Clothes Dryer Troubleshooting

[TSMILLER]

You will find the blower by removing the heat element. Once it is out you will see the blower motor and housing. A couple of wires running to the (most likely) black thermistor. Just a warning, all the wire ends will be very difficult to unplug. Use plire’s and grasp the terminal end, otherwise you may end up yanking a wire out.
It really is pretty basic, not much in there as far as dryers are concerned. Most of the controls and computer stuff is up top and needn't be bothered with.
Your blower unit will look something like this. You will see the black thermistor and one thermostat right about the 10 o clock position on the left side of the motor.

 

[OzHybrid]

I'm gonna see if I can remove the back cover...

here's the service manual. That thing is way too complicated for what it does.

 

[mh9162013]

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated!

I just put some damp clothes into the dryer and I'm not getting any indication they're even getting lukewarm. However, they are slowly drying, which makes sense if room-temp air is flowing into the drum and the clothes are spinning.

I think what I will do is open it up when I get the chance (hopefully tomorrow afternoon) and test the heating element package thingy. I should be able to use a voltmeter and check the heating element, thermister and thermostat for continuity. If one of those shows a break in continuity, I think I'll go ahead and buy the heating element package thingy that has all three of those components (something like this).

 

[mh9162013]

So I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about this dryer, so I got up and opened it up. I took a voltmeter to the heating element, thermister and thermostat and only the heating element gave no reading. I opened it up and there it was, a break in the heating element.

Now to decide how to order this part.

EDIT: Just ordered the heating element from Amazon. Not OEM, but if it works for even a few weeks before it breaks, I'll go ahead and order an OEM part knowing for sure this is the problem with my dryer.

 

[Hobie1dog]

As the old saying that mechanics use, " there's no substitute for a complete thorough visual inspection"

 

[TSMILLER]

Good to know! You will find that the OEM and aftermarket are nearly identical. The aftermarket part may even be manufactured at the same plant. You'll get years of dry clothes with it!

 

[mh9162013]

Good to know! You will find that the OEM and aftermarket are nearly identical. The aftermarket part may even be manufactured at the same plant. You'll get years of dry clothes with it!

I hope you're right. I read the Amazon reviews, and every single heating element part I looked at had its fair share of people saying it only lasted a few days or months.

What really scares me about this product is that even though they all had 75%-85% 5-star reviews, most of these reviews were made right after installation (or within a few days). And I assume many people who had their heating element break within a few weeks after installation did not update their Amazon review.

What's fascinating is that the % of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1-star reviews were very similar among all the various aftermarket heating elements sold. So I take that as a good sign in that the reviews I'm looking at statistically valid or significant.

I just kinda contradicted myself, I know. So I'm preparing for the worst when this product should arrive tomorrow.

 

[RCBrust]

I also have a Samsung dryer. Not the same model number but it looks very similar to yours. I've replaced the heating element twice already. It's fairly easy to do. I actually found the replacement element on Amazon. With this dryer and the dryer before it, if they've stop heating, it's always been the element.

Randy

 

[mh9162013]

I also have a Samsung dryer. Not the same model number but it looks very similar to yours. I've replaced the heating element twice already. It's fairly easy to do. I actually found the replacement element on Amazon. With this dryer and the dryer before it, if they've stop heating, it's always been the element.

Randy

How long did the heating elements from Amazon last for you?

 

[RCBrust]

I think I replaced it about 2 years ago. But, it was an actual Samsung OEM part. I don't buy third party parts if I can help it. I bought an off brand main drum belt for the same dryer a few years ago and it didn't work properly. It pulled the idler pully to the point where it was rubbing. I bought the Samsung belt and it was about 1/4" longer and that made the difference. My advice is search Amazon for the Samsung element and if they don't have it, find a parts store online and order it from them.

