Gas Dryer Repair Guide
This gas dryer repair guide will walk you through the steps in repairing gas dryers. These are the same steps I take in repairing gas dryers professionally. So read each section until your dryer is fixed. Please note that this page is only for gas dryers that are not heating so if your dryer has any other problems refer to my dryer repair guide. This is because gas dryers and electric dryers are the same other than the heat source.
Turn on the dryer and observe burner. On some gas dryers there is a small
door at the bottom right hand side of the front (if your lucky), if so remove it
to see the burner. Most Whirlpool dryers have a small peephole that is covered
by a plastic cover, remove it to observe the burner.
On most GE dryers you can observe the burner by placing a mirror under the
right front of the dryer. You will not see everything clearly but you can see
the glow from the igniter and the light from the flame. Avoid removing the front
to observe the burner if at all possible.
What should happen if the
dryer is working properly is the igniter should glow red for 30 seconds or a
minute, then the igniter should cut off and the flame should light. When the
igniter turns off you should hear a loud clicking noise. If this happens but it
still takes a long time to dry clothes, check your dryer vent because it’s
probably the problem.
Igniter
The igniter is the most likely problem and it is an easy do-it-yourself gas dryer repair. If when you preformed the test I described above and the igniter didn’t glow red after a minute or so, then you need to check the igniter. To check the igniter, first disconnect power from the dryer. Then remove the front off the dryer (unless you can work from the small access door in the front). Now unplug the igniter and using your ohmmeter ,check to see if you have continuity between the two wires going to the igniter. If you don’t, the igniter is bad and needs replacing. If you do have continuity, the problem could be the flame sensor. Ignitors can be found at AppliancePartsPros.com.
Flame Sensor
The flame sensor is not a common problem, but it is an easy do-it-yourself gas dryer repair. The flame sensor is located on the side of the burner box. If when you preformed the test I described above the igniter glows red for more than a minute or so or it doesn’t come on at all, the flame sensor may be bad. If the igniter glows red for more than a minute or so the flame sensor is bad and it needs replacing. If the igniter doesn’t come on at all and the igniter checks good in the test above you need to check the flame sensor. To check the flame sensor disconnect power from the dryer. Then remove the front off the dryer (unless you can work from the small access door in the front). Now unplug the flame sensor and using your ohmmeter check to see if you have continuity between the two terminals on the flame sensor. If you do not have continuity, the sensor is bad and needs replacing. Flame sensors can be purchased at AppliancePartsPros.com.
Gas Valve
This section of this gas dryer repair guide will discuss the gas valve. If
when you preformed the test and the igniter glowed for a minute or so then cut
off but the flame didn’t light, the gas valve is bad (assuming you have gas
coming to it). Most of the time the coils are the only things bad and there is
no need to change the whole valve. The coils are the two round devices that the
wires plug in to. Changing the gas valve is not a good do-it-yourself
gas dryer repair because it can be a fire hazard if you install it
incorrectly!! But because it’s likely that the coils will fix your
dryer, try them first.
If the dryer is heating intermittently, the coils
on the valve are most likely the problem. This can be hard to check because it
is intermitting so go ahead and change the coils on the valve. The coils can be
found at AppliancePartsPros.com.
Thermal Fuse (Whirlpool Dryers Only)
This section of this gas dryer repair guide will discuss the thermal fuse on
Whirlpool dryers. On whirlpool dryers the thermal fuse will cut off the gas
valve. This is a very common problem with Whirlpool dryers and should be the
next thing to check if the igniter is not glowing and the igniter is not bad. To
check the thermal fuse, first disconnect power from the dryer. Then remove the
two wires from the thermal fuse. Next, using your ohmmeter, check for continuity
across the two terminals on the fuse. If you do not have continuity the fuse is
bad and needs replacing. Note that the most common thing that will cause the
thermal fuse to blow is a clogged dryer vent, so check the vent. The thermal
fuse is a little rectangular fuse with two wires. It is located on the vent just
after it leaves the fan housing. Thermal fuses can be found at AppliancePartsPros.com.
The thermo fuse is on the back of the dryer on some dryers and in the
front on some dryers (see pictures below). Note that the pictures are of
electric dryers but the location of the thermo fuse is the same.
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