FIXED Whirlpool Dryer WGD5700XW1 won't start

[SopWetUndies]

Model Number

WGD5700XW1

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

6-10 years

My whirlpool dryer powers on fine, press the start button, makes audible sound but nothing starts.

Here's what I've tried:
Multimeter test of thermal fuse - has continuity.
Also tested drum belt switch, door switch.
I took practically the entire thing apart and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
Diagnostic mode shows no error codes. Just 88 in the display. All buttons on control board seen in working order. Both circuit boards look clean without any burns or marks.
Drum spins fine manually, belt is fine. Drum rollers all spin.

One day it was working fine, the next day just wouldn't start. I'm pretty handy so I've been racking my brain troubleshooting this from youtube videos.

The only thing I haven't tackled is the motor itself. It spins without any resistance when I manually spin the drum as well as when the drum is off. It's clean and nothing it of place. Can't imagine that it just stopped working.

Please help. I don't see a reason to scrap this dryer but I will have to if I can't get it to go, go, go. Thanks

 

[rickgburton]

On the control board, check for 120 VAC across P9-2 - P8-3. Make sure the door is closed and check for 120 VAC across P9-2 - P8-4. Press the start button and check for 120 VAC across P9-1 - P8-4.

 

[SopWetUndies]

Thanks. I will do this today when I get home. Can you tell me what these checks are for? I'm assuming if I don't get 120 VAC accross these points you selected that something is wrong with this control board.
Also - when I do these checks, am I doing this with the dryer plugged in? This might sound dumb but I just want to make sure I am checking things correctly and with the right plugs still in place.

 

[rickgburton]

am I doing this with the dryer plugged in?

Yes, or you won't be able to measure any voltage...lol

Can you tell me what these checks are for?

Board supply voltage, door switch, and motor supply voltage.

 

[SopWetUndies]

Ok... Test results are in:
92 to 83 measures .029 to .044 but clearly not 120
92 to 84 measures .001 to .004 but clearly not 120
91 to 84 after pushing start... Well, I wasn't sure how to do this because the other control board (with the start button) had to be unplugged in order to put the meter on the 91 and 84 prongs.

I'm guessing this doesn't matter much if I'm not getting 120 from the first test. And yes, the machine was plugged in. I also tested my multi meter in a wall socket and it found 120 no problem.

Does this mean my circuit board needs replacement?

 

[rickgburton]

92 to 83 measures .029 to .044 but clearly not 120

Leave all the connectors connected and go in through the back of the connectors. If your meter leads are too big try this trick:

P9-2 (Black) is L1. P8-3 (white) is Neutral. This is supply voltage from the power cord going to the board.

 

[SopWetUndies]

Ok. Now we're getting somewhere.... I knew the question about being plugged in was dumb - but worth asking. And I suspected something wasn't quite right when I pulled the plugs to test the board. So - this is how we all learn - right?

Test 1 - P9-2 to P8-3 123V (good)
Test 2 - P9-2 to P8-4 123V (good)
Test 3 - P9-1 to P8-4 Press Start - nothing (bad)

When I press the start it makes a click sound and I feel it in the test lead but no voltage on meter.
If I'm figuring out the process here, I'm guessing there's a faulty start switch on the board? Or is the board itself the problem. I have a feeling I'm getting close. Thank you for your patience so far. I did not have to use the safety pin trick as my leads fit right into the back of the plugs.

 

[rickgburton]

is the board itself the problem

You nailed it.

Whirlpool WPW10214008 Electronic Control Board - AppliancePartsPros.com

Electronic Control Board WPW10214008 / AP6017194 made by Whirlpool

click.linksynergy.com

 

[SopWetUndies]

Ok - so these boards are around $321.... Is it worth it? Should I just buy a new one at this point?

 

[SopWetUndies]

Is there a way for me to fix this problem other than replacing the whole board? Maybe a component on the board? Thanks.

Oh - and what could cause something like this to happen so suddenly? I'd hate to replace the board only to have the same thing happen to the new one.

 

[rickgburton]

Service techs don't go past board level. That's more of an electronics techs area. The boards just wear out over time.

 

[SopWetUndies]

Thanks for all your help Rick. I'd like to PayPal donte to you for saving me a lot of time and $$$
Also - Here's a link to the YouTube video that saved my control board (at least temporarily) so I don't have to spend $300+ on a new one. It was a simple solder connection that needed to be repaired (easy). And the next step is for me to replace the old Relay Switch on the board: amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z8LQHKB

Even though the exact board on the dryer in the video is different from mine, the relay switch is the same and he explains and show how and why these burn out and cause a Start Button failure.

Hope this helps someone else out in the future. All-in-all the relay switch cost me $11 and I had a soldering iron already - but an inexpensive solder kit that will do this job well is on amazon for less than $15.
My mistake in my original post was not looking deeper at the back of the control board - where there was clearly a small burn mark indicating where this solder and relay switch had failed. A re-solder is my quick fix for now, but replacing the relay is the long term fix. Obviously something inside the relay went bad - causing the burned out solder. It's going to take a few days for the part to arrive so I got the dryer working again for the time being. I would post a photo - but I put it all back together. One more tip (sorry no photo) but on the back of the control board - where I re-soldered the one burnt pin - use your multimeter to test continuity between the burnt pin and the next pin connected to this one on the board. Hope I explained that well enough - but if you get continuity after soldering - you know you did it correctly. This will save you from doing what I did 3 times - puting it back on the dryer and testing. Turns out my initial solder was not great and I had to learn how to do that properly. Once I did, I tested or continuity with multimeter and that did the trick.

 

[rickgburton]

It was a simple solder connection that needed to be repaired (easy).

Cool!
Thanks for the update!

I just noticed you're from Jersey. I'm from Hunterdon county by Round Valley Reservoir.