Randy

 

[mh9162013]

I think I replaced it about 2 years ago. But, it was an actual Samsung OEM part. I don't buy third party parts if I can help it. I bought an off brand main drum belt for the same dryer a few years ago and it didn't work properly. It pulled the idler pully to the point where it was rubbing. I bought the Samsung belt and it was about 1/4" longer and that made the difference. My advice is search Amazon for the Samsung element and if they don't have it, find a parts store online and order it from them.

Randy

I already ordered an aftermarket part and it should arrive tomorrow. I was a little hesitant to buy an OEM part and spend an extra $35 or $40 because, while I'm confident I found what was broken, I'm not confident that when I put everything back together, the dryer will work perfectly.

 

[RCBrust]

Hmm, that element seems expensive. My OEM element was around $25 on Amazon. I bought 2 so I have one for the next time it goes.

Randy

 

[kuririn]

Scratching Samsung dryers as a potential future buy.

 

[tsmith1315]

I prefer to deal with local appliance shops, they sell the parts they install and depend on.

 

[Banzai88]

Good to know! You will find that the OEM and aftermarket are nearly identical. The aftermarket part may even be manufactured at the same plant. You'll get years of dry clothes with it!

I've recently been working clothes dryer (Samsung) and dish washer(Frigidaire) issues, again......after many years of limping some appliances along, and this has been my experience as well. So far, the aftermarket parts from Amazon have been significantly cheaper and just as good. Won't be long now until not much of my dishwasher isn't OEM other than the case and tub. My appliance repairs with the much cheaper parts on a washer/dryer/dish washer are 5-6 years old, still going strong......in a house with 3 active teenagers and 2 adults doing at least 2 loads of laundry and dishes a day!

It's the OEM parts that are crapping out much earlier than the 'cheap' replacement parts. Everyone one that I've installed has outlasted the OEM part.

 

[cerving]

One word... Maytag. They last forever.

 

[Banzai88]

Scratching Samsung dryers as a potential future buy.

We have a Samsung clothes washer and dryer...... and I would never, ever, ever recommend them to anyone! They started falling apart at the 5 year mark, and it's only gotten worse in the last 3 years, averaging one repair or another a year on them......and they're supposed to be 'durable goods'. Durable my %&$. My mother has a Sears washer and dryer that are over 20 years old and have never had a single issue. THAT'S durable!

The wife of one of my lifelong friends is a local manager of a large appliance chain in our area (East Coast appliance), and she says that their #1 most serviced/warrantied/complained/failed appliance brand is Samsung. She says that they're so unreliable and expensive to fix, but since they're so unreliable that EVERY appliance service tech is really, really, really good at working on them! That mirrors what an associate of mine (who is an independent appliance service tech) tells me.....and he's the one that recommended the cheaper parts.

 

[bobbyg23]

I have one of those newer front-load clothes dryers and it's not working properly. It's a Samsung DV42H5200 EF/A3 for what's it's worth. Anyways, it seems to work just fine, but I'm not getting any heat. I've checked the circuit breakers, outlet (getting 120/120/240 or so volts), lint filter and exhaust tubing and everything checks out. So I'm thinking it's the heating element and/or thermostat/fuse that's not working properly. I think I can get the parts I need for $50 or so.

After taking a class at YouTube University, it looks like replacing the heating element, thermostat/fuse is something I can do in an afternoon. But before I try (and order the $50 or so worth of parts), I want to make sure I'm not missing something, whether it's a possible easy fix or cause for this problem.

Any thoughts or opinions will be appreciated.

On my old one I had to do this every 6 months or so. Pretty easy to do.

 

[mh9162013]

Hmm, that element seems expensive. My OEM element was around $25 on Amazon. I bought 2 so I have one for the next time it goes.

Randy

I saw an OEM one on Amazon for like $30, but so many reviews says it was aftermarket. Not sure if we're talking about the same one, but if I got an OEM, I'll get it from a local shop or a place like https://applianceparts.com/item/6069645/Samsung/DC47-00019A/

 

[mh9162013]

I prefer to deal with local appliance shops, they sell the parts they install and depend on.

