Speed Queen Dryer ADE3SRGS175TW01 cutting off too early before clothes are dry

[repair_newbie]

Model Number

ADE3SRGS175TW01

Brand

Speed Queen

Age

1-5 years

2020 Model dryer. Timed mode works perfect and dries clothes in a normal amount of time. Automatic mode, timer progresses too fast and cuts off when the clothes are still really wet. I checked the documentation on the Alliance Laundry site and it looks like this model doesnt have a moisture sensor. Does it work like the Whirlpool dryers without the sensor bars where it progresses based on thermostat cycles? If so, what part would need to be replaced to get this dryer working properly in the Automatic mode? Maybe the cycling thermostat? (D504515)

 

[Dan O.]

The automatic cycle on it does look to function like older Whirlpool models with a power resistor. The only way I can see your symptom happening was if either the thermostat remained open (likely resulting in no heat) or that resistor was shorted.

LINK > ADE3SRGS175TW01 Power Resistor D511277

LINK > The Appliance Clinic : Whirlpool Electric Dryer : Automatic Cycles

Measure the resistor's resistance. I think the Whirlpool one is around 4700 ohms. If shorted it should measure much less than that, anywhere down to 0 ohms.


Dan O.

 

[repair_newbie]

Thanks for the reply! It was actually educational reading about how the non-moisture sensing automatic modes work. I knew on Whirlpools, it had that extra wire going to the heating element terminal, but i didnt realize that power resistor was part of it.
Speaking of that resistor, I dont think my model Speed Queen has one. If it does, I cant find it in the actual dryer, on the parts lists website, or in the Alliance Laundry official parts manual for my dryer. I opened up the top panel of the dryer, and its not there (see pic). I also attached pictures of the wiring diagrams that I found inside the back panel. I dont see it on the diagrams (also attached)
The dryer definitely doesnt have moisture sensing bars..I dont see them inside. Also the parts manual lists Sensor Bars, but the models listed is not what I have. (the manual covers a range of models).

So how else could this automatic mode work, if theres no sensing bars and seemingly no power resistor? Or maybe thats why it doesnt work?? I received this dryer from a massage place, they said it was taking too many cycles to dry their towels. Maybe it never worked on the auto mode?? But surely they wouldnt design such a thing.

Timer:


Diagrams:



AppliancePartsPros showing that Power Resistor doesnt work for my model:

 

[Dan O.]

It looks like there are at least 2 versions of that dryer model depending on its serial number.

Your wiring diagram does not show an external resistor so it may be built into the timer on your model in which case the timer would be needed. Later versions of that dryer model (without external resistor) used timer # D517559.

You might want to check with Speed Queen with both model and serial number to confirm its part number.

So how else could this automatic mode work, if theres no sensing bars and seemingly no power resistor?

There are a number of different methods that could be used to achieve that, none of which are shown for your model. That leaves the resistor being integral to the timer.

LINK > Appliance411: Dryer thermostats, safeties and sensors


BTW. The 'Appliance Compatibility Tool' at that site will not work for your dryer model as they don't have the parts list for it. They do however carry genuine Speed Queen replacement parts. They just don't feature all Speed Queen parts list so it couldn't determine what parts that specific model takes.


Dan O.

 

[Dan O.]

they said it was taking too many cycles to dry their towels. Maybe it never worked on the auto mode??

More than likely bad or plugged venting. They might have gotten a surprise when the replacement dryer didn't work well either.


Dan O.

 

[repair_newbie]

I did confirm that the timer motor is only running when the cycling thermostat is open. And stops when thermostat is calling for heat. This seems correct. I can tell since it has the clear window on the back of the timer motor....you can see when its turning. I'm going to test out the auto mode again and see what result I get. I only tried it once since I got it, and that one time was definitely a failure...seemed like the clothes werent even half way dry. It just doesnt make sense. Unless the problem is intermittent and sometimes the timer motor keeps running when it shouldnt or something. I'm not sure what you mean by resistor built into the timer. Like inside the timer body itself? I guess I can open it up and look, but its the same timer design as Whirlpool is using on all their dryers (with the two big wiring harnesses at the bottom of the timer), and i dont really see there being room in there for a resistor.

 

[Dan O.]

I'm not sure what you mean by resistor built into the timer. Like inside the timer body itself?

