Frigidaire FAQE7077KN0 takes forever to dry, code E9E

[woodardhsd]

Model Number

FAQE7077KN0

Brand

Frigidaire

Age

More than 10 years

I've had this Affinity dryer for over 12 years with no issues so far. In the last week or so we're having to run multiple cycles to get clothes dry. The dryer appears to run normally and will go through the cycle as normal. I've opened the cabinet mid-cycle and seems to be getting warm in there, but maybe not quite as hot as before, but I can't be sure. I made sure to clean out the lint filter, even pulling out the lint screen housing and cleaning behind that. I also checked the duct that runs from the dryer to the wall, as well as cleaning out the entire duct that runs to the exterior of the house. Still seems to take twice as long.

Last night I found I could check trouble codes from the front panel and got code E9E. The code doesn't seem to point to anything specific, just that there is a low voltage somewhere. I plan to check the incoming wiring for 240V, but that seems silly since the heating element is working, at least sometime. I would imagine if it was only getting 120V it wouldn't run at all, correct? Anything else I should check? I'm not great with electrical stuff, but can at least read a multi-meter.

 

[woodardhsd]

Took the dryer apart to check the thermistor. Got 45-46k ohms with my meter. I think it should be 55k ohms. Is that enough off to cause a problem?

 

[Jake]

Here's the tech. data sheet for your model: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jh-lV46LkH2alZ807lU6lP4jnO2Qra-0

There is no E9E in your tech data sheet, the closest would be E5B.

Look at this post and first make sure you are getting 240 volts to your dryer:

FAQE7077KN0 Frigidaire Affinity dryer not heating, flashing lights

Dryer stops after 15 minutes; no heat; flashing lights My Frigidaire dryer will run for approximately 15 minutes. There is no heat while it is running. When it stops running the lights on the right side of the panel flash constantly and there are no codes displayed. I have cleaned the vent and...

www.applianceblog.com

Took the dryer apart to check the thermistor. Got 45-46k ohms with my meter. I think it should be 55k ohms. Is that enough off to cause a problem?

Depends on the room temperature. It should be 50,000 ohms at room temperature(77 degrees).

Here's the dryer thermistor chart:
(click to enlarge)


Here's the thermistor for your model:
Thermistor 134587700

 

[woodardhsd]

I pulled the dryer out and confirmed 240V. it was actually 121V on each leg, and 242V combined. The connections all looked good apart from a little lint build-up.

It definitely says E9E. it goes "Fld E9E 012" . I tried checking for more code by hitting "options", but it would only display E9E.

That's definitely my thermistor. I tested it at exactly 77F, according to my thermostat right across the hall from my laundry closet.

 

[Jake]

Had another member back in May of 2014 had this exact same issue and they found the heating element broken. So check the heating element first.

Here's the heating element for your model you can order, if needed:
Heating Element Assembly 137114000


Make sure you unplug the dryer first!

 

[woodardhsd]

I'm assuming if the element is broken it will put out zero heat, correct? Because it will run and put out heat intermittently.

After checking the voltage, I let it run in different settings and measured the heat output. On the high setting, it would heat up to the high 140's, then cool back down to the low 120's before heating back up again. On medium, it would heat to the high 120's, but then the heat would turn off completely. I'm not sure what normal operation of the heating element should be.

 

[Jake]

I'm assuming if the element is broken it will put out zero heat, correct? Because it will run and put out heat intermittently.

No, there can be a partial break in it.

On medium, it would heat to the high 120's, but then the heat would turn off completely.

That's possibly a control board problem.

Unfortunately, its no longer available from the factory :
137070850NH Control-Electrical

 

[woodardhsd]

Before I ripped apart the control board, I thought I would run through the function test sequence on page 2 of the data sheet. The thermistor reading in the "1, 5, and 6 turn" test was all over the place. Jumping back and forth between 110 and 129 even when the heat was blasting so much I couldn't keep my hand near the back of the drum.

Unfortunately the "genuine" thermistor I purchased from Amazon generic and wrong as it reads 10K ohms.

Edit, while I had the dryer apart I decided to take a look at the control board for any obvious signs of damage. Everything looked good, so I put it back together. Everything seems to work like it did before, but now I cannot enter diagnostic mode. I was just in that mode 15 minutes ago , no problem. Could I have damaged something that would prevent it from going into diagnostic mode, but everything else works fine?

 

[Jake]

Unfortunately the "genuine" thermistor I purchased from Amazon generic and wrong as it reads 10K ohms.

You can get your money back and order the OEM thermistor I posted above in post #3.

Edit, while I had the dryer apart I decided to take a look at the control board for any obvious signs of damage. Everything looked good, so I put it back together. Everything seems to work like it did before, but now I cannot enter diagnostic mode. I was just in that mode 15 minutes ago , no problem. Could I have damaged something that would prevent it from going into diagnostic mode, but everything else works fine?

Not that I'm aware of. Unplug the machine for 5 minutes and see if that resolves it.

 

[woodardhsd]

You can get your money back and order the OEM thermistor I posted above in post #3.

That's what I plan to do. I forgot to add it to my earlier post, but here is a short video of the dryer running in function test sequence, 1 turn.

Not that I'm aware of. Unplug the machine for 5 minutes and see if that resolves it.

That didn't help. 5 minutes, or 4 hours, it didn't make a difference.

 

[Jake]

Ok, try TIMED DRY and see what happens.

 

[woodardhsd]

You mean 45 minutes on High, rather than a normal cycle that runs for 45 minutes? If so, I already did that a few weeks ago. It would get warm, then cool back off.

Also, I got my new thermistor installed yesterday, but it did not fix the problem. I kinds figured that would be the case as I tested the old one before re-assembling the dryer. I blew a hair dryer on it on watched the readings with my multi-meter. The reading dropped gradually with heat, no weird bouncing around like the display showed in the video above.

 

[Jake]

That's very strange, I don't know what else could be causing this.

Hopefully another tech or member that has seen this issue, can shed some light on it for us.

 

[woodardhsd]

I'm leaning towards it having something to do with the control board, but I'm not sure if it's worth spending $200 on a hunch.
The reasons are:
1. the weird thermistor reading I saw during the function test
2. the fact that it will not go back into test mode after removing and re-installing
3. the constant clicking from the control panel are while the dryer is running, like a relay or switch constantly clicking on and off.

2 other random things:
1. did notice this weird spot on the board itself where it looks like the coating is super thick. There are no other signs of heat anywhere near that spot.
2. There are two thick wires running to a relay? on the control board. When I was removing the board for inspection, I could not remove the black wire. It felt like the relay was going to rip off the board rather than the wire come loose.

 

[Jake]

You can use something to pry that black wire off, like small flathead screwdriver.

The 2nd photo looks like either a burnt connection or a dry solder spot on that connection. Did you notice that?

 

[woodardhsd]

I don't have a clear photo of that area because I was trying to get a shot of the thick coated area, but that joint actually looks good from what I can remember. None of the connections looked burnt or cracked, and none of the components on the other side looked damaged or swollen.

 

[Jake]

Ok got it! then its your choice of what you want to do.

 

[woodardhsd]

I actually placed an order for a replacement circuit board, but my washing machine decided to start having problems too. Rather than potentially wasting $220 on a control board and $150 for a new washer door lock assembly, I decided to cut my losses and get a new washer and dryer all together. I really wanted to figure out the problem, but it seemed silly to spend than much on 12 year old appliances with no guarantee I was replacing the correct parts. I appreciate all the help.

 

[Jake]

I agree with your decision.

Thanks for letting us know.