Post by applianceman on Jan 11, 2010 11:14:11 GMT -5
Ge Style Dryer Problems
VENT STOPPED UP
The vent being stopped up is the number one cause of a long dry time. No matter if you have a GE dryer or not. If the vent is stopped up the moisture in your clothes has nowhere to go. So check your vent: it may be clogged up, in which case, clean it out. It may be crimped; often the vent gets crimped when you leave too much vent behind the dryer if so, shorten it. Also try not to push the dryer back so far that it crimps the vent. Another thing is that the vent may be too long, as a rule of thumb; I try to keep vents below 20 feet if possible. Dryer manufacturers recommend under 60 feet but every time there is a 90-degree turn you subtract about 10 feet. So about 25 to 35 feet is all you can do. Vent stopped up can cause many parts to go bad so check your vent after repairing the dryer (no mater what was wrong with the dryer). So remember it clean the lint trap after each use.
DRYER HEATING ELEMENT
GE dryers have two heating elements, so you may feel some heat in the tub even if one element is burned out. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next remove the tub. First unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor and this should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the elements; look to see if one of them is broken. Normally if you can’t see it broken then it’s not bad but you can check it with your ohmmeter to be sure. To do this, first unplug the wires. If the heaters are good you should have continuity between the common (the terminal that connects one end of both elements) to both of the other terminals. If you don’t have continuity between both terminals, replace both of the elements. After you complete this repair make sure the vent is working properly because a clogged vent can cause the elements to go bad.
HIGH LIMIT THERMOSTAT
The high limit thermostat can cause GE dryers not to heat. The high limit thermostat is a safety thermostat that cuts the heating elements in the event that they become too hot. This is most likely caused by the dryer vent being stopped up, so if the high limit is bad, check the vent. To check the high limit, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next, remove the tub first and unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor. This should release the tension from the belt, then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the high limit thermostat (the big thermostat with just two wires) on the outside of the heater can. Now unplug the wires from the thermostat then using your ohmmeter , check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals. If you do, the thermostat is ok and if you don’t it’s bad and needs replacing.
MOTOR
The motor has a built in switch that comes on when the motor gets to full speed, turning the heater on. There is no easy or safe way to check this because the motor must be running to check it. I recommend that you do not attempt to check this switch. However, most of the time if this switch is what is causing the dryer not to heat, then you can fix it by blowing the motor out using an air compressor or if you don’t have one, you can try a vacuum (the air compressor works better). If this doesn’t work and you still think that this is your problem (I can’t say if it is or not), then replace the motor.
OPERATING THERMOSTATS
The operating thermostats almost never go bad on a GE dryer so they would be low on my list of things to check. There can be up to four operating thermostats any of which can cause the dryer not to heat. To check them, unplug dryer then take the tub out as I explained above. Some dryers have an operating thermostat on the heater can; others will only have them on the vent near the fan housing. Some operating thermostats have four terminals and some have just two. Checking operating thermostats is easy; first unplug all wires (if there is more than two wires note where they go if there are only two wires it doesn’t matter). Then using your ohmmeter , check to see if there is continuity between the two outside wires (ignore the two middle wires), if there is then the thermostat is good. If there is not continuity then the thermostat is bad and needs replacing.
TIMER
The timer can cause a GE dryer not to heat although I rarely see this. The procedure for checking the timer varies with every model. But I can say that if you check everything on this page and don’t find anything wrong, the timer is a good guess.
Noisy
DRUM BEARINGS
The drum bearings are the most common thing to cause GE dryer noisy problems. The drum slides on four bearing that are attached to the front of the dryer. There is also one bearing in back in the center of the drum. If any of these bearings are bad, then you will hear a squealing noise when the dryer is running. To check this first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next remove the tub: first unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley to the right this should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the drum is out you should be able to see all of the bearings. Now look at the front where the tub slides on to see if the bearings look worn, if so, replace them. Then look at the bearing on the back if it’s worn it needs replacing.
BLOWER WHEEL
If your GE dryer is noisy then the fan may be loose or bad. If the fan is bad or loose there will be a roaring sound when the dryer is running. To check this first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Once the front is off then you should be able to see the blower wheel in the bottom left hand corner facing the dryer. Now you should see a screw in the middle of the blower wheel then tighten it. This will fix your problem most of the time. If not, you may have to replace the fan.
IDLER PULLEY
If the idler pulley is bad you will hear a squealing or a roaring noise. To check this first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next remove the tub. First unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor. This should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the idler pulley, spin it by hand. Note: it should spin smoothly if not it is bad and needs replacing.
Not Running
SAFETY THERMOSTAT
The safety thermostat is a thermostat that cuts off your GE dryer in the event it gets too hot. To check the safety thermostat, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the safety thermostat; it is the small thermostat located on or near the heater can. Next, unplug the wires from the thermostat and using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals. If you don’t the thermostat is bad and needs replacing.
