"radiosrfun" writes:

"Rick" wrote in message
...
Jamie wrote:
Rick wrote:

Hi

Our Sears electric dryer went completely dead about 2 seconds after
pressing the "push to start" button. Completely dead - as in no power
even to the 10 watt light inside the drum.

I've located a 196 degree thermal fuse in-line to the motor that could
be responsible for complete power loss to everything 120v if it's gone
bad. With both leads disconnected I'm getting a reading on that thermal
fuse that flips between .5 and .6 ohms. (Lowest scale on the meter I
have on hand is 200 ohms.)

To my knowledge I should be reading zero ohms if the fuse is good. Is a
paltry .5 ohm reading enough to indicate that a thermal fuse is bad?

Thanks

Rick

The protection in your motor is fine, look else where.
Your meter will not read 0 even if you cross the leads
unless you have an analog with cal on it.



Thank you to everyone who replied.

Regarding the meter situation: If it matters it *does* read zero ohms with
the leads crossed. It's an inexpensive, $20.00 LCD display type meter. I
had checked the thermal fuse a few times and it consistently gives a
reading that hovers back and forth from .5 ohms to .6 ohms each time it's
tested. (Yes - both leads to the fuse have been removed for testing.)

I think I'm going to bypass it and reapply power to see what happens. I'm
not looking to start or run the dryer with the thermal fuse bypassed. I
just want to either rule it in or out - see if the 10 watt light inside
the drum will come back on (or not.)

The way I'm reading the wiring diagram for this model - a Sears Ken"less
these days" - it does not use a drop resistor to supply 120v to the timer
& motor etc. It uses 1/2 the 240v feed to supply 120v to the motor and
electronics. And it's also the first time I've seen a dryer put a thermal
fuse in-line with the motor. (Of course, there is a second thermal fuse in
the 240v supplied to the heater.)

The only other thing I can see in the wiring diagram that would kill all
power to the 120 volt stuff - and make the drum light inoperable as well -
would be a defective dryer door switch. More disassembly... I'm not as
inclined to suspect the door switch because, hell, this dryer is barely
two years old! But with the "quality" of Kenmore appliances these days...
Exasperating. First the dehumidifier that crapped twice in 15 months. Now
a dryer that went bust in two years. Kenmore? I don't know what the hell
is going on with Sears, and I thought I'd never say this, but Never Again.

Rick

The "Door Switch" - while you might be correct - do NOT overlook the
obvious. Sometimes it is the simplest of things that goes bad. AND not
always in the easiest of places to get to!

Sears - A neighbor of mine - asked me to take him to the store to buy a
"rototiller" to till some ground for planting. He got the Tiller - brought
it home - it worked for an hour - then quit. He called them - told them what
was going on. They told him bring it back. They tried to tell him - he was
not supposed to use it for the purpose he was - "Tilling". I'm like - what
the hell do you do with it then, stand it in a corner and stare at it? Any
"Farmer" would laugh you people out of town - to hear you say that. They
offered him a cheaper model for the same price - a joke! He told them
absolutely not. He got his money back - we went a mile out the road to a
Lowes - where he bought one - and no trouble with it at all. That store - is
out of business - having gone out about November of 07.

I have an older dryer my parents bought new ($80) in the mid to late 60s.
Since that time - the pulley had to be replaced twice - the belt 4 times -
once because the cross arm sort of shifted in time and cut it - prematurely.
The Pig Tail - once. It still works like a charm! "I" have repaired it all
but once - my brother in law repaired the first broken belt. That dryer has
definately paid for itself many times. It was made by G.E. That dryer is a
120 Volt - 15 Amp Dryer. It has like a 3 hour timer on it. It "does" get
hot - believe it or not. Unless you overload it severly, the clothes get dry
in one cycle. My electric bill is only about $40 tops per month - all other
uses included.

We have a Sear Kenmore from at least 1970, possibly much earlier. (It was in
the house when we moved in in 1980). It (crossed fingers) has never needed
service.

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