I have a whirlpool electric dryer.........?

Question

my dryer powers up and everything but no heat!! i have done some research on Yahoo Answers and i see that it could be a number of things from thermostats to heating elements. my question is, when i pull the heating element out and examine it..... it has 5 curly wires on one side and 5 on the under side.... well, two of the 5 on the top have black 'soot-like' dust on the metal behind the wires..... does this mean that it is bad?? also, sometimes i see the heating element light up and go out after a few seconds... or sometimes a minute. never a whole cycle. then i took out the thermostat and gave it a look.... looks fine but it makes a rattling noise. does that mean that it is possible bad?? i don't have a volt ohm meter, but i might get one. i was just wondering if any of those could be the reason?? thanks and sorry if i was rambling.......

Answer 1

Start at the power panel, one side of your breaker or fuse could be bad. If breaker has power on both sides 110-120 each side, 220-240 both sides combined. If the supply is with buss fuses (looks like a roll of coins) one side is about to burn out. If there is power there, the most likely will be the element. To test element unplug the dryer from outlet. remove cover over element on rear of dryer. Use an ohm meter. if it shows a 0 reading it is bad! The thermostat is the least likely.

If it is fuses in the power panel, replace them before doing anything else. With new fuses if it still does the same test as stated above.

Answer 2

Sounds like your heater element has broken.

The dusty stuff on the wires is normal....

If you had a meter, it could help you find the break, but just looking works well too.....I know people who simply locate the break, sand off some of the junk, and twist the wires back together....works for quite awhile sometimes......

Answer 3

No Meter No for sure test....they cost $5 or $6 at harbor freight

once you pull it out use a multimeter set to ohms to check the resistance.....check it across the 1 or 2 thermal bi-metal fuses first they are on the side where the wires hook up..if the are open(no conductivity) you must replace them...usually the whole heater assembly must be purchased.....use your meter to check the coils as well the resistance should be less the 125 ohms....good luck