How to Troubleshoot Your Gas Dryer – Part Two

Here is part two of how to troubleshoot your gas dryer, this is a continuation of another article about this subject.
In part two of how to troubleshoot your gas dryer I will address these common gas dryer problems: your dryer won’t tumble, if your dryer seems to run forever, if your dryer is noisy, and if the light doesn’t work. Read on and I’ll explain how to troubleshoot and fix these gas dryer problems.
If your dryer won’t tumble, you can check these three things: the belt, the motor, and the door switch. Dryers have a belt that turns the clothes drum that is called the drive belt. If this belt breaks the drum will stop turning. If this is why your dryer won’t tumble, then you should replace the belt and also the idler pulley because they tend to break at around the same time. Here is how to test your motor: if the motor only hums when you push the start button, your motor could be burned out. First remove the dryer belt, then check for any obstructions in the blower fan housing, and then manually rotate the motor shaft. If you cannot rotate it, or if it is very stiff, and the blower fan is clear of any obstructions then you will need to replace your motor. If your motor will turn freely, then run the motor with the belt removed and the blower still in place. If the motor runs with the belt removed, there could be a problem with the pulley or your dryer drum. Try to turn the drum by hand. If it’s hard to move, try to fix any problem with the rollers, pulley, rear bearing, or the front glides, put your dryer back together and try it again. If the motor hums but it doesn’t turn with the belt removed (but you can still move it by hand) you will usually need to replace your motor or the motor start capacitor. Your dryer will not start at all if you have a faulty door switch. This switch is located inside of the dryer’s main housing next to the door frame. If this switch is defective you will need to replace it.
Here’s how to troubleshoot your gas dryer if it seems to run forever. This could because of a clogged dryer vent or internal ductwork. Your dryer might have an automatic cycle which turns the dryer off once your clothes are dry. It does that with a special type of thermostat, or a moisture sensor system. Here is what should be happening during the automatic cycle: the thermostat will tell your dryer to heat up until the dryer reaches a preset temperature. When the dryer reaches that temperature, the thermostat then tells the timer to begin advancing. If you have a moisture sensor system then the timer will advance once it senses the moisture content of the clothes is low enough. The timer will run until the inside of the dryer is cool, and then the thermostat tells the timer to stop and tells the dryer to heat up again. This cycle should continue until the clothes are dry. If your vent is clogged the dryer might not be able to reach that preset temperature. No signal is sent to the timer, and your dryer will run forever, even if your clothes are dry. To fix this problem you will need to clean out the venting and ductwork with a vacuum.
If your gas dryer is noisy, here is what you can check: the rollers, idler pulley, glides, rear drum bearing, and blower wheel. Most dryers use rollers to support the drum, when these rollers wear out they can be noisy. Replace these as a set if that is the case. The idler pulley keeps tension on the drive belt, and when it wears out it can get noisy as well; replace it if it’s worn out. Plastic glides or nylon glides are located at the front of the clothes drum, they are used for support. If these are worn out, they can make noise and again, you should replace them. Some dryers use a rear center spindle instead of rollers for drum support. The spindle can either be a ball and socket or a shaft through a sleeve type. When these get old and worn out they can create quite a racket; replace them if that is why your dryer is making noise. Lastly, check the blower wheel. The blower wheel pulls air over the heat source, through the drum, and past the thermostats, and then it goes out the duct. If this is noisy, it could be clogged with lint. Clean out the blower and see if it is still noisy; if it is, replace it.
If your dryer light won’t work here’s what to do. If your dryer has a light on the inside, it probably is just a standard 40-watt appliance bulb. Make sure to double check with your owners manual though. If the light bulb is good, but the light will not come on, check your door switch. When the door is closed the door switch turns off the light and then allows the dryer to start. When the door is open, it turns the light on and it prevents the dryer from starting.
In summary, I hope part two of this article helped show how to troubleshoot your gas dryer. Keep this guide for troubleshooting your gas dryer handy, in case you come across a problem with your dryer in the future.