Thread: Kenmore 90 Series Electric Dryer - Runs but no Heat

Originally Posted by alfun

I took out the heating element and measured it for resistance. It is not getting a reading

It needs to be replaced.

Originally Posted by alfun

Can heating elements go bad even though all the coils are still all connected?

Yes, but it's not very common. If you take your finger and tap the coils all the way around you'll probably find the break.

Originally Posted by alfun

Before when there was heat, it started to take longer to dry my clothes, could this be caused by a heating element about to go bad?

No, the element is like a light bulb, it's either good or bad. Dryability issues can be caused by the control board or thermostats/thermistors but 90% of the time it's caused by poor air flow. Poor air flow across the element causes the heat to pile up inside the element housing and the dryer starts cycling on the safety thermostat instead of the cycling thermostat. Clean out the blower housing by removing the two screws by the lint filter and the four screws in the blower housing. Slide it over and clean out both sides. Replace the element and dry one or two loads of clothes with the vent hose off. See if there's a noticeable difference.

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OK, I found the break in the coil. Don't know if I missed it yesterday or the break just happened today by someone moving the heating element?

When I took the front panel off to get to my heating element there was a lot of lint build-up near the floor. Could this cause dryability issues? When I take my lint filter off and look down the hole there is a lot of lint build-up also. Could this also cause dryability issues? How can I clean this area? I did not see any lint on or inside of my heating element housing though.

Is the blower housing connected to the end of the heating element housing? How does the hot air get into the tumbler? Does the blower suck some hot air past the coils and into the tumbler and some air also goes to the air vent which leads to outside?

Why do I dry one or two loads of clothes with the air vent hose off? Is this to test if my air vent hose leading to outside is clogged? Won't the room get all dusty if I do this?

I don't see any screws by my lint filter. How do I get to my blower housing? Do I take the panel off on the back of my dryer? My dryer looks like this:
Completed heating element repairs on a Sears Kenmore 90 Series clothes dryer - YouTube

In this picture is the beige/white colored piece on the left the blower housing?


What do you mean by "Slide it over and clean both sides"? Do I have to take out the blower hosing and clean the hole that leads to the air vent hose and also the other hole that leads to the heating element housing?

I noticed in the "APPLIANCE PARTS" link there are 3 shops listed - RepairClinic.com, AppliancePartsPros.com, and pcappliancerepair.com. Does RepairClinic own this blog? I know on some forums vendors have to pay a fee to the forum owner and they're able to have their own section on the forum. There are also other forums where the vendor has their own section and doesn't have to pay and they are on there because forum members recommend buying from them. Are these 3 shops in the "APPLIANCE PARTS" link because the forum members on here recommend buying from them?

Slow down, your asking too many questions, let Rick reply.

Jake

I noticed in the "APPLIANCE PARTS" link there are 3 shops listed - RepairClinic.com, AppliancePartsPros.com, and pcappliancerepair.com. Does RepairClinic own this blog? I know on some forums vendors have to pay a fee to the forum owner and they're able to have their own section on the forum. There are also other forums where the vendor has their own section and doesn't have to pay and they are on there because forum members recommend buying from them. Are these 3 shops in the "APPLIANCE PARTS" link because the forum members on here recommend buying from them?

I own and run this blog, those 3 parts sites are the only ones we recommend for ordering parts, we are the affiliate of all 3.

Jake

Originally Posted by alfun

OK, I found the break in the coil. Don't know if I missed it yesterday or the break just happened today by someone moving the heating element?

You missed it. They don't break that easy.

Originally Posted by alfun

How does the hot air get into the tumbler? Does the blower suck some hot air past the coils and into the tumbler and some air also goes to the air vent which leads to outside?

In your picture, the blower and blower housing are on the left and the element and element housing are on the right. The blower sucks the air through the bottom of the element housing, across the element, into the drum from the holes on the left side (looking into the drum), into the drum and clothes, back out the holes on the right side (looking into the drum), through the lint filter, down the lint filter housing to the blower wheel where the blower wheel blows it out the vent.

Originally Posted by alfun

Why do I dry one or two loads of clothes with the air vent hose off? Is this to test if my air vent hose leading to outside is clogged? Won't the room get all dusty if I do this?

Yes, by eliminating the vent hose and vent I don't need to take your word that the vent hose is cleaned ,the vent is cleaned, it's not collapsed or it's not too long. I just eliminate it from the equation. Once you get the machine all cleaned out it shouldn't blow much lint out for one or two loads. Just check it with one load.

Originally Posted by alfun

How can I clean this area? I don't see any screws by my lint filter. How do I get to my blower housing?What do you mean by "Slide it over and clean both sides"?

There's two phillips screws right below where the lint filter goes into the lint filter housing. Once you remove those two screws, go behind the dryer and remove the four 5/16" screws holding the lint filter housing on top of the blower housing. Pull the lint filter housing up and off the blower housing. You can now slide it to the right over the thermostat and thermal fuse toward the vent. Clean out the lint filter housing where it mounts over the blower wheel. Clean out from around the blower wheel and between the blower wheel and the vent.

The picture I posted earlier is not a picture of my electric dryer. I was just looking for a picture of a blower housing because I had no idea what one looks like. I don't think I have to remove the panels on the back of my dryer but am not sure, let me know if I have to or not. I did find better pictures here though which look a lot like my dryer: Do It Yourself Repair: Kenmore 90 Series Model 110 Clothes Dryer is squealing and making noise while running its cycle.

I removed two 1/4" bolts to take this cover off. Is this just a cover for the blower housing?


Next I cleaned this piece and removed all the lint on the floor.


I think this is the blower wheel attached to the blower housing? Do I need to take the blower wheel out and clean inside the housing? Or just the cover, surrounding area, and floor?


I used my digital voltmeter and put it on 2000k setting and tried to measure the resistance of the two parts connected to the element housing but it showed 0 on my meter. If there is no continuity on my meter it will show 1. I switch it to 200k setting and touch the two leads but it will not zero out. I test the two parts with the 200k setting and it will fluctuate a lot but sometimes it held at .9 ohms. Are these two parts still good?

Do you have a diagram or something of how the wires connect to the parts on the element housing? I drew a picture but am not sure if it is correct. Can anything bad happen if the wires are connected incorrectly and the dryer started?

The parts are probably OK. Make sure the blower wheel is tight on the motor shaft. This is a wiring diagram for a similar model.

Originally Posted by rickgburton

The parts are probably OK. Make sure the blower wheel is tight on the motor shaft. This is a wiring diagram for a similar model.

I think there are two bolts that connect the blower wheel to the blower housing. Are these the correct names for these two parts? Do I just make sure the two bolts are tight to check that the blower wheel is tight on the motor shaft?


Do I need to clean anything else? I'm not sure which part is the blower housing when you said "Slide it over and clean out both sides".

I am looking at the diagram you posted and my dryer doesn't have a RED/WHITE wire that was connected to the heating element. Can you tell me where the CENTRIFUGAL SWITCH and COM HEATER RELAY is usually located?

My dryer looks a lot like this and you can see where the purple wires are located like from my drawing.

This guy has his black wires connected like this. But I know for sure my black wires were connected to the bottom terminals for the Thermal Cut-Off and the High-Limit Thermostat. Does it matter how this black wire is connected?