Raker Appliance Repair Professionals, Inc. Automatic Dryers Manual 4 Harry D. Raker
2. Belt and Drive Systems he motor and belt system are pretty simple. All of today’s dryers use the clothesbasket as a drive pulley. The belt threa
6. Most mechanics A. restring the heating element. 7. Heat selector switches C. have dead spots 8. Gas valves B. are the same as any other brand.
Raker Appliance Repair Professionals, Inc. Automatic Off-Brand Dryers Part 5, Including Westinghouse, Norge, Frigidaire, Amana Manual 4
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 100
Table of Contents Off Brand Automatic Dryers Part 5 Dryers, The Other Brands ...
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 102
Dryers, The Other Brands he vast majority of dryers that you will service have now been covered in detail. As you have seen there is a great deal o
As the dryer ages, that bearing will seize, and begin to make unusual noises. It is necessary to remove the top, the front, and the basket to access
Amana he Amana dryer utilizes the Norge design. The Speed Queen dryer is very rare, like the washing machine. It utilizes the belt-around-the-drum
This is similar to the GE dryer design and like the GE, it is a weak spot. As the dryer ages, the lubricant dries out on the rear drum bearing and
The older Frigidaire models used a series of five rollers to support the basket. Often they need to be replaced as a set. Several design changes we
GE Worn Front Support Fig041_06 Most drum support and belt and idler problems are obvious upon visual inspection. Details on each brand will come
Westinghouse lso part of the Frigidaire family is the old Westinghouse. Westinghouse dryer design is easily recognized by a flat belt without ribs
The Westinghouse design uses the rear support ball, a rear electric element like G.E. and a layout like Maytag. Fig045_07 Westinghouse Motor and I
As quickly becomes obvious, the various off-brand designs are just variations of designs already described. We have extensively covered every aspect
Sample Flat Rate ollowing is Uncle Harry’s suggested pricing for typical dryer repairs. A complete set of flat rates is in the Flat Rate Book.
Examination Automatic Off Brand Dryers (Some questions may have more than one correct answer.) 4. When replacing a Norge thermal fuse 1. The o
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 113
Examination Answers Automatic Off Brand Dryers 4. When replacing a Norge thermal fuse 1. The off-brand dryers D. replace the high limit too
Uncle Harry’s Trick of the Trade # 52 Always run a dryer yourself and test for heat, before proceeding with any other tests. Small Amount of Heat
The High Pressure Side (After the Blower) After the air crosses the blower it passes the various thermostats and exits the dryer. A 4” vent carries
If the complaint is long drying time, advise a customer during the initial call. Ask them to check the vent system. A skilled mechanic doesn'
The best alternative is to recommend a chimney sweep. They are equipped with special brushes, vacuums and air pressure systems that can unclog the ve
4. Understanding Thermostats and Control Systems hermostats ( often called thermo-discs) are scattered throughout the air system for maintaining safe
Fig041_11 Bias Control Thermostat and Thermal Fuse Mounted Next to the Blower (Whirlpool) Most dryers have several choices of drying temperatures.
Monitoring Vent Temperatures Watching the reading of a thermometer in a dryer vent is confusing. The temperature varies a great deal more than you w
Thermal Fuses Many of today’s dryer incorporate a second safety system in addition to high limit thermostats. Often thermal fuses are installed eith
Copyright © 2003 Harry D. Raker All rights reserved. ISBN 0-976228-64-5 (Volume 4) ISBN 0-976228-60-2 (27 Volume Set)
If a dryer vent is partially plugged, the hot moist air will back up into the drum and the heating system will stay on almost 100% of the time. Cons
Turn a dryer off before the cool down period and let the clothes cool on their own. They will be wrinkled beyond belief. However, if they come out o
Uncle Harry’s Trick of the Trade # 58 The usual problems on electronic sensors are: 1. Gum or dirt between the bars 2. Dirt or lint behind the s
Thermocouples To give you a familiar example, certainly you have had to light a water heater sometime in the past. If you recall, you had to rotate
Uncle Harry’s Trick of the Trade # 59 The tip of a thermocouple must be a visible cherry red to operate correctly. Any lower temperature will not
Uncle Harry’s Trick of the Trade # 60 Clean a pilot orifice with a soft cloth or by blowing through it. If this method fails replace the orifice.
The most common problem is caused by the pilot light combustion byproducts. The flame leaves behind small amounts of ash and the capillary is not he
1. Power is supplied to the gas valve system. After five or ten seconds the igniter begins to glow red hot, then white hot. 2. A glow bar sensing d
Coil Failure The third failure in the glow bar system, is the least common but the most difficult to diagnose. It is the failure of one of the three
Gas Coil Replacement Gas valve coils come as a prewired set. The repair is similar to replacing the igniter bar. 1. Remove the gas valve assembly.
