My Kenmore dryer won't cut off when the door is open
Thanks Patricia

I would need a model number to be more exact but I can tell you the most likely problem. There is a safety switch located on the door frame or possibly on the hinge itself. I would take a look at it, it's possibly stuck in the closed position, a light tap may free it. If that doesn't work a replacement should be relatively inexpensive.

Hi Theodore and welcome, I think BigWilly is on the right track, if you need help in checking the switch post back. Good luck and let us know what you find.

You need to buy a good digital multimeter to test the door switch, and you will need to check the schematic diagram to see which terminals do what, which you should be able to know from using the meter, anyway though. When the dryer is unplugged you can use the meter in the "ohms" switch position which sends power through leads and whatever you are testing to find out if there is continuity and how much resistance there is to the flow of electricity, called resistance. Resistance is measured in "ohms" and a switch should read zero or almost zero, while a heating or lighting element will read a certain amount of resistance. The higher the resistance in a circuit, the lower the amperage, or current flow in that circuit. Go here to make calculations: Ohm's Law Calculator (http://www.ohmslawcalculator.com/ohms_law_calculator.php)
Here are some manuals: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8010163/Electrical%20Theory%20and%20Diagnosis%20of%20Major %20Appliances%20Service%20Manual.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8010163/How%20to%20use%20Test%20Equipment%20Service%20Manu al.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8010163/How%20to%20Diagnose%20and%20Fix%20Everything%20Ele ctronic.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8010163/Kenmore%20Dryer%20Manuals.zip
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8010163/Whirlpool%20Dryers.zip
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8010163/WTMC%20WTXD%20Gas%20and%20Elec%20Dryer%20Training% 20Manual%5B1%5D.pdf
Download all of these, especially the last one and the first one. Good luck, it's not hard to fix this, but you probably need to thoroughly clean it by disassembling it and washing out all the parts, except the motor which you blow out or vacuum out.