I have a 10 yr old GE dryer. I had turned in on before leaving for work, however when I came home the dryer was off, hower extremely hot to the touch. The next day it was still very hot and it was not running. I was told to unplug it and I did, it immediately started to cool off. Now it does not get hot enough to dry clothes. My concern is, could it be the timer that went out or the heating element. Mind you I left it running the day before, however it shut itself off. It does heat, but not much. What would be the recommendation as to the problem. I learned not to leave it running when not there as it really scared me to come home and see I could have burned my house down due to the intense heat it generated. If anyone has a suggestion as to whether it might be the timer or element please let me know. Thanks

Post the full model #. We and you can get a diagram at www3.sears.com.

The element, fan, blockages, friction can all cause the original symptom. I doubt it would be the timer. There may be a thermal fuse that popped as well. I don't have any real experience with electric dryers, but these issues are very plausible.