Table of Contents Automatic Dryers Part 1, Dryer Theory,...…... pages 1-32 Pa
Fig041_22 Changing a Coil Kit Gas Conversion Kits Unless otherwise specified, gas dryers come through set up to operate on natural gas. If a cust
Uncle Harry’s Story Time One morning I was repairing a man’s refrigerator. As often happens, after he got to know me, and felt comfortable, other
7. Electric Dryer Element Systems lectric dryers use a nichrome wire coiled into a spiral shape. The coil is heated by 220 VAC, and typically generat
One Whirlpool element will fit at least 90% of all the Whirlpool dryers operating today. (The primary exception is Whirlpool’s 27” dryer.) Maytag h
8. Spots and Stains on Clothes ow that we have covered all of the theory of laundry equipment, It is important to tie washers and dryers together as
Uncle Harry’s Story Time A neighbor of mine, a surgeon’s wife, called me to repair a bad water valve on her washer. She had be getting by with onl
Water supply problems rather than the washing machine or the dryer usually causes rusty-looking stains. Even if the porcelain is chipped on the wash
Examination Lesson 4 Automatic Dryers Part 1 1. The drum air temperature is about A. 120 °F B. 90 °F C. 140 °F D. 185 °F 2. On a 220 VAC circuit a
Examination Answers Lesson 4 Automatic Dryers Part 1 1. The drum air temperature is about C, or around 140°F, varying up and down as the heat is
Raker Appliance Repair Professionals, Inc. Automatic Dryers Part 2, Including Whirlpool Kenmore, Kitchen-Aid & Roper Manual 4
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 34
Table of Contents Whirlpool Automatic Dryers Part 2 Introduction ...
Introduction art 1 covered general dryer theory. You now have a good grasp of air flow and heating system problems. In this lesson we will go into
Second we will go over the differences between that and the newest style. The newer design was introduced at the same time as the direct-drive washer
Fig042_03 Door Switch and Cabinet Screw After lifting off the front, reach under and unthread the belt from the tensioning pulley. The entire bas
The new style cabinet is different and similar the direct-drive style. The same engineer must have designed both of them. It is necessary to flip ba
Drum Support Rollers ailure of the drum rollers is common. They fail in one of two ways. 1. The hub of the small wheel wears out and the wheel
Drive Belts he belt, of course, is a very common source of service calls as is the idler roller on the tension spring arm. Most often the customer w
Fig042_07 Belt Pattern This repair, in your price book, is competitively priced at somewhere between $140 and $175, about 1/3 the cost of a new dr
Fig042_08 Drum Felt The Door Switch he Whirlpool door microswitch is a good source of easy service calls. The micro-switch is operated by a small
Table of Contents Automatic Dryers Part 1 Introduction ...
Uncle Harry’s Story Time One of the fathers from cub scouting asked me to repair his dryer. He had been fooling with it and finally gave up. It wa
Door Cables n older dryers door cables support the hamper style door. When the cables snap the door falls and gradually buckles from the weight of t
Testing the Element “My dryer won’t get hot.” nce the back is off the dryer, the element terminals are accessible. Using insulated test leads conne
Fig042_12 A Badly Burned Line Cord Uncle Harry’s Story Time A GE dryer can be a problem. It is hard to gain access to the various thermostats
The Lint Trap n the back left side of the dryer is a piece of ductwork that houses the long, thin lint filter. That chamber frequently catches fore
In order to repair it, it is necessary to disassemble the dryer. The drum needs to be removed in order to gain access to the motor. It is necessar
The Drive Motor bviously, changing a motor requires the same effort as removing a torn shaft felt. Drive motors fail in three ways: 1. The bearings
Gas heating Systems he gas heating systems on Whirlpool are exactly as described in the previous lesson. Fig042_15 Typical Gas Valve Fig042
Many Whirlpool models use the round ceramic igniter. Fig042_16 Flame Tube and Igniter Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 5
The New 27” Whirlpool Dryer any components have been changed on the new style 27” dryer. The design and layout is now almost exactly the same as May
Sample Flat Rate ollowing is Uncle Harry’s suggested pricing for typical dryer repairs. A complete set of flat rates is in the Flat Rate Book.
