Kenmore Dryer Help Anyone?

calliemoonbeam · #1 08/17/10, 03:24 PM

I got an older model Kenmore electric dryer from a friend of a friend. He had replaced the cord because it needed the newer type plug to fit at his new house. He admitted he's "no handyman", lol, and after he replaced the plug had problems. The dryer will run all the time if the door is shut. You can turn the timer to the off position, but you can still hear the motor going. As long as the door is open, it won't run. The push to start button doesn't do anything at all, and the heat selection knob doesn't do anything either, and the dryer does not get hot at all.

He says it was working fine before that in their old house, so is it possible he just unplugged or unhooked something or cross-wired somethng to cause all this to happen at once, anything that I or my adult son could possibly (fairly inexpensively) fix? It's model #96283110, and I've been able to find places to order parts, but no diagrams or repair advice on the internet. Maybe I'm just not using the right search phrase. Or would I be better off just junking it and finding another one? Thanks all!

Travis in Louisiana · #2 08/17/10, 03:45 PM

It sounds like either the cord is crossed up in the back of the dryer or there is not 220 volt power to the plug, or at least one side is not getting power. Be careful, check breaker and turn it off if you need to reconnect the cord.

**clovis** · #3 08/17/10, 09:06 PM

If the wires to the plug are crossed, where they screw into the back of the dryer, this will be a cakewalk to fix.

If your friend wasn't paying attention, it would be super easy to get those 3 wires in the cord mixed up.

Also, don't forget to UNPLUG the dryer from the wall before you start working on the cord. (Safety first!!!!)

calliemoonbeam · #4 08/17/10, 10:20 PM

Thanks guys. No worries about getting shocked, I have a phobia of that stuff, lol, and fire. When I plugged it in I used rubber gloves, had a fire extinguisher handy and had already made sure I knew exactly which breaker to flip in case it went haywire on me.

I've replaced a cord once, but it was about 20 years ago. This one actually looks a lot like that one did, so I was hoping it was something easy. I may not get to it until Friday. I'm working long hours at my regular job (just finished today) and interviewing for two other jobs tomorrow and Thursday.

There is definitely 220 power to the outlet it's plugged into. I just had a brand new Whirlpool plugged in there, but the electronic board in the washer went out for the 4th time in seven months, so I said enough and sent them back this weekend! That's why I'm trying to get the old one going, until I can decide what other new ones to get, but these actually look pretty good. If I can get this fixed easily I may just use them until they wear out!

How will I know which wires go where, since I don't have any instructions or anything? You'd think if they were colored wires he would've been able to figure it out himself.

seagullplayer · #5 08/18/10, 05:56 AM

Perhaps you can find help here:

http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/switc...and-hookup.php

Sounds like he didn't get the cord right, maybe he went from a three wire to a four, or vise versa...

calliemoonbeam · #6 08/18/10, 03:57 PM

Thank you so much, that looks like just what I need!

calliemoonbeam · #7 08/20/10, 02:20 PM

Well, he did have the cord wired wrong (yes went from a three-wire to a four), and I got that corrected, and now the timer and push to start button work correctly. However, I still have no heat and no end of cycle buzzer.

It's obvious he removed the top panel, maybe when trying to figure out what was wrong with it, as you obviously don't have to remove it to change out the cord. He didn't mention that, but I can tell because the top two screws are completely missing, and one of the hex nuts at the bottom is loose. So is it possible that when he did that he accidentally unplugged/disconnected those other things?

I'm planning to try to remove it and see what I can do with it, but I don't have a hex head driver to remove the bottom four screws, so have to go get one. I did finally find a parts diagram, so I can tell what should go where, but does anyone have any suggestions before I get started? It will probably be tomorrow, since I'm stuck right now waiting for an important phone call. Thanks again!

mickm · #8 08/20/10, 02:38 PM

Whoa, whoa whoa!

Sorry I hadn't seen this until now!

If it has two screws under where the lint filter goes, all of the heating stuff is accesable from the back.

I could probably walk you through this, but it would be easier over the phone. I will PM you my cell number, be glad to help.

I worked on appliances as my soul form of income for 20+ years, started at sears and was factory trained there.

Dryers are a piece of cake.

calliemoonbeam · #9 08/20/10, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickm

Whoa, whoa whoa!

Sorry I hadn't seen this until now!

If it has two screws under where the lint filter goes, all of the heating stuff is accesable from the back.

I could probably walk you through this, but it would be easier over the phone. I will PM you my cell number, be glad to help.

I worked on appliances as my soul form of income for 20+ years, started at sears and was factory trained there.

Dryers are a piece of cake.

Got your PM, thanks Mick. Will respond more there.

seagullplayer · #10 08/23/10, 05:51 AM

Please let us know how it goes.

You can loose one side of the 220 and loose heat and everything else work.

Need to check that double breaker REAL close, flip them both on and off.

Good luck.

calliemoonbeam · #11 08/24/10, 11:50 AM

Thanks for asking Seagull. Never did talk to Mick, guess we got our wires crossed, lol.

I double and triple checked the cord connection and breakers, still no heat or buzzer. I know the breakers and outlet are good because this house was just totally rewired, and I did have a brand new dryer running there prior to this one. I did slightly open the top panel, just enough to see that all the wires looked like they had a solid connection, so not sure where to go from here. I'm washing my hands of it and just buying one. It was a freebie, so nothing lost but my time.

Thanks for checking on me!