[karker]

My Kenmore 70 series dryer has a loud squaking sound that starts about 2 minutes into the drying cycle. The automatic drying time timer also does not work (the dryer will run forever and doesn't know when to stop unless you put it on the timed setting for a set number of minutes). Please help if you know how to fix these things.

[Perito]

Squeaks can be caused by several things. The belt may be slipping on the drum. The bearings of the support rollers may be worn out and you may need to replace the support rollers. The idler pulley may be squeaking. The drum bearing (middle center at the rear of the drum, if you have one) may be faulty. The drum may be squeaking on its slides.

You need to locate the source of the squeak in order to determine what the fix is. Here are some links:

kenmore dryer squeaking - Appliance Blog Repair Forums (rear bearing)

An earlier AskMeHelpDesk thread about squeaky Kenmore dryers

Kenmore Dryer Noise

Kenmore Dryer Squeaks

Kenmore 70 squeaking

You didn't give the model number. All Kenmore dryers are not the same.

General Dryer Repair tips

[karker]

The model number for the dryer is 110 72722100. Please tell me what exactly I can do about the squeaky dryer.

[Perito]

First of all, here's the sears page where you can see blow-ups of some of the parts, and you can purchase repair parts:

KENMORE | Model #11072722100 | GAS DRYER | SearsPartsDirect.com

Here's another Parts link:

Kenmore 11072722100

If you click on "Cabinet" in the first link, you'll be able to see a blow-up of the cabinet.

Whenever you open the cabinet up, be sure and disconnect the power first!

Unfortunately, I don't know exactly how this cabinet opens up. Looking at the diagram, it appears that the top comes off first. If that's so, you might be able to lift the top off and position it so that the dryer can work but you can still see inside. Be careful because lethal voltages are present inside the cabinet.. Then, you can turn the dryer on and possibly figure out where the noise is coming from. I believe you'll have to remove the drum in order to repair it and possibly even to diagnose it. Once the drum is removed, inspect the drum bearing (center back, if present), the drum support rollers, the belt (if it's been slipping, it will be shiny), the idler pulley (through which the belt rides) and the motor pulley. You should be able to figure out which part is bad. Then, you'll have to order the part and replace it. Read the links in my message, above, so you'll know what you're looking for.

It's really not as hard as it sounds. When you get into it, if you have more problems, just respond to this thread and we'll help you out.

[karker]

Thank you for your answer. We'll see what happens. For the same model Kenmore dryer, I am also having the following problem:

When I set the dryer to the automatic dry setting, the moisture sensor (or whatever the dryer uses to tell it how dry the clothes are) does not seem to be working because when I put the dryer on the "more dry" or "less dry" settings, the dryer will stay on forever. Do you know how to fix this?

Thanks so much!

[Perito]

Thank you for your answer. We'll see what happens. For the same model Kenmore dryer, I am also having the following problem:

When I set the dryer to the automatic dry setting, the moisture sensor (or whatever the dryer uses to tell it how dry the clothes are) does not seem to be working because when I put the dryer on the "more dry" or "less dry" settings, the dryer will stay on forever. Do you know how to fix this?

Two possibilities. 1) The vent line to the outside of the house is partially plugged with lint. 2) The temperature sensor is bad. You can check this when you open the cabinet up. I don't know exactly where it sits. It'll look sort of like a button that's probably mounted with two screws -- most likely in the vent line. You may find a lot of lint on top of it. Clean that off.

[karker]

Now, the same dryer is not heating up at all. I have not opened it yet or fiddled with anything inside. What could be the problem, and how can I fix it?

[Perito]

Do you have any witch doctors or demolition experts in your area? Maybe you could put it in a playground and let some neighborhood kids destroy it ;)

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On a more serious note, try these links:

Electric Dryer Repair Guide: Free On-line Troubleshooting and Repair Guide- ACME HOW TO.com

Dryer Repair Help, Troubleshooting, and Parts

Dryer troubleshooting

Appliance Parts from RepairClinic.com - Troubleshooting: Dryer

Repair 2000 - Dryers