked as best I could - no obvious lint blockage.

The new part was an Amazon special. I used the OEM part number from the parts list but it may still have been universal since it was listed as a replacement quite a few makes and models. The YouTube video showed resetting the thermal cutoff by smacking it on a hard surface a couple times. It appears to have worked but I think I'll order another one to have on hand just in case. Things can get testy around here when I have to suggest the laundromat as a temporary solution...

Thanks again for your help. Always appreciated!!

If it came from Amazon, 99.999% chance it is an aftermarket part regardless what the description says. That's not always a bad thing though are there are some reputable aftermarket parts out there, but a lot of it on the big A is just cheap garbage. Could have just been a bad part. It happens.