[Rustybird]

Need help repairing my old Whirlpool dryer Model LEC7858AW1. At first it just became difficult to turn on and I had to wiggle the knob (that determines settings) just right and occasionally tap it on the side of the machine by the knob and it would run fine- dryer heated and tub turned fine and it did not appear to be overheating. Now just last night it turned itself off after just a couple of minutes of drying but this time it felt a little too hot to me when I opened the door. Vent/Lint flow is good. I would really appreciate some help repairing this with any advise/diagrams/parts needed if possible, as I cannot afford a new dryer. Thanks in advance.

[drtom4444]

What you need to do is remove the drum and take the duct work apart and clean it out. Also, take off cover to heating elements and clean out that also. You have a lint buildup that is like concrete and it is flammable, so manufacturers put safety switches in the duct work to prevent fires because at one time driers were the number one cause of fires in the US. This is a fairly easy job. Unplug drier and move into your garage or where you will have plenty of space to work on it. Remove front and top, unplug door switch and mark all wires you unplug so you can put them back when you put it back together. Take belt loose and note how it goes back. (You may also want to replace the belt at this point since it is probably cracked anyway.) Clean the blower and blow out motor with air and take duct work apart and wash out. You may need a large screwdriver to chisel out buildup before you wash it out. You will probably get about 10-15 pounds of dirt out of it on average. Use an ohm meter to test safeties and replace any that are bad. Safeties have two wires plugged onto them and have the highest temp numbers of all the t-stats in your drier. Usually you will have two: one near elements and one near blower wired in series. Good Luck, and don't be afraid of the job. It's easier to do than you would think. Make sure to check exhaust ducts because they get buildup also and you want the shortest exhaust duct that you can have. You will probably want to wash it out also. DrTom4444

[Rustybird]

Thanks Dr. Tom the suggestions. I followed through with taking the dryer all apart and cleaning it well along with a small portion of the duct work that goes into the floor. The rest of the duct goes down into the basement the outside and I don't have anything long enough to get all the way through. It did have quite a bit of lint inside but nothing "concrete" like just lint. But unfortunately it still doesn't work. I don't know how to test safeties/electrical compontents. I did make sure all were attached well and don't see any burnt spots et. You lost me on the ohm meter test part. I do have an ohm multimeter and I'd like to check whatever I need to but I would need some pretty straight forward instructions as I've never done that before. There is a diagram on the back cover of my machine. The main problem seems to be with the dial knob/timer. I have to hold it down firmly/push it in/jiggle it and then it starts -sometimes. Any more ideas? Thanks again.

[drtom4444]

When testing with an ohm meter you want to have the power off or unplug the dryer. Switch meter to "ohms" and touch leads together. They should read 0 if it is set correctly. Unplug wires to safety that you are testing. The safety is oval with a screw on each end and two plugs for one wire each. Safeties are wired in series with other safeties so that if one goes out the entire circuit is open. Put a test lead on each end of the safety and if it reads "0" it is okay. Move from one to the other until you find the open safety. Also check the door switch, which will be wired in series with the safeties, to make sure it goes to "0" when depressed. If you keep looking you will find the open safety. Some safeties can be reset with a button in the middle, but they are rare. Newer safeties burn open and are located near the elements and require you to remove everything to get to it. They are usually located in the rear of the drier and are sometimes smaller than the rest. You also have t-stats which have the temp that opens the switch printed on it like 150, 180, 200, etc. The number will be in the model number like "BC180-T" for example. I would look more closely at the duct work on the exhaust vent because by a process of elimination it has to be clogged somewhere, and if it clogs it will burn open a safety or open a resettable one. Sometimes safeties will close when cool and open too early, also, but this is rare. If the ohm meter reads any higher than 0 look closely. One to a few ohms is okay, but if it reads in the Kilo-ohms or mega-ohms replace the safety. This should be easy to do. DrTom4444