Whirlpool electric Dryer won't start

[KGF]

My Whirlpool electric dryer will not start.  I set the timer and pressed the button, and nothing happens.  The barrel does not spin, the fan does not blow - it's completely dead. I've checked the 220v circuit breaker (it's hardwired).  Last week for the first time the dryer was running but stopped for no apparent reason, I pushed the button and it started again, so I guess that was my warning that this was coming.

My general question of course is "why", but my specific question is, could this be the thermal fuse?  In other words, would a bad thermal fuse only prevent the heating coil from heating up, or would it also stop the barrel and fan from working? 

Any other suggestions are welcome.  I'm a pretty handy DIYer and have fixed appliances before, including replacing a thermal fuse in a dishwasher a few months ago, so I just want to get some indication of where to look first.

 

[MrApplianceMatt]

Please post the model number so we can get specific information to you. There are a bunch of reasons this could happen and without specific model info we're all just guessing. What I can tell you is that there are usually 2-3 thermal fuses and 2-3 thermostats, any one of which can cause you grief. Depending on model there could be a belt interlock switch that prevents the motor from running if the belt breaks or otherwise falls off the pulley. The fan is driven by the same motor that drives the drum and the motor has a centrifugal switch in it that only closes when the motor is running and provides half of the voltage, and in turn a complete circuit, to the heater... or it could be a bad control board.

Edited November 10, 2022 by MrApplianceMatt

[KGF]

Thank you for replying.  After posting that I did some exploring and after verifying all the thermal fuses were good behind the lower panel, I removed the control panel and found that the controller card was visibly cooked.  The card is no longer made and even if it was it was $168.  We got 18 years out of this appliance so I broke down and bought a new dryer for $498 at Lowes.