Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - Electric dryer won't stop spinning, doesn't reach cycle end

When I turn on my Kenmore electric dryer (Model# 110.96274100), built by Whirlpool, it never reaches the end of a cycle. It never stops spinning. I'm trying to figure out what part needs to be replaced.

When it's on an auto-dry (high heat or low heat) cycle, the timer doesn't seem to advance at all. The heat stays on, and the motor keeps spinning.

When it's on a timed-dry cycle, the timer advances, and the heat turns off appropriately after the # of minutes has passed, but the motor keeps spinning the drum. (Like a wrinkle guard feature gone amok.) No buzzer goes off. (I assume it HAS a buzzer... but I've never heard it. The dryer came with the house, functioning as described here.)

When I open the door or manually advance the timer, it stops running. When I close the door again, it stays off until I push the start button. (Before posting, I reviewed this earlier thread --
http://forum.doityourself.com/kitchen-large-electric-appliances/369299-electric-dryer-wont-stop.html
-- but the solution there -- a stuck start-button -- isn't the issue I'm facing.)

The vent doesn't appear to be obstructed. It is a long (20+ feet) hose, but there's a good, hot breeze coming out of it at the exhaust opening.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

sounds like the timer motor is going bad. Look nder the consul there ia a circuit that connects from timer to heater with a resistor in it, resistor could be bad.

Difficult diagnosis. In order to see the symptoms you are indicating:

1. Timer switch 1 would have to be welded closed from BK to BU AND timer switch 0 would have to be welded closed from WB to GY.

2. There was an expensvie repair[s] needed and somebody did some rewiring.



In timed dry, does the timer advance all the way to the end of the cycle? Are you sure the timer is shutting off the heater and not the high limit?

I have never experienced this, but read not all that long ago here on this very forum that someone's start switch was stuck.

Regardless - with everyone's suggestions, you need a volt-ohm meter(multimeter) to start testing wires, switches, stats? and a resistor. And maybe some of us could provide useful help if you had one and knew how to use it.

If the start switch/relay were stuck closed it should stilll advance in auto dry. With the start switch/relay stuck closed, what happens is if the door is opened during a cycle, the dryer restarts upon closing the door.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback here. A few followups:

daddyjohn asked:
"In timed dry, does the timer advance all the way to the end of the cycle? Are you sure the timer is shutting off the heater and not the high limit?"
The timer stops advancing when it reaches the wrinkle-guard zone on the dial. It stays in that zone and doesn't move forward.

For what it's worth, I played around with it and slowly turned the dial forward in a couple of the settings. When it reached the end of the cycle, the buzzer would go off. And it wouldn't stop buzzing until I nudged it further.

The start switch is definitively not stuck. Opening the door stops the motor; after closing the door, it stays off until I push the start button.

I haven't pulled the console off or tested the resistors. I don't have a voltage/ohm meter (yet).

Does any of the above info help narrow the problem down?

Wrinkle guard the dryer does not shut off. the heater goes off and than the dryer runs until you shut it off. That is the wrinkle guard feature. Some of the dryers have a separate switch to shut off that feature. It probably buzzes every 5 or 10 minutes.

Wrinkle guard the dryer does not shut off. the heater goes off and than the dryer runs until you shut it off. That is the wrinkle guard feature. Some of the dryers have a separate switch to shut off that feature. It probably buzzes every 5 or 10 minutes.

The only time the dial reaches the wrinkle guard zone is when it's set on timed dry. No buzzer ever goes off.

When it's on auto dry (hi or low) the dial never advances.

Check the resistor. Are you sure the wrinkle guard is at the end of the timed dry section or is it at the end of the permanent press section of the dial?

bump for a update/solution...

i'm experiencing very similar issues with a kenmore model# 110.66722694

i thought it was the resistor ordered one up, opened up the unit and the resistor was cracked/charred/destroyed. replaced the resistor and i'm still having the same problem.

all the best

dm

The resistor being the defrost heater I presume? Did you test the new one? And also test voltage coming into the terminal at the heater?, and also make sure that as the juice leaves the other terfminal that it can complete it's path to neutral? Did you test the defrost stat?

If that resistor was as bad lookinhg as you say, it probably was toast, and maybe took out something else. But did you actually test that resistor to be sure?