417.61712510 Dryer Codes E51 E71 EA3

[illusha]

Model Number

417.61712510

Brand

Sears Kenmore

Age

1-5 years

Working on a Kenmore 61712 stacked washer and dryer combo. Purchased it used very cheap almost a year ago for a rental, never had issues, until now. The dryer starts to run for about 2-3 seconds and then shuts off.

This unit is installed outside in a carport, it has a roof covering it from rain and one wall, but open to temperature and lately it’s been getting down below 30*F at night and 40-50*F during the day. The washer was not being used below 35*F and water lines were getting disconnected to prevent freezing. Washer still works fine. But the dryer started to have issues. I was thinking could be condensation building up inside from dryer getting hot in a cold environment, could be the moisture in the air, when I took the mid-panel off (below the main board), it was totally dripping with condensation, even the manual inside was all soaked through.

I ran diagnostics and got error codes E51, E71, and EA3 (below). Exhaust vent isn’t clogged, appears to have a good suction, reset the breakers just to be sure, measured voltage as 122v on one leg, 124v on another leg, with 246v total output at the wall outlet. Thermistor (NTC) was close to range (should be 50k ohm), it was 40*F outside, so it initially showed around 90k ohm, then I brought it inside, the resistance gradually went down to 18k ohms as the bugger sat warming up in front of a heater.

Possible Fault Conditions per manual:

E51 – Motor relay stuck open; Locked Rotor; Harness; Connectors; Low Power Supply; Thermal Limiter 1 open; Motor Centrifugal Switch stuck open or close
E71 – NTC open circuit; Wiring; Main Board
EA3 – Main V < 180vrms; Microprocessor Corrupted; Main Board

Questions:

- Based on the combination of 3 errors above, is it looking like the main board is likely fried, or could it be something else?
- Is “control” board and “main” board the same thing in this machine?
- How can I check Motor Centrifugal Switch and where is it?
- How can I check Thermal Limiter 1? (will need specs)
- Can I test the main board somehow before replacing it? (will need specs and points)
- Can I test wiring harness? (will need specs)
- How likely is the dryer to have problems due to corroded terminals? I did not observe any visibly bad corrosion, but sometimes it’s hard to see, should I just clean all connectors? Same idea as cleaning car battery posts.

 

[illusha]

As an update, it's officially called a Model #417.61712510 Kenmore laundry centers combos.

 

[Jake]

Hi, Lets start with E51.

E51:
• motor relay
• thermal limiter
• locked rotor
• motor centrifugal switch 1
• harness
• low power supply

Possible Fault Conditions:
• motor relay stuck open
• locked rotor
• harness
• low power supply
• thermal limiter-1 open
• motor centrifugal switch-1 stuck open or close

Possible Solutions:
Turn on the dryer and measure continuity between J2_1 and J2_2. If no continuity found, replace control board. If no problem found with the motor relay, check thermal limiter-1, motor, wiring (motor connectors: M4, M5 and M6; J2_1 and J2_2 connectors, Thermal Limiter-1 connectors). If no problem found, try with a new electronic control board.

This is the main control board for your model:
5304511966 Control-Electrical


Let us know what you find.

Jake

 

[Jake]

If your unable to turn on the dryer.

EA3:
low line voltage

Possible Fault Conditions:
• main V<180 Vrms (240V system)
• main V<90 Vrms (120V system)
• microprocessor corrupted
• main board

Possible Solutions:
Check the AC main voltage(Which you have already done). If found too low communicate the same to the consumer and try to restart the dryer. If dryer does not start, replace the electronic control board and retry.

So you'd need to order and replace the main control board I posted above.

Jake

 

[illusha]

Thanks, Jake, I appreciate your info.

I have tested J2-1 to J2-2 as per manual and they had a perfect continuity. I’ve also tested the voltage, although measured at the wall outlet, but the cord looks good and I’m sure there’s no significant voltage drop at the dryer terminal.

I took the Main Board’s PCB apart last night to examine it closer and noticed that “J10” edge connector going to selector switch had two fingers that were tarnished and oxidized with some black marks inside the female connector that plugs into the board. I cleaned everything with Contact Cleaner followed up with 99% Isopropyl and carefully scraped all visible oxidation. Unfortunately, scraping the oxidation also removed the plated surface finish (I’m guessing HASL) all the way down to copper, seems it’s not good enough to make contact now.

Today I am ordering a new Control Board and the Wiring Harness that goes to the Selector Switch. I pretty much figured that it's likely would be the main board based on the combination of the 3 errors I got. Was hoping that maybe I’m not thinking of something. This is my first appliance repair experience. But I’ve worked on enough cars and bikes in my life to figure this out.

One last question. I do have the board on order, but while I’m waiting, should I still take out the entire drum to get to the Thermal Limiters? Is there any chance that having one Thermal Limiter blown would result in the errors I’m getting? Looking at the diagram, I see that both Thermal Limiters are for the motor, so could having just one of them blown cause the dryer to start for 2-3 seconds and then quit?

 

[Jake]

No, those thermal limiters are for the heater.

The motor has a internal overload switch that shuts it down when it overheats, have you touched your motor to see if its super hot after it stops?

Jake

 

[illusha]

No, I haven’t touched the motor, didn’t want to get electrocuted by the residual electricity... I will try that with some gloves on but I doubt it overheats in 3 seconds... yet there’s something that DOES allow it to start and spin for those 3 seconds... then something shuts it off...

could it be that motor stops because the heater isn’t coming on (due to one bad thermal limiter)?

I don’t really want to take this double-stacker drum off if I can help it, but I can if it would do any good, maybe fix it quicker, although I probably still better replace that board and harness, those two PCB J10 fingers are now without any plating and down to copper and it doesn’t work anyway...

 

[Jake]

You won't get shocked, just touch the metal on the motor.

I highly doubt the limiters are bad, so don't worry about them.

Jake