Older Kenmore Dryer

[Rhaine86]

Hello! I am having problems with my dryer and was trying to find some information about it on the internet and found a post by someone else here who has the same dryer I have although the problem wasn't the same. Hopefully someone here can help me out a bit.
We have a Kenmore dryer model# 110.86980100. It was given to us as a gift a couple years ago and we have no idea how old it is. Judging by the other person who submitted a question about it, the model has been around at least 10 years. It looks even older to be honest...
Anyways, I'm pretty sure the heating element has gone out. The dryer runs fine but it doesn't heat at all and so then nothing dries. I know the heating elements can be replaced, but can you find them for dryers older than a few years? Are they fairly generic (as in, not model specific)?? I'm sure my husband will just want to buy a new dryer, but to save money I'd rather just fix the problem if I can. Any help would be appreciated!! Thanks in advance.

[HayZee518]

My mother had a gas dryer made by sears that was older than 12 years and when I went looking for a rear bearing and the felt guides, I was told by the parts person that they were NLA ( no longer available) you can try at a site called www.repairclinic.com and see what you can come up with.

[LazyPup]

If your drier is not heating, first check the exhaust system. If the exhaust vent hose is kinked or if the vent or hose is blocked up with lint that will restrict the airflow and the nigh limit switch will immediately open, causing the heating element to shut down. Try disconnecting the hose from the drier and see if it will heat up. If so, you may have to clean the hose, through the wall vent tube, or the internal parts of the heating section on the drier.

If it does not heat with the hose disconnected, pull the power cable to insure there is no power to the drier, then remove the back cover. Locate the heating element and disconnect the wires from the heating element. Be sure to note the location of the wires so you can get them back on the same terminals.

Now test the heating element with an ohm meter. With one probe on each contact on the heating element you should get a low ohm reading, typically 5 to 10 ohms. If so, the element is good. If the ohm meter shows zero resistance the element is burned out.

If the element is okay, replace the wires and locate the thermostat on the air duct. It looks like a round plastic disc about an inch in diameter with two wire terminals. Remove the wires and check the switch with the ohm meter. If it is good it should show continuity when the drier is cold. If there is no continuity the thermostat is open and will need replacing.

Next check the high limit switch. It will look like a thermostate too, but it is mounted either toward the top of the air duct or very close to the heating element. It should show continuity when cold.

Sears Kenmore appliances are primarily built by Whirlpool. I have had success in finding parts for whirlpool or kenmores that were twenty years old and more.

Normally sears will only supply the parts for about 5 or 6 years, then they tell you its no longer available, which of course it isnt through their supply chain. Lets face it, sears is in business to sell appliances, not service them.

Copy down the full model number and serial number before trying to find the parts.

I find the best source is to locate an appliance parts supply house as they not only have access to the OEM (Original Equipmnet Manufacturer) parts, but they also have access to generics. (Often the generic part is coming directly from the same source where the equipmant manufacturer is buying thier components.

As electric drier is really a very basic circuit. Usually it only has the heating element, thermostates and high limit switch in series.

[Rhaine86]

Wow- thank you so much for the information you provided! It's extremely helpful. I'll let you know what I find out in the next day or so!

[Rhaine86]

Well, it's definitely not the exhaust vent hose that's a problem. My husband got an OHM meter and checked the heating element- it shows zero resistance. We're not quite sure how to actually remove the heating element from the dryer itself- we'll have to look further into that one, but to replace the part it looks like it's about $50 online... still much less than getting a new dryer! Thanks again for the great information.

[HayZee518]

The element is a spring like device made of nickel chrome resistance wire. All you do is remove the drum which exposes the elements. Clip out the old one (you'll probably see the broken element) and just re-thread the new element into the porcelain stand offs and connect the ends at the terminals.

[LazyPup]

Many GE driers have the element suspended in a circular fashion behind the drum on the inside of the back wall. The element comes as a long spring like affair and is fed through a series of ceramic insulators as Hayzee explained, but most of the Whirlpool/Kenmore driers that i have worked on use a pre-strung heating element that has a an open steel rod frame and a small sheet metal panel for the electrical connections. Usually they have a couple mounting screws on the sheet metal panel and a flat steel tab on the opposite end the slips into a raised slot in the air duct.

There are many different configurations for the assemblies so you have to be careful to get the specific one for you make and model number.

Usually they are located inside the air duct almost immediately above the air intake.

First unplug the drier, then remove the small cover panel at the base of the air intake, locate the wiring for the heating elements and disconnect the wires. The remove the mount screws and the heating assembly should slip right out.

[Rhaine86]

So I looked some more and I am pretty sure my dryer looks alot like you described LazyPup. I located a screw at the bottom of the metal drum "cover" over the heating element but I can not get it out for the life of me. To begin with, it was screwed in from the front, not the back side of the dryer. And when I try to get my hand around to the back of the cover to attempt to unscrew it, there's only about an inch of clearance before the inside back of the dryer is hit- so I can't get a screw driver or anything up there to get the screw out. I tried feeling around the top of the metal cover but the top quarter or so of it is covered by metal backing on the dryer that isn't removeable. I can't tell if there is a screw or not up there but I wouldn't be able to reach it anyhow. We know now that both the heating element and the thermostat are dead- judging by what the OHM meter read (or didn't read). Thanks for the responses... it has been really helpful. I'm not sure there's anything else we can do now other than to hire a professional to attempt the removal of the piece but at that point the cost of labor and the parts is probably going to equal or be close to the purchase of a new low end dryer. But if anyone has any other last minute thoughts I'm up to hearing them! Thanks again.

[Rhaine86]

Just a quick note- after several tries with tools we finally got the screw out and now have the heating element out! YAY!! It was exactly as described LazyPup. Thanks a bunch for the visual!