Replaced motor in otherwise good Kenmore Gas Dryer and now it's dead...

[Tour2ma]

Model Number: 110.78972892
Brand: Sears Kenmore
Age: More than 10 years

Before disassembly I troubleshot the dryer which would not run as follows:

• pressing "start" engaged relay and started control timer so start switch was fine;
• opening dryer door opened relay stopping timer and dryer light came on so door switch was fine.

So I dove in.

The installed motor was clearly brunt... as in really fried. The plastic fan on the front end of the motor had melted in half and one-half had melted/burned It was a Chinese "replacement motor" that lasted just under 2 years. Clearly the Chinese motor's overheating safeguard did not do its job. When I installed the Chinese motor 23 months ago the dryer did function, so I got lucky (or was "good") once. Not so much this time...

The unit's original lasted 18 years... thus my springing for an OEM at Parts Dr. this time. At roughly 2x the price and 9x the life, OEM was the clear choice.

I did check the thermistor on the exhaust duct and it showed continuity.

I'm going back in and will update if I find anything, but reviewing the install and reassembly in my mind's eye, I don't think I missed or miswired anything.

Is there a connection at the motor that needs to be satisfied and might not be???

FYI: My dryer has the "old broken belt switch design". I installed the protective tubing that came with the OEM motor.

Thanks in advance for any help offered...

[Tour2ma]

And we're up and running...

Besides the fact that my mind's eye is blind, here were the issues found and lessons learned...

Finding #1... I missed connecting the left lead to the dryer door switch. Spotted it immediately upon removing the dryer's lid because I was looking.

Lesson #1... Look at all connections on the way out as if you were still troubleshooting on the way in.

Now the dryer's light lit and the timer ran briefly, but still the motor did not start... so back in again. I figured the broken belt switch was a candidate given the symptoms and the switch's proximity to the heat damaged motor I had replaced. Quick check of the switch's leads I'd disconnected from the motor failed to show continuity with the switch "made".

I figured I'd rig a bypass to get the laundry back log done and deal with replacing the switch after the holidays. So I proceeded to remove the new motor to disconnect the lead at the switch.

Finding #2... The lead to the switch post under the motor was already disconnected. Only thing I can guess is that in sliding on the shield supplied with the motor to protect "the blue wire" from the motor's bracket I pushed the connector off the post. Anyway with the motor out of the way I tested the switch directly on its spade posts and it checked out fine.

Lesson #2... Read the instructions first. Had I done so I would have shrouded the blue wire before installing the motor and been able to verify its connection to the switch.

Reconnected... reassembled... and we're running...


That's it... just some amateur mistakes.