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

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

Look elsewhere.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

CJT writes:

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

Look elsewhere.

The 0.5 or 0.6 ohms is probably the same reading you get with the probes
shorted. The fuse should read so close to 0 ohms that your meter won't
see the difference.

If the resistance of the fuse really is 0.5 or 0.6 ohms, then there
is a problem with it. But fuses almost always fail open.

Or, measure the AC voltage across it when the dryer is supposed to be on.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:18:22 -0500, Rick wrote:

:Hi
:
:Our Sears electric dryer went completely dead about 2 seconds after
ressing 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
altry .5 ohm reading enough to indicate that a thermal fuse is bad?
:
:Thanks
:
:Rick


There is nothing wrong with the fuse then.

Just try shorting the test leads on your meter and you will probably read
something like 0.2 Ohms resistance anyway. Unless your meter has a "ZERO Ohms"
function you can't compensate for the lead resistance.

Have you tried turning on the dryer again? The fuse might very well read
close to zero simply because it's reset. If that's the case, then the
problem is a short further down the line.

--- the Lady from Philadelphia

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.


--
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy"

http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

Your meter will not read 0 even if you cross the leads
unless you have an analog with cal on it.

Many digital meters have a "zero-cal" pushbutton.

William Sommerwerck wrote:

Your meter will not read 0 even if you cross the leads
unless you have an analog with cal on it.


Many digital meters have a "zero-cal" pushbutton.


REL mode is not accurate.
As it saids. It's relative and so is the
same with analog meters.

for a true accurate reading at low ohms, you
need a Kevin leaded meter.


--
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy"

http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

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

"Rick" wrote in message
...

I think I'm going to bypass it and reapply power to see what happens.

DO NOT DO THIS. You don't know what's wrong with the dryer. The fuse is
there to protect you and the equipment.

Start by turning it on and see if it runs briefly as it did before. If it
shuts off (as I think it will), you can check the fuse quickly to see if
it's opened. If it has, you know there is some other problem, and you can
use the schematic to start tracking it down.

Rick wrote:

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

A corollary to Murphy's Law is that the component that's hardest to get
at (in this case the door switch) is the most likely to be defective.

Find where the wires from the switch go, and check _its_ continuity.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

"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.

"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.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

"Sam Goldwasser" wrote in message
...
"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.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html


They had "quality" back then! Better quality, less stringent laws, rules,
etc... to oversee. I'll attempt a repair at an older item any time. So long
as the timer keeps working - the rest should be an easy fix for you if it
goes whacko.
My mother had a wringer washer - which I used up til about 1999. It finally
died. Parts were still available - but more than a new washer would cost.
So, I bought a new "modern" washer. It only lasted 6 years or so. The damned
transmission went bad in it - cost to replace - $300. Out the door it went.

TVs used to be good for at least 10-15 years - give or take some
maintenance. Today - if you get a year out of them, you're damned lucky.

We have a Big Screen tv at our Fire Department in the Lounge. It is only
about 3 years old and has been repaired at least that many times - already.
Not only that - but the damned thing - for being solid state - takes as long
as a "tube" type TV takes - to come on. That is ridiculous.

Sam Goldwasser wrote:


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.


We had a Sears electric dryer, circa early 1980's. I replaced the heater
coil in it once. It then became unrepairable when the motor start/run
switch cracked in three pieces and Sears no longer stocked the part. The
only way we could get the switch replaced was to buy a new motor with a
start/run switch mounted on it. The cost for the motor was $130.00.
Hindsight being what it is, it would have been a better idea to buy the
motor than a new Sears appliance.

Caveat emptor...

Rick

Rick wrote:


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!

One of the most common faults on tumble dryers over here in the UK is
the door switch or the method of operating same, sometimes a plastic peg
on the door which can get broken off, or a fitting on one of the hinges.

That`s where I would start looking

Ron(UK)

Rick writes:

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.

I assume you did check the AC outlet or power wiring!

Also, older installations may have a pair of fuses, on one each leg
of the 115-0-115 V service. Sometimes, only one of these fuses blows
(possibly for no good reason) killing power to the 120 V stuff.

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Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
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Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
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Sam Goldwasser wrote:

Rick writes:


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.


I assume you did check the AC outlet or power wiring!