Examination Automatic Dryers Part 2 Automatic Whirlpool Dryers (More than one answer may be correct.) 1. The most common Whirlpool dryer pro
Examination Answers Automatic Dryers Part 2 Automatic Whirlpool Dryers 1. The most common Whirlpool dryer problems involve D. belts and id
Raker Appliance Repair Professionals, Inc. Automatic General Electric Dryers Part 3,Including Hotpoint Manual 4 Automatic Dryers
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 58
Table of Contents General Electric Automatic Dryers Manual 4, Part 3 Introduction ...
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 60
GENERAL ELECTRIC .E. dryers, like Whirlpool, have been made the same way for a long time. There have been a few variations, but nothing significan
Gas versus Electric Models The front panel on GE are very similar for both gas and electric. On gas an access panel is provided for the gas valve.
Rear Drum Support .E. uses a rear bearing, instead of two rubber wheels. It has a center shaft that goes through the back of the dryer and sits in
Automatic Dryers utomatic dryers will be covered in two lessons. The same method will be used that we followed on automatic washers. First we will
Fig043_04 Drum Rear, Shaft and Shoulder Bearing Fig043_04a “C” clip and New Bearing Installed Shaft Rubbing Against the
Front Drum Support he front of the drum sits on two nylon slide bearings, backed up by a felt. These slides last a long time, but they do wear out.
Heating Element urned out heating elements are common on GE. Remember, they are installed as a pair rather than one large one as are most brands. C
Uncle Harry’s Trick of the Trade # 74 The directions with the element provide the proper element lengths. It’s much faster to stretch them betwee
Fig043_08 Thermal Fuse Between Two Thermostats Door Switch he door switch on the GE dryer is a common problem. "My dryer won't start,
New Cabinet Style ike Whirlpool, GE redesigned their dryer about 1988. The heating element is still in the back but the element string kit is diffe
The worst part is that GE charges between $50.00 and $70.00 for factory original thermostats. Imagine how much money and time he had involved in that
Sample Flat Rate ollowing is Uncle Harry’s suggested pricing for typical dryer repairs. A complete set of flat rates is in the Flat Rate Book.
Examination Automatic General Electric Dryers (Some questions may have more than one correct answer.) 1. Rethreading a GE belt A. is the fastest
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 73
Gas dryers are heated by gas (what else) and the motor is powered by 110 VAC. A 30 amp 220 VAC circuit powers electric dryers. The 30-amp circuit i
Examination Answers Automatic General Electric Dryers (Some questions may have more than one correct answer.) 1. Rethreading a GE belt C. takes l
6. On the new style cabinet A. felt jams the blower. B. the element is easily accessible. C. problems are easily diagnosed. D. you need a torx screwd
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 79
Raker Appliance Repair Professionals, Inc. Automatic Maytag Dryers Part 4 Manual 4 Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 81
Table of Contents Maytag Automatic Dryers Part 4 Maytag ...
Maytag ver the last 30 years Maytag dryers have been made in two basic styles. The “recent style” was introduced in the 70’s and represents the majo
Fig044_02 Front of Cabinet Removed Gas versus Electric Models The older gas models are similar to GE, they had a small service panel for the ga
Fig044_03 Belt threading from the Front The idler pulley is seldom a problem. Occasionally the bearing dries out and it gets noisy and must be rep
Rear Drum Support he rear of the drum is supported exactly like the Whirlpool, by two rollers. The Maytag rollers are a stronger design than Whirlpo
a vacuum). The control thermostats are mounted near the blower. A dryer is not a very complex device. Regardless of brand the repairs fall into the
Fig044_05 Front Slide Heating Elements and Blower System aytags, of course, have the same heating system failures as any other brand because they
The element can be repaired in two ways. First the element can be purchased as an entire unit. Second, and much more popular among service men is a
Fig044_07 Door Switch Thermostats he only thermostat that fails with any regularity is the high limit mounted on the heater box. It is a “stand o
Drive Motor eplacing a Maytag drive motor is just about as time consuming as a GE. It has one further disadvantage. Often the drive pulley is so ti
Maytag “Halo of Heat Dryers” he older style which was used in the 60's and 70's was a V-belt pulley style. A fair number are still in servi
Sample Flat Rate ollowing is Uncle Harry’s suggested pricing for typical dryer repairs. A complete set of flat rates is in the Flat Rate Book.
Maytag Dryers Halo of Heat Models Description of the Job Price 1) Repl
Examination Automatic Maytag Dryers (Some questions may have more than one correct answer. Unless noted all questions apply to the current style.
Automatic Dryers Copyright © 2005 Harry D. Raker Page 95
Examination Answers Automatic Maytag Dryers (Some questions may have more than one correct answer. Unless noted all questions apply to the curren
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