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Kenmore Elite Dryer 110.60952990 Won't Start


strudles

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I have a Kenmore Elite 90 Series Dryer that stopped heating yesterday. 

I tested:

     Thermal Fuse (ok)

     Timer (ok)

     Door switch (ok)

     Non-resettable Thermal Cutout (bad)

At this point I followed the directions from this video about resetting it. 

After a couple of bangs on a hard surface, it tested normal. I put it back in, plugged in the dryer and started it and voila, heat.

I successfully dried 2 or 3 loads of clothes, then it stopped heating again. I reset the thermal cutout again and it tested ok, but now the dryer won't turn on. 

I've checked all the connections to make sure I didn't forget something. I know I have power because the light turns on when I open the door.

The start switch makes a click and then the timer ticks for a few seconds before everything goes silent. 

I pressed the start button and heard the click, then opened the door and heard another click (I think that means the start button is ok). 

I tested the starter with an ohm meter, tested ok. I tested the relay switch to the left of the starter and it tested bad. I'm going to replace that just in case that's the problem (and I ordered a new thermal cutout just in case I need that as well). The circuit board has a section on it near the bottom left (near #9 resistor) that looks browner than the rest, but not burned. The motor should be fine as I just replaced it a year or two ago.

Things I have not tested: Belt switch, high limit thermostat, that machine is getting proper voltage, cycling thermostat.

Is there anything else I should test?

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Standard practice is to change high limit thermostat when changing thermal cutoff. 

After second occurrence did you test thermal fuse again? It may have blown this time. 

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I tested the element and on my digital ohm meter set to 2k ohms shows a readout of .009 which I assume is ok since the number is so low. While I was at it, I tested the high limit thermostat and it tests normal.

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Remove power from unit

Remove wires from element. 

One probe on one of the element's terminals, place other probe on element case. You want to see no continuity. 

Try other terminal. 

If  you have continuity placing one probe on each terminal then element should be ok. 

Edited by 16345Ed
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I'm assuming .009 (2K ohms using a Commerical Electric MAS830B) indicates continuity, but I'm a newbie at using an ohm meter. One probe on one terminal, other on case (and repeated on other terminal) showed no continuity.

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1 hour ago, strudles said:

I'm assuming .009 (2K ohms using a Commerical Electric MAS830B) indicates continuity, but I'm a newbie at using an ohm meter. One probe on one terminal, other on case (and repeated on other terminal) showed no continuity.

Yep, element seems good. 

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3 hours ago, strudles said:

     Non-resettable Thermal Cutout (bad)

At this point I followed the directions from this video about resetting it. 

Non-resettable. Means replace if blown. 

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I replaced the starter relay, thermal cutout, high temp thermostat & thermal fuse. I re-checked the breaker box to make sure the fuse there was good. It still won't start. I called a local appliance shop and they said it might be the circuit board. Is there a way to test the circuit board to see if that is the problem?  Thanks.

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You have power at terminal block on back of dryer? Do you know how to test for 240vac?

be careful!

 

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Hooray, it seems I've figured out Blue's Clues. There was a wire harness on the side of the motor that had come dislodged. I plugged it all the way back in and now the dryer is working again. I'm a very happy camper.

Thank you 16345Ed for all the help you gave me!  :thanks:

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Argh, seems I spoke too soon. It was drying fine, but my eldest son said he thought it was making a thumping noise that it hadn't made before so I took the lid off to watch it in motion. I couldn't see anything wrong there so I took off the bottom panel to look from underneath. I still didn't see anything wrong, but I noticed that the heating element wasn't glowing. It had been when I posted last; I tested the thermal cutout and it blew again (the new one). When I first had the machine apart I cleaned out the lint from the fan cover. The exhaust vent looks good and the flexible tubing is clean too. 

I found this on this site: "A third possible cause of overheating is worn felt seals on the front and back of the drum. They allow hot air to escape, forcing the heating element to stay on."

The felt seals on the back part of my drum are indeed hanging by a thread. Is this something that can be replaced?

