Got an elderly Kenmore electric dryer that once in a while won't
automatically shut off - it heats OK, runs through the cooling phase at
the end of the cycle, then just sits there with the drum motor still
running until either I manually move the timer knob a little, or give it
a good thump on the top, at which point the buzzer sounds and it shuts
off.

Another (rare) failure mode is that it'll run, complete the cycle, shut
the drum motor off, sound the buzzer - but I can still hear a ticking
sound afterwards (presumably the little motor for the timer is still
running) - I then have to turn the timer knob a whole revolution or two
before it goes quiet.

I'm assuming it's just the timer that's gone bad (connections all seem
good) - but do those failures seem indicative of any particular timer-
related fault? (living with it is an option, replacing the whole timer is
an option - but so is tearing it apart and cleaning contacts or re-
greasing parts etc. if those are what's bad)

Dryer's a Kenmore "heavy duty plus", model 86566100.

cheers

Jules

Jules Richardson wrote:
Got an elderly Kenmore electric dryer that once in a while won't
automatically shut off - it heats OK, runs through the cooling phase
at the end of the cycle, then just sits there with the drum motor
still running until either I manually move the timer knob a little,
or give it a good thump on the top, at which point the buzzer sounds
and it shuts off.

Another (rare) failure mode is that it'll run, complete the cycle,
shut the drum motor off, sound the buzzer - but I can still hear a
ticking sound afterwards (presumably the little motor for the timer
is still running) - I then have to turn the timer knob a whole
revolution or two before it goes quiet.

I'm assuming it's just the timer that's gone bad (connections all seem
good) - but do those failures seem indicative of any particular timer-
related fault? (living with it is an option, replacing the whole
timer is an option - but so is tearing it apart and cleaning contacts
or re- greasing parts etc. if those are what's bad)

Dryer's a Kenmore "heavy duty plus", model 86566100.

Not helping, but my elderly Whirlpool also no longer kicks itself to "off"
after a cycle. I just remember to go in and turn it off.

Jon

On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:08:13 -0700, Jon Danniken wrote:
Not helping, but my elderly Whirlpool also no longer kicks itself to
"off" after a cycle. I just remember to go in and turn it off.

Yeah, I think that's where I'm heading with this one. I pulled the timer,
and there's a little snap-ring around the timer shaft which holds things
together, and I don't have a suitable tool to remove it (at least, not
without damaging it). If the timer fails completely then I'll dig
further, but for now I think it'll just live with it.

It's 50 bucks + s/h online for a new timer, and I can pick up a used
dryer for that around here and end up with a motor, sheet metal etc. from
the old one to use on projects, so it's not really worth actually buying
replacement parts for it :-)

cheers

Jules

On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:37:22 +0000, Jules Richardson wrote:

On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:08:13 -0700, Jon Danniken wrote:
Not helping, but my elderly Whirlpool also no longer kicks itself to
"off" after a cycle. I just remember to go in and turn it off.

Yeah, I think that's where I'm heading with this one. I pulled the timer,
and there's a little snap-ring around the timer shaft which holds things
together, and I don't have a suitable tool to remove it (at least, not
without damaging it). If the timer fails completely then I'll dig
further, but for now I think it'll just live with it.

It's 50 bucks + s/h online for a new timer, and I can pick up a used
dryer for that around here and end up with a motor, sheet metal etc. from
the old one to use on projects, so it's not really worth actually buying
replacement parts for it :-)

cheers

Jules

Blast it with compressed air then apply some WD40...may loosen it up

Some driers have a humidity sensor. Check, see if the vent hose is
clogged.

If it is the timer, some electrical contact cleaner, followed by some
spray lube may do it. Worked for my washing machine timer ($75 on
ebay, no longer available at my wholesale house.)

WD is fairly short lived spray lube. PB Blaster may last longer.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..



Blast it with compressed air then apply some WD40...may loosen it up

On Aug 3, 5:56*pm, Mat wrote:
On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:37:22 +0000, Jules Richardson wrote:
On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:08:13 -0700, Jon Danniken wrote:
Not helping, but my elderly Whirlpool also no longer kicks itself to
"off" after a cycle. *I just remember to go in and turn it off.

Yeah, I think that's where I'm heading with this one. I pulled the timer,
and there's a little snap-ring around the timer shaft which holds things
together, and I don't have a suitable tool to remove it (at least, not
without damaging it). If the timer fails completely then I'll dig
further, but for now I think it'll just live with it.

