Need help with Speed Queen dryer ADE30RGS171TW01 not heating correctly

[Jociadam]

Hello.  My name is Cindy and I’m having trouble with my Speedqueen dryer.  It is model ADE30RGS171TW01. My husband and I have 29 rentals and I’ve become pretty good at diagnosing issues and repairing appliances.  This one is stumping me.  My dryer will heat, but it doesn’t feel like it’s very hot.  I’m having to run loads through two or three times to get them dry.  I’ve tried drying on different settings.  Here’s what’s really puzzling me:

1.  Why is it heating, but not getting really hot?  I would think it would heat or not heat.  No in-betweens. 

2. When I dry a load, sometimes the timer doesn’t move at all.  Sometimes it moves all the way to the end of that particular cycle.  Neither seems to make a difference on how high the temp gets or how long it runs. And it seems like sometimes it’s kicking itself off just a little while after I’ve started it.  
 

Tomorrow I’m going to go down and take the vent off and see if there is an obstruction.  I’ve seen on Kenmore and Frigidaire models where the duct was clogged, making it over heat and blowing the thermal fuse. I don’t have one of the flexible semi-rigid ducts.  Mine is aluminum pipe that snaps together in sections.  Because of the way our house is shaped and built, the pipe comes out the back of the dryer and goes up several feet where it ducts out at the top of the wall.  
 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I’ll update tomorrow if I find an obstruction. 
 

Thanks,

Cindy

[Jociadam]

I meant to say that I’m going to have to educate myself on Speed Queen appliances. I’m wondering if the heating elements are built so that part of it can be working and part of it not working. I’ve never heard of a heating element like that. 

[16345Ed]

What you’re describing is usually an air flow problem. 
 

Good test is to simply disconnect duct at back of dryer and test a load. If it dries ok you know issue is with exhaust duct. 
 

if you still have the problem with vent unhooked then airflow problem is in dryer. Check blower wheel and all internal ducts and seals. 

[evaappliance]

If it is not what 16345ed said , check the orange and red wire on the back of the timer. If one of those terminals are discolored or burned you will have a bad timer , These two things are the most common causes of your symptoms on a speed queen.  Definitely do the vent check first, way more common 

[evaappliance]

The element question, the answer is no,  BUT any element can burnout and short to ground and partially heat, especially in a bad venting situation.

[Ashton]

Rental? Renters never clean the lint filter. Most likely a air flow blockage somewhere.

[Nicholsseand]

Doing prediagnosing right now. Wanted to say thanks to all y'all for the info