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alvernostudent · Apr 24, 2007, 05:23 PM

I am a single mother and full time student I need to ask this community if they can tell me what they think if a kenmore electric dryer drum does not rotate. I want to be prepared so when I get it repaired I don't get ripped off, because of my situation. I really don't have money... so please can anyone tell me why this is happening?

RalphS · Apr 25, 2007, 06:31 PM

Do you hear any type of noise after you push the start button? If you hear a motor running until you open the door, then your broken belt is probably the culprit. If there is absolutely no noise then you may have other problems. On some dryers there is a safety shut off switch, when the belt breaks it also shuts of the power to the motor but I do NOT believe Kenmore models have that feature.
A belt from an appliance store for Kenmore dryers are between 15 and 20 dollars unless they are greedy. Depending on who you get, service call and labor can vary tremendously. We get $75 to $85 for SC inluding labor , so ask for an estimate before getting someone to come out.
Good Luck!

rspivey · Apr 25, 2007, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by alvernostudent

I am a single mother and full time student I need to ask this community if they can tell me what they think if a kenmore electric dryer drum does not rotate. I want to be prepared so when I get it repaired I dont get ripped off, because of my situation. I really dont have money....so please can anyone tell me why this is happening?

Pry off the front panel under the door. Look inside under the drum and spot the motor. There should be a belt that run through a tension wheel and around the motor pulley. If no belt, hand turn the drum to make sure it moves freely. If so the belt needs to be replaced. If the belt is in tack, the motor and wiring needs to be tested. Good luck"

ballengerb1 · Apr 25, 2007, 07:01 PM

Sounds like you are going to have someone do the repair and that could be wise if you aren't handy or mechanical yourself. Call Sear Home Repair and they will give you a good estimate since they work on their stuff day in and out. The serviceman can not make money for himself by over charging you either. You might find someone cheaper than Sears but nobody but them fixes their product better. I don't even fix my own Sears dryer, bought the extended warranty even though they normally aren't a smart buy. It has paid for itself by the 3rd year.

RalphS · Apr 25, 2007, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Sounds like you are going to have someone do the repair and that could be wise if you aren't handy or mechanical yourself. Call Sear Home Repair and they will give you a good estimate since they work on their stuff day in and out. The serviceman can not make money for himself by over charging you either. You might find someone cheaper than Sears but nobody but them fixes their product better. I don't even fix my own Sears dryer, bought the extended warranty even though they normally aren't a smart buy. It has paid for itself by the 3rd year.

I noticed you give good and honest answers but I have to disagree with you on this one. In our area, Sears has a terrible scheduling problem, if you call them today, you may get them to come out between a week and ten days. Their service and labor charges are much higher than ours and many times they won't have the parts to complete the job during their initial visit. As for "fixing their products better," either the product is fixed correctly or it isn't. We use the same genuine factory parts as they do.
Sales of "Service Contracts" is a huge money maker for Sears and always has been. For very expensive electronic items it may not be a bad idea.
I certainly can't understand why a mechanically inclined person would buy a service contract on something as simple as a Kenmore dryer, which is by the way a Whirlpool, as you probably know.
I understand that you have to be careful in finding an honest and reliable repair person and I've seen my share of bums in the appliance repair business, not any different than any other businesses that have their share of unscrupulous characters. Even Sears got caught several years ago when an investigative reporter exposed their deceitful tactics on national TV.
If you have a choice, it is always better to get a good reference from a family member, friend or neighbor than to just pick someone out of the phonebook. When you do find a good, honest and reliable tradesman whether a plumber, electrician, mechanic or appliance tech, keep the info in your book and stick with them.
Just my personal opinions!