DOOR SWITCH
The door switch is a switch inside the door that cuts off your GE dryer when you open the door. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. Now you should see the door switch attached to the front, now unplug the wires going to it. Then using your ohmmeter , check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals, so if you don’t the switch is bad and needs replacing (this test has got to be done whit the door closed). If the switch has three terminals (it may have three terminal even if it only has two wires), check for continuity between the two large terminals because the other wire is just for the light inside the tub.
BELT TENSION SWITCH
The belt tension switch cuts your GE dryer off in the event that the belt breaks. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the belt on top of the tub, pull on it to see if it’s broken. If it is, replace it and your problem should be fixed. If it’s not broken, the switch can still be bad, although it’s unlikely. Next, remove the tub then unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor. This should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the idler pulley and the belt tension switch is located under the pulley (note that some models don’t have belt tension switch so if you don’t see one, your problem is elsewhere). Now remove the wires from the switch: using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the terminals while pushing down on the idler pulley. If you don’t have continuity the switch is bad and needs replacing.
BELT
On GE dryer models that don’t have a belt tension switch the motor will run even if the belt is broken. So if you start the dryer and you hear the motor run but the tub doesn’t turn, the belt is most likely broken. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the belt on top of the tub, pull on it to see if it’s broken, if so, it needs replacing.
MOTOR
If you start your GE dryer and you hear a buzzing sound, then when you release the start switch and the buzzing goes away, but the dryer doesn’t run, the problem most likely the motor. But, it may just be something blocking the fan. So to check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the fan try to turn the fan by hand. If it doesn’t turn, there is something blocking it. Find what’s blocking it and remove it. If the fan turns, the motor is bad and needs replacing.
START SWITCH
The only other things that will make your GE dryer not run are the start switch and the timer. The start switch is the least likely but easy to check. First unplug the dryer. Then remove the four screws on top of control panel. Now the control panel should fold toward the front. Next unplug the wires on the switch; using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the two wires when you turn the start switch. If you don’t the switch is bad and needs replacing. If the start switch has three wires, there will be continuity between two of the wires all the time and all three when you turn the start switch, if not the switch is bad and needs replacing.
TIMER
The timer is the only other thing that may cause your GE dryer not to run. But its hard to check so it you haven’t found anything else wrong then the timer is a good guess, but the only way to know for sure is to replace it.
Again copied.
VENT STOPPED UP
The vent being stopped up is the number one cause of a long dry time. No matter if you have a GE dryer or not. If the vent is stopped up the moisture in your clothes has nowhere to go. So check your vent: it may be clogged up, in which case, clean it out. It may be crimped; often the vent gets crimped when you leave too much vent behind the dryer if so, shorten it. Also try not to push the dryer back so far that it crimps the vent. Another thing is that the vent may be too long, as a rule of thumb; I try to keep vents below 20 feet if possible. Dryer manufacturers recommend under 60 feet but every time there is a 90-degree turn you subtract about 10 feet. So about 25 to 35 feet is all you can do. Vent stopped up can cause many parts to go bad so check your vent after repairing the dryer (no mater what was wrong with the dryer). So remember it clean the lint trap after each use.
DRYER HEATING ELEMENT
GE dryers have two heating elements, so you may feel some heat in the tub even if one element is burned out. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next remove the tub. First unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor and this should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the elements; look to see if one of them is broken. Normally if you can’t see it broken then it’s not bad but you can check it with your ohmmeter to be sure. To do this, first unplug the wires. If the heaters are good you should have continuity between the common (the terminal that connects one end of both elements) to both of the other terminals. If you don’t have continuity between both terminals, replace both of the elements. After you complete this repair make sure the vent is working properly because a clogged vent can cause the elements to go bad.
HIGH LIMIT THERMOSTAT
The high limit thermostat can cause GE dryers not to heat. The high limit thermostat is a safety thermostat that cuts the heating elements in the event that they become too hot. This is most likely caused by the dryer vent being stopped up, so if the high limit is bad, check the vent. To check the high limit, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next, remove the tub first and unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor. This should release the tension from the belt, then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the high limit thermostat (the big thermostat with just two wires) on the outside of the heater can. Now unplug the wires from the thermostat then using your ohmmeter , check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals. If you do, the thermostat is ok and if you don’t it’s bad and needs replacing.
MOTOR
The motor has a built in switch that comes on when the motor gets to full speed, turning the heater on. There is no easy or safe way to check this because the motor must be running to check it. I recommend that you do not attempt to check this switch. However, most of the time if this switch is what is causing the dryer not to heat, then you can fix it by blowing the motor out using an air compressor or if you don’t have one, you can try a vacuum (the air compressor works better). If this doesn’t work and you still think that this is your problem (I can’t say if it is or not), then replace the motor.
