Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - Electric Kenmore Dryer

I've got a Kenmore electric drier. Model number 110 609 12990.

I'm pretty sure the element is bad but, this is going to sound pretty dumb, I can't get the darn thing open.

I've changed elements and drums and belts and stuff in other driers I've had so I'm not completely dumbfounded but this thing is giving me fits. I've tried to figure this out for two days just to avoid admitting it. I've searched all over the internet and it's full of all kinds of info. They all start with "take the back off..."

Well how the heck to get the thing apart to begin? I've got every screw in sight out of it. I've done the putty knife thing in the front and this just doesn't have those clips i've always found to get the front of the top to lift up.

From what I can pry and see, it looks like the top slides back a little to unhook from the front at the top but the wires from the control panel won't let that happen and I can't get the wires loose unless I get the top up more.

This is driving me nutz like it's some kind of Chinese block of wood puzzle.

Describe where your seams are located and where your lint screen is located.

With the long curved slide-in-the top lint screens, there are two screws under the cover for it that have to come out in order to raise the top.

Do you have 2 screws located at the front left and right bottom?

It may be possible you have one of those machines that the top has to slide forward some and pryed up and then underneath, once the top is raised, you have 1 sheetmetal screw located at the inside seams, on each side, down a few inches from the top, that bolt the front to the side.

Some machines have it to where the front pulls down a little to disengage metal tabs that hold the front to the sides (once the 2 bottom screws are removed).

Describe where your seams are located and where your lint screen is located.

With the long curved slide-in-the top lint screens, there are two screws under the cover for it that have to come out in order to raise the top.

I'm at work now but I come back and do better once I get home.

The lint trap is in the bottom of the front opening door not in the top.


Do you have 2 screws located at the front left and right bottom?

It may be possible you have one of those machines that the top has to slide forward some and pryed up and then underneath, once the top is raised, you have 1 sheetmetal screw located at the inside seams, on each side, down a few inches from the top, that bolt the front to the side.

I'll look better for those. I think that's the way mine works. I've seen those screws but I can't get the top slid forward enough for those tabs to get in the slot I think is there. Do they just pry up once you push it forward the best you can?


Some machines have it to where the front pulls down a little to disengage metal tabs that hold the front to the sides (once the 2 bottom screws are removed).

I think I've got this project on track now. Thanks for the tips.

The trick to this is the control panel.

Facing the drier from the back side, on both the left and right end of the control panel there are plastic trim pieces on the end.

From the back there is an opening you can put a screw driver in to get them to pop loose and take them off.

Now the part I wasn't seeing. You need to go around to the front with the trim off the ends of the control panel and there are two screws holding the control panel down to the metal deck that is the top of the drier body.

Take those two screws out and the control panel now hinges up and reveals three screws securing the entire control enclosure down on the metal top deck.

With these removed the top deck portion of the drier will now slide to the front and lift from the top of the drier and you can set it aside.

Now I need to put back all those screws in the back because it looks like every thing needs to come out through the front to access the heating element and the fuses for testing. I haven't done this part yet though for lack of time to work on it. I'm feeling pretty confident again at this point though and I'll have plenty of time to work on it tomorrow.

How old of a machine is this about? I've never seen one that requires that much screw removal, like at a control panel first, to affect the front removal.

IF you have those screws at the very bottom front, then the front panel should be able to have the bottom of it either swing in toward you and/or drop down.

Keep me updated.

I'm about to kick this POS out the door and down the front steps. I'll never buy another Kenmore any thing.

I still can't get to the stupid heating element because although I can reach the screws at the top of the front panel now, the screws holding the bottom are coverd by a panel at the bottom which it looks like is held on by more of those chinese trick clips or some kind of wise a** joke the manufacture has holding it on and I can't figure out. Which it now looks like is all I ever need to get off because it's the only place left for the heating element to be inside there.

I'm just resting up before I get out the big sledge hammer and make this thing fit in a little box to send back where ever it came from.

Oh dear! What year machine is this?

I only once ran into a problem where I was about to sledge hammer a washer to bits because I could not access it in seconds the way with most machines, and felt it was a conspiracy from the company to keep everyone but factory authorized (= big $$$) workmen from working on it. I ended up having all these parts and clips go flying everywhere I did not know where they came from! So I feel your pain.

If you do not get the help here you are looking for by tomorrow I could run this by my appliance repair store where I am on a first name basis and have them either tell me or bring it up on their exploded view screen.

STOP!

KENMORE SERIES 90 OWNERS, STOP RIGHT NOW!

If you are trying to fix one of these Kenmore series 90 driers and have been looking for help on the internet, they have been telling you wrong over and over at one site afte another. I know because I've been reading them and watch them tell owner after owner they are wrong and they need to take the back off. THEY ARE WRONG. NOT YOU.

Give me a day to get the directions written up with clear photographs and instructions. It is an easy job if you know how to do it.

You DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THE BACK OFF.

YOU DO NOT NEED THE TOP OR ANY THING ELSE WITH A SCREW IN IT OFF.

You do not even need to move the drier one single inch from where you use it every day nor to pull it awar from the wall or take of the vent.

I would recomend you read this tomorrow or the next day even if you have no problem with your drier. I'm amazed it hasn't burnt my house down.

LOL.

I stopped at the applance place on my way to other store minutes ago (8:15 am by me), and got partial printout. An "exploded view". I needed one more sheet!, but hated to bug them as they were in hurry. Here is what I know:

You have 2 front panels. The one is under the dryer door. Both the top of that very bottom panel and the bottom of that panel are only held in by clips! You may be able to putty knife push into the two upper clips (one on each side top edge of that very botom panel, about 3 inches in from the sides of the dryer, and pop them loose. If those release for you, then that bottom panel's top should be able to come out toward you. Then you should be able to lift this bottom panel off the very BOTTOM 2 clips.