Yes although the timer schematic diagram you posted doesn't show one. I don't know how else an 'auto' feature could function without moisture sensors or a thermistor and electronic control or a 2-pole cycling thermostat. None of which are shown in the wiring diagram.

I guess I can open it up and look

I wouldn't recommend that but it's up to you.

but its the same timer design as Whirlpool is using on all their dryers

Timers made by the same company often look the same. Their internal configuration can vary.

I did confirm that the timer motor is only running when the cycling thermostat is open. And stops when thermostat is calling for heat.

In that case the timer would only advance when it was NOT heating. In order for it to 'speed' through the cycle, it would have to never (or seldom) heat. Is that what is happening? If it is not heating, maybe it is the timer's heater contact that is stopping heat rather than the thermostat??

I'm going to test out the auto mode again and see what result I get.

That would be a good idea.

Dan O.

 

[repair_newbie]

More than likely bad or plugged venting. They might have gotten a surprise when the replacement dryer didn't work well either.

Thats just what they told me, and what I also confirmed at my house when I first tried a load of laundry in my shop with no vent hose on the dryer. But then i tried it on the timed mode, and it worked perfect. So i decided to put the Speed Queen in the house, since it matched my washer.

Yes although the timer schematic diagram you posted doesn't show one. I don't know how else an 'auto' feature could function without moisture sensors or a thermistor and electronic control or a 2-pole cycling thermostat. None of which are shown in the wiring diagram.

I agree. Its weird. It just has a standard SPST thermostat, like a standard whirlpool has. At least thats what the parts manual says it should have (part D504515)

I wouldn't recommend that but it's up to you. (opening up the timer)

I've opened a bunch of the whirlpools ones that are this same style timer. They always go bad due to crappy plastic arms they put in them these days, where the arm wears a groove in it, and doesnt push contacts A-C close enough together, and then you get no heat. I imagine this speed queen timer has that crappy plastic arm in too, but maybe since its made by RobertShaw (and not Invensys like most of the whirlpools), they maybe it'll last longer...

In that case the timer would only advance when it was NOT heating. In order for it to 'speed' through the cycle, it would have to never (or seldom) heat. Is that what is happening? If it is not heating, maybe it is the timer's heater contact that is stopping heat rather than the thermostat??

Nope, thats not whats happening. It heats fine from what I can tell in timed and auto mode, I've watched it at least for 6-7 cycles of the thermostat in both modes. And my digital thermometer that i have stuck in the duct behind it goes from 130ish to 170ish, just like its designed to do. So goes up to 170, thermostat opens, drops to 130ish, thermostat closes, goes back up to 170, repeat. My next step is to run a load in auto mode again with wet clothes actually in it, and i'm going to watch the timer from the back and make sure the motor isnt running during the first 10 minutes. at least it seems like it should take around 5-10 minutes for the clothes to heat up and the thermostat to start cycling.

 

[Dan O.]

On looking at the timer schematic more closely I see the timer motor is connected through different contacts depending if in a Auto or Timed setting.

On an Auto setting, timer motor power is routed though timer contacts T and F for the first 1/2 of the cycle then powered though T and X for the last 1/2. When routed through T and F, its power should be determined by the cycling of the element.

On a Timed setting the timer motor power is continually routed through T and X.

BTW. If the calibration of the timer diagram is accurate, the Timed setting is 3x as long as the Auto... depending on the heater cycling. So if the timer motor was continually powered, it should go though the whole Auto cycle in 1/3 the time it would take to complete a 'Timed' cycle.

Maybe if timer contacts T-X were closed all the way though Auto, the timer would just advance straight thought he Auto cycle independent of heater functioning?


Try checking the continuity between T-X at the start of an Auto setting when they should be open.


Dan O.

 

[repair_newbie]

Ahhh, now that schematic makes more sense. I was having trouble understanding what is supposed to be connected to what, and when. But I understand it now. So I found that it is working as expected. Continuity between T&F at the start of the auto cycle (and none from T to X), and continuity between T&X half way through (at which point T-F continuity is removed). Makes sense, since thats when the cool down starts. But i did find one thing that was unexpected. Resistance between T&X at any part of any cycle was really high. There was continuity, but it was in the thousands of ohms. So....i went ahead and took the timer apart. And i slightly bent the X metal arm towards T, and now that is fixed. I'm a little surprised the timer was advancing in the Timed Cycle. While I was in there, I saw that this timer is plagued by the same issues as the whirlpool timers. Contacts between A,B,C were blackened. See pic. I cleaned them off some with a spray of DeoxIT. Seems like Speed Queen would be better than this.

