GE (Camco) VD952KW419 dryer intermittent heat problems

[slantsixdan]

Got a Canadian GE (Camco) electric dryer, Model VD952KW419 / Serial EF565450, which is behaving strangely.

I have posted about this dryer in the past, and nobody here recognised the model number. Neither does repairclinic.com's part finder. I think perhaps light bends around this dryer, making it invisible to parts catalogues. It is at least a decade old, probably closer to 15 years, maybe even more.

Anyhow: With the heat selector set on "Delicate" or "Normal" (the only other option being "Fluff"), and the timer set to a time interval (say, 60 minutes), sometimes the dryer chooses to heat up, and sometimes it does not. I opened the door, held the door switch, and activated the dryer on "Delicate". The orange glow visible shortly through the holes in the rear of the drum told me at least one element was heating up. I then switched the heat selector to "Normal", and saw no change at all in the intensity of the orange glow. This, of course, is a crude test, and it's possible the elements are located such that I wouldn't see any such a change, but my experience with appliances using resistive heaters is that more elements operating = visibly stronger orange glow.

I've never opened a dryer before, but everything I read about these later-model GE dryer designs suggests they are a nightmare to work on, unlike their predecessors with the front air intake (on gas models). I am considering replacing it rather than repairing it, but if the symptoms set off any bells for anyone here, I'd like to know about it.

Thanks!

[hvacdrd]

GE dryers use two coils(elements) in the heater housing. It is common for one to break and not the other. The easiest check is with an amprobe. Approximate amps is 20 in the normal setting. You should be able to perform the test at the console. Once you confirm then it is time to dig in. Not anymore difficult than the new ones.

Once you pull the drum if you can describe how the elements are mounted we can figure out which restring kit it uses.

[slantsixdan]

OK, good info. Haven't got an amprobe, so I'll have to improvise one way or another. But, it seems to me that one dead element out of two would only explain the "no heat difference between delicate and normal", not the "sometimes heats, sometimes doesn't".

[Budget Appliance Repair]

You could have a broken heating element that sometimes the broken ends touch back together to short to ground so they work temporarily.

Also, you could have a bad motor switch, the heat contacts in the switch could be burnt up and only making contact sometimes.

[BrntToast]

ok  lift lid and one the left of heater housing make sure you have 2 thermostats not one, if you only have one you need new heater/housing that one has a rework

if you have 2 thermostats you need a timer those older ge dryers have flakey timer that go intermitent

i suggest you remove drum and visually inspect the coils cause the one is prolly burnt lower right hand side

that coil grounding out damages the timer

[Scottthewolf]

I'm not positive, but I think the correct heater housing assembly for this model is part # WE11M23.