"Sam Goldwasser" wrote in message
...

No way to know for sure, but my guess is that the scorch marks are
unrelated
and may just be normal discoloration over time.

You have the element removed, correct? Check it or have your buddy check
it with a multimeter. My guess is that it's now open circuit and needs to
be replaced even though it looks good.



If it tripped the circuit breaker I would suspect the element or the wiring
somewhere shorted to ground, in the process it may have burned out the
contacts on the thermostat or blown an internal fuse.