early 50s kenmore dryer won't run

[northwesty]

Hi all, looks like I have a bad motor on one of my dryers. Wondering if anyone has a spare they would part with. This one has posts for the wires numbers #1 #4 #2 and #5. Packard model S7499 or Delco 5048402 would work but I wonder if there aren't others. Thank you and if you know a good supplier I would be most thankful

The other early 50s Kenmore dryer I have isn't heating up. I know there are a few things that could go wrong with it but I haven't had time to start in on it. If anyone has an idea on a common problem please feel free to comment. I did look at the heat coil and it looked fine.

Thanks again

Brian

 

[turquoisedude]

Brian, it may be that the starting switch in the motor is dirty.   Try taking the motor apart and cleaning it.   

 

I'll be following this thread, too because I need a replacement motor for my poor old 51 Kenmore dryer that looks like it came from the bottom of a lake...

 

[combo52]

Motors For Early KM-WP Dryers

Hi Brain & Paul, does your motor have a blower attached on the front of it?, if not you can use any motor from a KM-WP electric dryer [ many gas dryers also used the same motor ] built through 1965. We have many of thee motors around if you can not find one locally that we can sell you.

 

[turquoisedude]

John, mine has a blower mounted in a chamber above the motor and is driven by a belt.     The darndest thing is that I recently found some old WP dryer wiring diagrams which show that there was some kind of a relay (I guess to keep high current out of the motor starting switch) but on mine, there is no such relay present.  I'll need to talk to you about this one - I'll still need a motor for it!

 

[danemodsandy]

Brian:

I'm afraid I can't offer any help on the motor you need, but I do want to wish you well in the quest to keep that beautiful pair running. We had the identical set in the early '60s, and seeing your machines brings back some fond memories. I have photos you've posted here on AW saved to my hard drive, and they make me smile when I run across them.

So - best wishes to the old girls for a long life!

 

[whirlaway]

Worked on my 1955 Frogeye today

I noticed the other day the light was flickering inside of the drum I believe it serves as the ballest for the ultra violet bulb that kills germs.I didnt have anything at home except a 40watt bug light bulb.So I used it and it works fine.I did notice my 1956 frogeye Kenmore didnt have a lint filter,this one does! It also appears to have a blower on the front of the motor,its hard to tell the way it sets in the cabinet.This one has a packard motor like the 56,but it has oil ports.Is your motor frozen or just doesnt run,they are great motors,the washer also has a packard motor they are a matched set.I use them as my everyday machines.I was shocked at the lint in it.I need to refelt the lint fiter.I cleaned and oiled everything with turbine oil its so quiet,I didnt realize it was noisy before. Good luck! If you can clean that motor and keep it original.Bobby

 

[whirlaway]

Oh I forgot!

Check your door switch! If its bad it wont run! Thanks Bobby

 

[northwesty]

Got one dryer working...

Well, I was able to find another motor for the one dryer so it is up and running. Thanks for the support there. But the other dryer won't heat up. The thing is, these two dryers look identical on the outside but inside they are quite different. This one is marked 1951 inside, and it has a few other components that the simpler other one does not.

Here are pictures of little (I don't know what they are called) devices that the wires go to. These aren't in the other dryer. I pulled the motor thinking I would swap it with the other but this one has three posts and the other has four, of different number no less. I do have another temperature switch to swap out to see if that is the problem, but I don't have these items and I would like to know what they are so I can start looking if by chance they are to blame for it not heating up. Thanks again for any information, Brian

I checked the coil and the connections to it and it looks fine. I am not sure if on this one the motor has a safety switch in it that can go bad and cause it not to heat up, I don't think so, I think these devices might have replaced that system.

 

[combo52]

Early KM Electric Dryer

In picture #1 you are looking at the Heat Relay, early dryers used these before they just let the motors centrifugal switch perform this function, in picture #2 you see a little transformer that is for the Ozone Light Bulb.

The heat relay could diffidently be the reason your dryer does not heat, you can test it one of several ways, or even bypass it for testing purposes only to see if the dryer heats.

 

[turquoisedude]

And another mystery solved!  In my unrestored 51 Kenmore dryer, there were two loose wires in the same area - I had guessed that there had been some kind of a relay but I know for sure now!  Next challenge... finding a replacement - anxiously watching to see what the replacement might be.  

 

[northwesty]

well, it was the timer...

I have a tester to see if there is current in the line and EVERYTHING seemed to be getting juice even when it didn't heat up. I replaced the temp control switch and that didn't make any difference, so I hooked up another coil and it still didn't heat up. But when I reached up to turn the timer off, when I went back to the heat unit it had started to heat up, so I suspected the timer. I jiggled it around and it started to work. The neat thing about these old machines is that can you usually determine what the problem is. On the other hand this machine is actually marked 1950 and I suspect they changed the design in 1951 to my other machine so this really is a rare bird. If anyone wants to part with their 51-54 double frog eye dryer (or washer) let me know. Thanks