Post by applianceman on Jan 11, 2010 10:50:46 GMT -5
Gas Dryer Heating Problems
On some gas dryers there is a small door at the bottom right hand side of the front (if your lucky), if so remove it. If not, you will need to take the front off of the dryer. Note that some dryers such as GE and Whirlpool, you will also have to remove the tub in order to run it with the front off. Then turn on the dryer and observe burner. What should happen if the dryer is working properly is the igniter should glow red for 30 seconds or a minute, then the igniter should cut off and the flame should light. If this happens but it still takes a long time to dry clothes, check your dryer vent because it’s probably the problem.
IGNITER
The igniter is the most likely problem and it is an easy do-it-yourself gas dryer repair. If when you preformed the test I described above and the igniter didn’t glow red after a minute or so, then you need to check the igniter. To check the igniter, first disconnect power from the dryer. Then remove the front off the dryer (unless you can work from the small access door in the front). Now unplug the igniter and using your ohmmeter ,check to see if you have continuity between the two wires going to the igniter. If you don’t, the igniter is bad and needs replacing. If you do have continuity, the problem could be the flame sensor.
FLAME SENSOR
The flame sensor is not a common problem, but it is an easy do-it-yourself gas dryer repair. The flame sensor is located on the side of the burner box. If when you preformed the test I described above the igniter glows red for more than a minute or so or it doesn’t come on at all, the flame sensor may be bad. If the igniter glows red for more than a minute or so the flame sensor is bad and it needs replacing. If the igniter doesn’t come on at all and the igniter checks good in the test above you need to check the flame sensor. To check the flame sensor disconnect power from the dryer. Then remove the front off the dryer (unless you can work from the small access door in the front). Now unplug the flame sensor and using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals on the flame sensor. If you do not have continuity, the sensor is bad and needs replacing.
GAS VALVE
This section of this gas dryer repair guide will discuss the gas valve. If when you preformed the test and the igniter glowed for a minute or so then cut off but the flame didn’t light, the gas valve is bad (assuming you have gas coming to it). Most of the time the coils are the only things bad and there is no need to change the whole valve. The coils are the two round devices that the wires plug in to. Changing the gas valve is not a good do-it-yourself gas dryer repair because it can be a fire hazard if you install it incorrectly!! But because it’s likely that the coils will fix your dryer, try them first.
If the dryer is heating intermittently, the coils on the valve are most likely the problem. This can be hard to check because it is intermitting so go ahead and change the coils on the valve.
Thermal Fuse (Whirlpool Dryers Only)
This section of this gas dryer repair guide will discuss the thermal fuse on Whirlpool dryers. On whirlpool dryers the thermal fuse will cut off the gas valve. This is a very common problem with Whirlpool dryers and should be the next thing to check if the igniter is not glowing and the igniter is not bad. To check the thermal fuse, first disconnect power from the dryer. Then remove the two wires from the thermal fuse. Next, using your ohmmeter, check for continuity across the two terminals on the fuse. If you do not have continuity the fuse is bad and needs replacing. Note that the most common thing that will cause the thermal fuse to blow is a clogged dryer vent, so check the vent. The thermal fuse is a little rectangular fuse with two wires. It is located on the vent just after it leaves the fan housing.