OPERATING THERMOSTATS
The operating thermostats almost never go bad on a GE dryer so they would be low on my list of things to check. There can be up to four operating thermostats any of which can cause the dryer not to heat. To check them, unplug dryer then take the tub out as I explained above. Some dryers have an operating thermostat on the heater can; others will only have them on the vent near the fan housing. Some operating thermostats have four terminals and some have just two. Checking operating thermostats is easy; first unplug all wires (if there is more than two wires note where they go if there are only two wires it doesn’t matter). Then using your ohmmeter , check to see if there is continuity between the two outside wires (ignore the two middle wires), if there is then the thermostat is good. If there is not continuity then the thermostat is bad and needs replacing.
TIMER
The timer can cause a GE dryer not to heat although I rarely see this. The procedure for checking the timer varies with every model. But I can say that if you check everything on this page and don’t find anything wrong, the timer is a good guess.
Noisy
DRUM BEARINGS
The drum bearings are the most common thing to cause GE dryer noisy problems. The drum slides on four bearing that are attached to the front of the dryer. There is also one bearing in back in the center of the drum. If any of these bearings are bad, then you will hear a squealing noise when the dryer is running. To check this first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next remove the tub: first unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley to the right this should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the drum is out you should be able to see all of the bearings. Now look at the front where the tub slides on to see if the bearings look worn, if so, replace them. Then look at the bearing on the back if it’s worn it needs replacing.
BLOWER WHEEL
If your GE dryer is noisy then the fan may be loose or bad. If the fan is bad or loose there will be a roaring sound when the dryer is running. To check this first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Once the front is off then you should be able to see the blower wheel in the bottom left hand corner facing the dryer. Now you should see a screw in the middle of the blower wheel then tighten it. This will fix your problem most of the time. If not, you may have to replace the fan.
IDLER PULLEY
If the idler pulley is bad you will hear a squealing or a roaring noise. To check this first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Next remove the tub. First unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor. This should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the idler pulley, spin it by hand. Note: it should spin smoothly if not it is bad and needs replacing.
Not Running
SAFETY THERMOSTAT
The safety thermostat is a thermostat that cuts off your GE dryer in the event it gets too hot. To check the safety thermostat, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the safety thermostat; it is the small thermostat located on or near the heater can. Next, unplug the wires from the thermostat and using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals. If you don’t the thermostat is bad and needs replacing.
DOOR SWITCH
The door switch is a switch inside the door that cuts off your GE dryer when you open the door. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. Now you should see the door switch attached to the front, now unplug the wires going to it. Then using your ohmmeter , check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals, so if you don’t the switch is bad and needs replacing (this test has got to be done whit the door closed). If the switch has three terminals (it may have three terminal even if it only has two wires), check for continuity between the two large terminals because the other wire is just for the light inside the tub.
BELT TENSION SWITCH
The belt tension switch cuts your GE dryer off in the event that the belt breaks. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the belt on top of the tub, pull on it to see if it’s broken. If it is, replace it and your problem should be fixed. If it’s not broken, the switch can still be bad, although it’s unlikely. Next, remove the tub then unhook the belt by pulling the idler pulley toward the motor. This should release the tension from the belt then you should be able remove it. Then the tub just slides out toward the front. Once the tub is out, you should see the idler pulley and the belt tension switch is located under the pulley (note that some models don’t have belt tension switch so if you don’t see one, your problem is elsewhere). Now remove the wires from the switch: using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the terminals while pushing down on the idler pulley. If you don’t have continuity the switch is bad and needs replacing.
BELT
On GE dryer models that don’t have a belt tension switch the motor will run even if the belt is broken. So if you start the dryer and you hear the motor run but the tub doesn’t turn, the belt is most likely broken. To check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the belt on top of the tub, pull on it to see if it’s broken, if so, it needs replacing.
MOTOR
If you start your GE dryer and you hear a buzzing sound, then when you release the start switch and the buzzing goes away, but the dryer doesn’t run, the problem most likely the motor. But, it may just be something blocking the fan. So to check this, first unplug dryer. Then take the top off by removing the two screws in the door (the only two pointing up) and lift up the top. Now remove the front by removing the screws inside the case (pointed toward the front) and lifting the front upward. You should be able to leave wires going to the door switch plugged in and move the front to the side. Now you should be able to see the fan try to turn the fan by hand. If it doesn’t turn, there is something blocking it. Find what’s blocking it and remove it. If the fan turns, the motor is bad and needs replacing.
START SWITCH
The only other things that will make your GE dryer not run are the start switch and the timer. The start switch is the least likely but easy to check. First unplug the dryer. Then remove the four screws on top of control panel. Now the control panel should fold toward the front. Next unplug the wires on the switch; using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the two wires when you turn the start switch. If you don’t the switch is bad and needs replacing. If the start switch has three wires, there will be continuity between two of the wires all the time and all three when you turn the start switch, if not the switch is bad and needs replacing.
TIMER
The timer is the only other thing that may cause your GE dryer not to run. But its hard to check so it you haven’t found anything else wrong then the timer is a good guess, but the only way to know for sure is to replace it.
Again copied.