Also, older installations may have a pair of fuses, on one each leg
of the 115-0-115 V service. Sometimes, only one of these fuses blows
(possibly for no good reason) killing power to the 120 V stuff.

Thanks Sam

The AC cord (3 wire setup) and wiring block for continuity? Yes.

The 240v socket? No. How do you check it properly? 0-115 on both sides?
Or 115 to 115 for 240 volts? All of the "how to" books avoid the testing
procedure for 240v outlets and I don't want to do it until I know how to
do it.

FWIW it's a dual circuit breaker on the panel. It didn't trip when the
dryer went dead.

Rick

Rick wrote:
snip

The 240v socket? No. How do you check it properly? 0-115 on both sides?
Or 115 to 115 for 240 volts?

Either way. The latter is probably more reliable. Of course, two 115's
only make 230, but you might have two 120's. :-)

All of the "how to" books avoid the testing
procedure for 240v outlets and I don't want to do it until I know how to
do it.

FWIW it's a dual circuit breaker on the panel. It didn't trip when the
dryer went dead.

Rick


--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Sniped lots of stuff

I assume you did check the AC outlet or power wiring!

Also, older installations may have a pair of fuses, on one each leg
of the 115-0-115 V service. Sometimes, only one of these fuses blows
(possibly for no good reason) killing power to the 120 V stuff.

Thanks Sam

The AC cord (3 wire setup) and wiring block for continuity? Yes.

The 240v socket? No. How do you check it properly? 0-115 on both sides? Or
115 to 115 for 240 volts? All of the "how to" books avoid the testing
procedure for 240v outlets and I don't want to do it until I know how to
do it.

It is easy. Check it both ways. It should show 120v from hot to neutral on
one side and 120 from hot to neutral on the other side. This will let you
know that your hot and neutral is working. You can also measure hot to hot
and you should have 240v. A 240v circuit is really 2 120 circuits in 2
different phases so there is potential between them. Not sure if phase is
the correct term here, but gets the same idea.

FWIW it's a dual circuit breaker on the panel. It didn't trip when the
dryer went dead.

The breaker can be tripped and appear to be closed. You should open and
close breakers to be sure.

Mike

"Rick" wrote in message
...
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

I'll venture that what you are looking at is not a real thermal fuse, a
device with a metal link that melts (fuses) when it fails. Those will not
recover at all after failure.

More likely what you have is a thermostatic switch that opens a circuit by
the motion of a bimetal strip. These will recover when cool. Replace it and
you should be done.

That would be consistent with the symptoms you have.

Charlie

"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
. ..

I'll venture that what you are looking at is not a real thermal fuse,
a device with a metal link that melts (fuses) when it fails. Those
will not recover at all after failure.

How could such a device provide protection? You don't want a fuse "fusing"
to a short!


More likely what you have is a thermostatic switch that opens a circuit
by the motion of a bimetal strip. These will recover when cool. Replace
it and you should be done.

Unless the thermostat is broken, how will this fix the problem? If the dryer
has such a thermostat, and it opened, it most likely opened BECAUSE THERE
WAS AN EXCESSIVE LOAD elsewhere in the circuit. And the OP has to find that,
and fix it.

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
. ..

I'll venture that what you are looking at is not a real thermal fuse,
a device with a metal link that melts (fuses) when it fails. Those
will not recover at all after failure.

How could such a device provide protection? You don't want a fuse "fusing"
to a short!


More likely what you have is a thermostatic switch that opens a circuit
by the motion of a bimetal strip. These will recover when cool. Replace
it and you should be done.

Unless the thermostat is broken, how will this fix the problem? If the
dryer
has such a thermostat, and it opened, it most likely opened BECAUSE THERE
WAS AN EXCESSIVE LOAD elsewhere in the circuit. And the OP has to find
that,
and fix it.

If it is what I am thinking about it is not a fuse at all. It is a
thermostat inline with the motor and senses temperature to shut down if
there is an over temp condition. Dryers have several in various locations.
If the OP has one that is defective it may open prematurely. Take it out to
test it and it cools off and resets.

Of course, I could be all wet. I can't see the wiring diagram and have no
model info. It is unlikely that a real fuse would recover. Part of the
fuse rating indicates the highest voltage a fuse is supposed to successfully
open.


Charlie