Appliance Repair Wisdom for the Ages

Thursday, April 15, 2004

You'll be able to fix most problems with your Whirlpool-built dryer (this includes most Kenmores) with one of these replacment parts.

If the drum thumps and bumps as it turns, you need one o' these. Also, replace ripped, torn, or deformed lint screens promptly to prevent big problems, like burnt out motors or vent fires.

This element fits almost all Whirlpool-built dryers (yes, that includes Kenmore) that have the lint filter in the top panel (that's the most common and also the best one). This is the most common thermal cutoff switch. You'll find this mounted on the heating element can.

If your dryer is part of a stack laundry center, then your thermal fuse probably looks like the one shown here to the right. Otherwise, it's probably like the one to the left. The look the same but they differ in one important way: the size of the terminal spades. The spades on the statcked laundry thermal fuse are ¼" wide whereas the other one has 3/16" wide spades.

On some models, the thermal fuse looks like this.

Gas dryer not firing up? Common troublemakers are shown here. From top to bottom they are: the ignitor, the radiant sensor, and the gas valve coils. A blown thermal fuse will also create a no-heat condition so be sure to ohm out the thermal fuse with your meter.

Remember Samurai's Ichiban Law of Appliance Repair: Never replace a part unless you have proof that the part is bad. For help in getting that proof, read the Gas Dryer Problem Solver.