The upper panel is held on from the very top edge, by screws. There are no top clips. This means the dryer must have a solid piece of L-angle steel up top (not shown in my diagrams, that is attached to the top). That would mean that you would have to loosen the top of the dryer first, I'd imagine, and get it to slide forward.

I will try to get the needed very top diagram later when they are not as busy as right now they are on the phone alot as it is the start of the day. The info I have provided so far may help you some, especially about the very bottomfront panel. And, knowing there are indeed no clips on the very very top.

I just did some internet research and am wondering if the instructions apply to YOUR dryer (Kenmore is made by another company, you know, and MAY be Whirlpool, as the instructions seem like they may fit your dryer from what I already know about your dryer.)

Go here:

http://www.partselect.com/dryer+open-cabinet+repair.htm

I got it all fixed and put back in first thing this morning and went to bed only to get up and be told it wouldn't do any thing this after noon. I'd forgotton to hook up the shut off on the door switch from all the other monkeying around I'd done over the last few days.

It's all fixed now and been running constantly since catching up with all the washing.

Now the real plan for replacing the heating element for this Kenmore series 90 electric drier.

Replacing the heating element for this Kenmore series 90 electric drier.

You know this is the correct instructions for this drier if you open the front loading drier door and the lint trap is acessable with the laundry door open and the lint trap is right there at the bottom of the opening.

1. Open the drier door and the light should come on.

2. Go to the breaker box and open the breaker for the drier. If the light goes out you got the right one. The alternative is to pull the plug on the drier if it is easily accessible, but you do not need to move the drier for the normal position other wise.

3. Close the door when it is electricly save to work on.

4. The panel on the bottom below the loading door is the access panel you need to remove to access the heating element. It is held on by 4 clips. Two on the bottom and two on the top. The two at the top are the ones you need to manipulate to release the panel. You mus push them with a thin screw driver or putty knife to compress them and push the panel straight down toward the floor to pull the compressed clip out of it hole above the panel. The clip comes out with the panel you are removing.

5. The heating element is in a housing on the right of this compartment and it is covered by a shield to prevent lint from getting direct contact with the hot heating elements. There is one screw holding the shield on the housing. Remove that screw and the shield. At this point you can check the element for continuity to ensure it is bad or good. A good element will show continuity a bad one will be an open circuit. Even if the element checks good you still need to pull the assembly to check the two high temp cut out fuses.

6. The housing the heating element is in is easily removed by removing the two screws holding it to the bottom pan of the drier. I removed the hosing and element both. There are six wires connected to the heating element and the two high temp cut out fuses. Disconect those wires and make special note of where they go.

7. now you can pull the housing and element out as an assembly. Check the two fuses you pulled wires from for continuity. Good fuses will show continuity. An open circuit indicates a blown fuse. The element and both fuses should all be checked while you have this out and easy access.

8. To replace the heating element, get out your replacement part and you will see it is held in place by a spring tensioner. Go to the bad element in the housing and you will see two screws near the connection point for the wires. One of those screws must be removed to pull the element out of the housing. Remove the screw and just pull it out. Changing the direction of pull to wiggle it out helped me get it started.

9. This is when I blew every thing off with and air line but you could use a vacum cleaner to do the same.

10. The new element pushes back in the same way. My replacement element did not have the second screw the OEM part had. Replace the screw to hold it securly to the housing.

11. Replace the housing, making sure to install the wires on the high temp cut outs as you slide the housing assembly in. Install the two screws to secure the housing to the floor pan.

12. Optional. At this point I powered up the drier and momentarily started it so that I could look at the element and see it heat up to ensure every thing was working. If it appears to be working properly now be sure to disconnect the power from the drier. DO NOT JUST SHUT IT OFF AND GO BACK TO WORK. THERE ARE STILL OPEN POWER SOURCES IN THE WORK AREA EVEN WITH THE DRIER TURNED OFF. DISCONNECT THE POWER SOURCE BEFORE CONTINUEING TO REASSEMBLE THE UNIT.

13. With the power disconnected once again, install the sheild on the open end of the heating unit assembly and install the single screw to secure it.

14. Connect the kick panel to the two bottom clips and connect them to the floor panel of the drier.

15. Lift the panel up as if the bottom clips were hinged and guide the compression clips in to the holes to hold the panel in it's normal position and push firmly until the clips snap in to position.

16. Plug in the drier or close the breaker to reenergise the power source to the drier and it should function normally now.

4. The panel on the bottom below the loading door is the access panel you need to remove to access the heating element. It is held on by 4 clips. Two on the bottom and two on the top. The two at the top are the ones you need to manipulate to release the panel. You mus push them with a thin screw driver or putty knife to compress them and push the panel straight down toward the floor to pull the compressed clip out of it hole above the panel. The clip comes out with the panel you are removing.

So my last instructions after visitng the appliance store were right then.

And I hope you were able to rehook up the door switch wires without too much dismantling.

Sounds like you are all ready to go out and buy your next Kenmore. :)

On many of the Kenmore dryers there are two relays behind the front panel. Pop off the two plastic trim pieces on either side and there are two long screws on each front corner. Remove these screws and jiggle the entire control panel and you can flip it up revealing the panel components and wiring. If your dryer doesn't heat (electric) or the motor doesn't stay running when you release the start button, it could be the control circuit card or a relay. The motor and heater relays are identical, so you can swap them and see if the problem changes.

These relays go for about $30 from Sears or appliance parts stores, but check Ebay before you buy a replacement. I found I could buy two for $20 shipped.

I went the same route as documented above when my dryer stopped heating. After all the pain of removing the lower panel and checking each component in the heater circuit, I found it was the relay. I have replaced a total of three relays in the past two years.