It also said: "When the fuse blows, the dryer won't get hot, but when the cutoff blows, the tumbler won't spin." I'm not sure what to think about this because the thermal cutout blew, but the tumbler was still spinning, it just wasn't getting hot.

It also mentioned a broken blower can cause the thermal cutoff to blow. I'll check for airflow. Can I tell if it's working by running the dryer without the blower cover on?

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35 minutes ago, strudles said:

 

The felt seals on the back part of my drum are indeed hanging by a thread. Is this something that can be replaced?

Definitely, it comes with a tube of high temperature glue. I’d wear those thin rubber gloves to do it, that stuff gets everywhere.

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Thanks for the tip on rubber gloves! I replaced the rear felt drum seal relatively easily and after a generous drying time I reassembled the dryer and tried it. Everything seemed to be going well, heating nicely, but it didn't last long (30 minutes maybe) before the cutoff tripped. BTW, previous to starting the dryer and while I had everything apart, I made sure the heating element & housing looked ok (element not touching the side, cleaned out lint). I'm not sure what else to try. Any ideas? 

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Clean the exhaust vent from the wall through to the outside of the building/house. 

There are DIY vent cleaning kits that could be used with a drill, be careful. Or you could call a vent cleaning service and have it done professionally for about        $100-150.

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I double checked the venting from behind the fan to the flexible venting hose to the outside of the house. There was a little buildup which I cleared out, but not much. I also pulled out the fan to make sure there wasn't anything behind it. I took the lint screen to the sink and scrubbed it well with soap and a plastic scrub brush. It had a pretty good film of fabric softener on it and was rather dirty so that might have been contributing to air flow issues. 

So far the dryer seems to be behaving, but I'm just waiting to see if the cut-off is going to trip again. I'm praying it'll hold. If it doesn't I'm not sure what else to try.

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It's still tripping. I can't think of any reason why the space around the drum should be overheating. There is no airway obstruction, I've fixed the air leaks, cleaned the moisture sensor, cleaned out the filter, made sure the element is good and not shorting. I have ordered yet another thermal cutoff, will see if it makes a difference when it comes.

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Did you test the element to the housing? Should be open.  If the element is grounded it will over heat and trip thermal fuses. Does it heat on a no heat cycle like air dry?  Try running with duct disconnected and see if it still blows the fuse, make sure the spade connectors to the thermal fuse are tight. If they are loose then they will generate heat and blow the fuse. Anything slowing the drum speed down can also reduce air flow and cause over heating conditions so make sure the motor,  rollers and idler turn freely and the blower wheel is securely attatched to the motor, Hold lint screen up to light and make sure you can see thru it, if not wash with soap and water, Inside the thermal fuse is a strip of bimetal, sure you can smack them against the ground to pop the back into a closed state but it fatigues the metal and is unreliable. 

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Element to housing tested open (1 on my multimeter), element to element tested closed. 

My son noticed that the R1 resistor on the circuit board appears burned. From what we can tell, it is a 23-ohm resistor, but I don't know if that is a fix we could safely do ourselves or if we are looking at a new circuit board (ouch). Anyone know anything about fixing a control panel? Soldering is not a problem if we knew which part to get. 

Spades to cutoff are tight (and I checked the other connections while I was at it).

One of the wheels on the front door didn't turn freely so my son took it apart, cleaned out the lint & hairs that had accumulated, lubricated it and now it rolls like the rest.

I checked the motor and tensioner too and they turn freely.

The lint screen has been scrubbed clean and almost looks new.

Until my new cutoff & thermostat get here on Wednesday, I have been testing by "resetting" the cutoff. I'm not really sure what to do about that :\.

I will test on non-heat mode & with the duct disconnected as soon as I get the dryer reassembled.

Thank you for your suggestions, johntech; it's at least something I can try.

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The dryer does not heat on non-heat load.

I've had the dryer running on high heat with the duct disconnected for the last 20 minutes (empty drum) and it is still heating. I'm not sure how long I need to wait to see if it's going to trip or whether or not I need the drum to be full of clothes.

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I put a test load of clothes in the dryer about 20 minutes ago and just checked it and it tripped again. I guess I'll just wait till the new cutoff gets here and try again then.

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