No heat. Replaced thermal fuse, but they keep failing. What next?

[devzin98]

Model Number

110.66902690

Hi. I have a 90 Series Kenmore electric dryer, and it's driving me nuts. About 6 months ago, I was getting no heat, so I replaced the thermal fuse and mildly cleaned the exhaust vents. This past week, the dryer wasn't blowing out any heat yet again, and upon investigation, found that the thermal fuse was reading 0 Ohms again. This time, I did a very thorough cleaning of the exhaust tubes, inside the bottom area, and inside the actual lint catcher. After I was all done, I had heat for about a minute before the thermal fuse was tripped AGAIN.

I really don't know where to go from here, or what could be making the dryer overheat at this point. Any suggestions as to why this might be happening? I'd really appreciate any assistance.

Brian

 

[rickgburton]

Most of the time when a thermal fuse goes it's because of bad air flow. Leave the vent hose off for now and make sure there is a good amount of air blowing out the dryer vent. A reading of "0" ohms across the thermal fuse means it's good. Lets make sure we are both on the same page. The thermal fuse is the white body fuse on the blower housing next to the cycling thermostat. Is this the one that keeps going out?

 

[devzin98]

Sorry...I didn't mean 0 Ohms. I meant that I wasn't getting any reading/it's blown. Mistake in the midst of my frustration. But yes, it's the thermal fuse. The one furthest to the back.

I let the dryer run without the vent hose attached, and a good amount of air is coming out. It does seem to blow out stronger in short bursts, but overall it does seem to be blowing consistently well.

 

[rickgburton]

it's the thermal fuse. The one furthest to the back.

Does it look like this:

It does seem to blow out stronger in short bursts

That's not normal. You'll need to remove the front panel and door assy and blower cover. See if anything is caught in the blower or blower housing.

 

[devzin98]

Yes, that's the fuse. I'll have to order another one, so I'll do that right away.

I'll take everything apart and let you know what happens. Thanks so much for your help so far.

 

[rickgburton]

Before you replace the thermal fuse, you should find out why it keeps failing. You might have to replace the cycling thermostat also. The cycling thermostat sits next to the thermal fuse and should open and shut off the heat when it reaches about 160*F. The thermal fuse is somewhere around 220*F so it's possible the cycling thermostat is stuck closed. This is the one for your machine:
Cycling Thermostat WP3387134