It's 50 bucks + s/h online for a new timer, and I can pick up a used
dryer for that around here and end up with a motor, sheet metal etc. from
the old one to use on projects, so it's not really worth actually buying
replacement parts for it :-)

cheers

Jules

Blast it with compressed air then apply some WD40...may loosen it up- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Second that

Jules Richardson wrote:
On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:08:13 -0700, Jon Danniken wrote:
Not helping, but my elderly Whirlpool also no longer kicks itself to
"off" after a cycle. I just remember to go in and turn it off.

Yeah, I think that's where I'm heading with this one. I pulled the
timer, and there's a little snap-ring around the timer shaft which
holds things together, and I don't have a suitable tool to remove it
(at least, not without damaging it). If the timer fails completely
then I'll dig further, but for now I think it'll just live with it.

It's 50 bucks + s/h online for a new timer, and I can pick up a used
dryer for that around here and end up with a motor, sheet metal etc.
from the old one to use on projects, so it's not really worth
actually buying replacement parts for it :-)

Aye, timers are spendy mechanisms. You might try ebay, I've picked up a
number of parts for older appliances on the cheap (dunno about dryer timers,
though).

And you can pick up a set of snap ring pliers pretty cheaply at a hardware
store, with different tip extensions. They come in handy over the years
when you need them.

Cheers,

Jon

On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:43:22 -0400, Stormin Mormon wrote:

Some driers have a humidity sensor. Check, see if the vent hose is
clogged.

No problem there (part of the reason for diggin in the machine was the
timer, but part was pulling the thing apart to give it an annual de-
linting - turned out it wasn't too bad inside at all)

If it is the timer, some electrical contact cleaner, followed by some
spray lube may do it. Worked for my washing machine timer ($75 on ebay,
no longer available at my wholesale house.)

Yeah, that's what I'll do when it dies completely I think - to really get
at the contacts I need to get the face-plate off, which means removing
that snap-ring, which means buying yet another tool... :-)

WD is fairly short lived spray lube.

Agreed - I hate WD40; lasts for a short while, then just attracts dirt
and wrecks mechanisms further. Good for temporary fixes, but it's not
really a long-term solution to anything.

I can see grease on the timer's shaft, and it turns easily enough, so I
don't think that's the problem with it - I expect it's either worn
contacts or worn cam gears (from what I can see through the holes in the
face-plate the cams are plastic, and if they're shot then it's pretty
much Game Over)

PB Blaster may last longer.

I'm not sure of the wisdom of using peanut butter... ;-)

cheers

Jules

On Aug 4, 9:23*am, Jules Richardson
wrote:
On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:43:22 -0400, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Some driers have a humidity sensor. Check, see if the vent hose is
clogged.

No problem there (part of the reason for diggin in the machine was the
timer, but part was pulling the thing apart to give it an annual de-
linting - turned out it wasn't too bad inside at all)



If it is the timer, some electrical contact cleaner, followed by some
spray lube may do it. Worked for my washing machine timer ($75 on ebay,
no longer available at my wholesale house.)

Yeah, that's what I'll do when it dies completely I think - to really get
at the contacts I need to get the face-plate off, which means removing
that snap-ring, which means buying yet another tool... :-)

WD is fairly short lived spray lube.

Agreed - I hate WD40; lasts for a short while, then just attracts dirt
and wrecks mechanisms further. Good for temporary fixes, but it's not
really a long-term solution to anything.

I can see grease on the timer's shaft, and it turns easily enough, so I
don't think that's the problem with it - I expect it's either worn
contacts or worn cam gears (from what I can see through the holes in the
face-plate the cams are plastic, and if they're shot then it's pretty
much Game Over)

PB Blaster may last longer.

I'm not sure of the wisdom of using peanut butter... ;-)

cheers

Jules

You may be able to fix it. Cleaning and adjusting the contacts is
often possible on that sort of device. The design is that it is
supposed to turn off the drier first and then a short period later
turn off the small motor on the timer. That's why you discovered that
the timer still runs after the unit shuts down, that's normal. Some
of them turn the heat off even earlier so there is a brief cool down
cycle. It sounds like yours has gotten sloppy and is turning the
timer motor off before it turns the unit off.

Cleaning the contacts may help. Normal adjustment is such that the
contact not only closes but also causes the back contact to move a
little as well. This causes a slight "scraping" of the two surfaces
that helps keep the contact clean. You can usually adjust contacts by
carefully bending them. Figuring out which contact does what first by
looking at the schematic or tracing wires will help troubleshoot as
well.