I considered it, but I figured they'd ask for at least $50, if not $115. Not ready to drop that kind of money on repairs yet.

 

[TSMILLER]

Any time I've replaced a heating element I also spend the extra few dollars for the thermostats and the high temp sensors, figuring if the element went out, one of those has cause it. So your choice of the complete package is a good way to go.
Never had issue with the element not lasting for years after.
The last Samsung dryer was only replaced because we replaced the matching washer that DID give up the ghost!

 

[mh9162013]

Any time I've replaced a heating element I also spend the extra few dollars for the thermostats and the high temp sensors, figuring if the element went out, one of those has cause it. So your choice of the complete package is a good way to go.
Never had issue with the element not lasting for years after.
The last Samsung dryer was only replaced because we replaced the matching washer that DID give up the ghost!

Yeah, the other components tested fine, and I was inclined to keep them. But you're right, one of those not working 100% could have caused the heating element to go bad. So I might need to replace the other components while I'm at it.

 

[ecarson]

I had this happen about 9 years ago on my dryer that I bought in 2000. Coil would not get hot, and just blew room temperature air. Turned out it was the high limit thermostat had failed. Very easy to fix myself. Been running perfect ever since.

 

[Marc_G]

While the problem has been identified for the OP as a broken element, I will add one more problem cause that leads to "spins, no heat" condition in an electric dryer. Circa 2000, my electric dryer stopped heating up but spun and blew air just fine. I tested all the thermostats/inline fuses and recorded with a voltmeter 220V at the heating element. Heating element Ohms were within spec, not broken.

It turned out to be a bad breaker in the fusebox. This was a double-breaker for the 220V line, and one pole of it had failed. It would pass just a bit of current on that phase, hence the voltmeter read proper voltage at the heating element, but when the draw was significant (ie, the element was plugged in and supposed to be heating), the pole would pop just a bit and disconnect, stopping current and causing no heat. Blower motor had enough juice from the other pole to keep going. When not drawing heating element power, the pole would relax back into place.

This took me most of a day to finally figure out, including a trip across town in desperation to try a different heating element. $10 new breaker fixed it.

 

[hartlch]

One word... Maytag. They last forever.

Ours just celebrated its 40th birthday...
I did have to replace the worn out drum rollers a few years back and took the opportunity to give the inside a good cleaning.

 

[KenECoyote]

One word... Maytag. They last forever.

You'd think based on the old ads, but I had a Maytag washer years back and it stopped dead after 5 years and back then there wasn't any info on self repair. The repair visit was so costly that we just got a new washer.

I found out later that the newer Maytags had horrible reliability according to Consumer Reports back then... among the worst. Sellouts likely because their early stuff was too good and people didn't need to purchase another for many years.

Edit: Apparently Maytag has improved enough since my bad experience to be the #2 ranked most reliable. Go figure.

 

[KenECoyote]

Just to share a funny side story for those of you here that would appreciate it...

My friend asked me to go over and take a look at his dryer and why it wasn't drying any longer (it was in the house he bought years earlier).

Me: Have you checked the lint trap?

Him: There isn't one.

I proceed to remove a box off the top of the dryer, find the lint trap and proceed to remove the mother of all lint-bergs.

 

[bjphoenix]

Ours just celebrated its 40th birthday...

My Sears heavy duty dryer is now 32 years old, and my wife runs a LOT of laundry through it.
I replace the high limit thermostat, and another time I replaced the heating element. My Sears heavy duty washer is also 32 years old and it has had its rotary timer switch replaced twice.

 

[kuririn]

Sears (Kenmore), Maytag and Whirlpool washers are made by the same company.

 

[mh9162013]

Update:

The heating element and associated components arrived today. I just installed the heating element and the dryer works! We shall see long this fix lasts. Thanks to everyone for their advice and assistance in helping me with this issue.