- Model Number
- 592-89032
- Brand
- Sears Kenmore
- Age
- 6-10 years
I have a kenmore dryer model 592-89032 serial number JK445BBC200121M. It's approximately 10 years old. It has started shutting/powering off mid-cycle. By shutting off I mean it's as if someone unplugged it— no lights, chimes, or 'END' notification. The amount of time the cycle runs for varies (between 10 seconds and ~10 minutes). The timer and/or moisture countdown, according to the LED screen, progresses normally up until the machine powers off (i.e., the timer doesn't appear to be jumping from 45 mins to 1 min in an unusually short period of time). It's NOT as if the cycle was paused. I can power the machine back on pretty much immediately (sometimes it takes 2 seconds) and start another cycle. It does not have an issue heating up. This occurs when exclusively using the timer AND when exclusively using the moisture sensor, which leads me to think neither of those is the cause of the problem. It occurs when using high heat and when using extra low heat (I have not yet done enough tests to determine whether the heat setting is correlated with the time to failure, but if it is it isn't obvious). The door switch feels normal to me, but intentionally opening the door mid-cycle causes the cycle to 'pause' which is not the symptom I am experiencing. I do not hear any buzzing or humming noises. I have unplugged the unit and plugged it back in after several minutes. The lint trap is empty but I have not yet taken apart the machine or vent to the outside. On the topic of whether it could be overheating: Many years ago, I replaced a thermal limit switch (a pipe connection was loose inside the dryer enabling lint to blow onto the heater) because the switch did not automatically reset itself; when that happened the dryer could run but not heat. Perhaps this dryer ALSO has thermal limit switches that reset themselves automatically when the parts cool (?), but I'm not convinced the dryer is overheating because 1) I'm able to restart it right away, 2) there are no errors codes, 3) the dryer has no issue heating up when I restart it, and 4) in the past, tripping the thermal limit switch did not cause the dryer to 'power off'— is that a valid line of reasoning? When I look up 'dryer shutting off mid-cycle' it appears that most people are discussing the dryer 'pausing' or 'ending' the cycle (rather than powering off entirely). Aside from a faulty on/off switch or control board, are there any other parts that could cause this set of symptoms? Is there a switch that causes the machine to power off if airflow is obstructed but the machine is NOT overheating? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