Anyways, I'm definitely due a test run now. To see what happens. BUT if it still advances too fast in the Auto Mode, then I think that means it HAS to be from "F" on the timer having power when its not supposed to. I traced F on the diagram, and have it highlighted in the red box in my image below.

 

[Dan O.]

Seems like Speed Queen would be better than this.

No manufacturer makes every component of a product. 50% or more are outsourced to separate companies in Mexico or China. If Speed Queen actually made the timer I'm sure it would probably be better quality however the same component manufacture makes the same type of part for everybody. I wouldn't expect much quality difference between them.

On the bright side it still uses a mechanical timer that is only $50 as opposed to an electronic control at $200+

Later versions of that dryer model (without external resistor) used timer # D517559.

Dan O.

 

[repair_newbie]

Agree, though, this is known to be a really crappy timer design, specifically for the reason stated before. So it just seems like they would have gone with a better design (ie, less plastic inside). The old school timers fail too, but a lot slower than this design. I only say that because the price being paid is premium, so you expect something a little more.

 

[repair_newbie]

Ok, so I'm sorta convinced its just a bad design. As in, I think the automatic section on the timer is just not long enough. We started a load of towels this morning, and i watched the timer throughout the load (for a good portion of it anyway), looking through that back window on the timer motor to see if the timer motor was moving or not. And basically it seems like its doing exactly what it is designed to do: the timer is moving when the dryer isnt calling for heat, and its stopped while the heating element is on (just like the non-moisture sensing whirlpools do). I guess I didnt watch it the whole entire time, but watched it for a few minutes several times throughout the load and could see the timer stopping and starting. And when i saw the timer start, i would also hear the thermostat click off at the same time.

We had put the timer dial on maximum dryness in the automatic mode, and it took 30 minutes before it reached the cool down section on the timer. 30 minutes just isnt enough, obviously. I checked after it reached the cool down section, and the towels were still fairly damp. It wasnt a huge load of towels, but i would say medium/large load. On the timed mode we normally would have selected 60 minutes for this size load.

So one theory mentioned above is that the airflow isnt good, causing the thermostat to cycle more than it should. But as i mentioned, I got this same result when I ran the dryer with no vent hose attached to the back. So for this load, the vent hose was hooked up, but i cleaned the vent system out less than 6 months ago. And drying time in general seems normal (60 minutes isnt abnormal for this load). So i'm certain thats not what it is. The only thing left that could make any sense at all is just a poor design. Not enough time in the automatic section to actually dry a load. I really cant think of anything else. One theory could be that the temp is not getting high enough, but it definitely is, since as i stated before, i tested the temp cycles out the back exhaust.

 

[Dan O.]

Thanks for the update. The permanent press setting functions similarly and looks to be slightly longer.

Maybe look up the user's manual and see what it describes for each setting? Maybe the auto setting is designed for just light loads?


Dan O.

 

[repair_newbie]

Maybe look up the user's manual and see what it describes for each setting? Maybe the auto setting is designed for just light loads?

Good thought but its just a standard auto cycle. Heres is a screenshot of the manual. The third/green box is not on my dryer. But the other 3 boxes apply. I guess it would be interesting to run it in the automatic perm press cycle to see the result. Looking back at the schematic, it looks like the auto Perm Press cycle is longer overall, but most of that is in the cool down period. The actual time in the heating portion is smaller than the standard auto cycle. So theoretically it would result in clothes that are less dry in the end, I think.

 

[bigbuck]

Those are junk timers for sure. I would replace it and I think it would work ok on any cycle!

 

[repair_newbie]

Those are junk timers for sure. I would replace it and I think it would work ok on any cycle!

I'm pretty sure its 100% working as designed. There arent any bad connections in the timer itself. I took it apart and verified, and tested with the meter. It works on all cycles. I think the autocycle was just designed too short. I have no other conclusion that makes any sense. Though that one doesnt really make sense either...why would they have such a poor design......