Kenmore Dryer 110.86273800 - 62738

[fan-o-quality]

I always forget this. Whenever I need to do major work on my older (20-30 year) appliances and cars I go to the parts store and they - to a man and woman - are positive that they have the parts I need. They are pleasant and friendly and I walk out confident I'm going to walk out of their store, drive home, get back to my project and have it put back together in just a few minutes and be on about my laundry. Then I wake up.

On this day I got home with my armload of parts for a Kenmore dryer 110.86273800 - 62738 and a Maytag washer LAT 970 4AAE.

New Parts...
Whirlpool Corporation Factory Certified parts
1.) dryer heating element 4391960
2.) dryer heating element limit switch, L250 Thermostat, open 250-close 210 (40)
3.) dryer thermal fuse 3390719
4.) dryer thermostat 694674 THRMST - FIX (backordered)
(has a screw/pointer and dial to adjust temp.)
5.) washer timer clock (with clock motor) 22001252 TIMER

I didn't take the old parts with me for comparison - serious denial in charge of my behavior there. The following week-end I set up my worksite and took the back cover off. There was the heating element and it's limit switch in the air intake duct. And there on the exhaust duct were the thermal fuse and two limit switches. Wait... TWO limit switches?! Nobody said anything about TWO limit switches. Neither of these two limit switches had any sort of knob for adjustment but appeared identicle otherwise. Then my memories of past part expiditions begin to trickle in.

I decided to replace the correct parts right then. I removed the old element and sat it beside the new one. I realized the contacts of the old element consist of two male posts that are plugged into two female sockets. It's not the familiar blade and clamp. And then I noticed that even though the new element will insert into position and can be attached it is otherwise completely different in configuration. The old element is a plate with 2 coils attached to it with porcelin clips, one coil on each side of the plate. The new one is a cage assembly with 3 coils approximately the same length of the 2 coils on the old element. It would seem to have more total coil length than the old one. But the coil itself looks the same diameter and same gage of wire.

A few days later I returned to the parts store. The salesman was an older and I hoped more experienced individual. But with a frown and a dismissive wave he told me that these were the only parts available. He said the new element was the same 5,200 wattage and 240 volts so it would work just fine. All I had to do was cut the terminals off of the old harness and replace them. He handed me the backordered limit switch and I saw it had two contacts like the old ones but it had a dial and screw/pointer on the front for adjustment. Neither of the old limit switches had this feature. He had no idea about a second limit switch. When I asked him about getting some tinned steel contacts for safety he didn't have any and referred me to another supplier in the next town.

So, what is being suggested here by these folks is a major remodeling of my dryer's circuits and processes and just hope that it works as designed and doesn't burn down my house. This is not what I signed up for folks. If I can find some good terminals I might consider the new element. But with it's different design specs won't it change the loads put on the other electrical parts and pull their performance out of spec? Why are there 2 limit switches on the old dryer? Why don't parts suppliers know the function of the second switch and why don't they have any record of it being there? Why don't the old switches have the adjustment feature of the single replacement? What do I do with the unattached wires of the second limit switch when I put this all together? Now I have serious doubts about the correctness of these parts. Can anyone check these parts numbers for me - or point me to a source I can check for comparison?

Thanks! Jeff

 

[DADoES]

 
The dryer apparently has choice of two drying temperatures, high and low, so there are two thermostats on the exhaust (blower) housing accordingly.  The adjustable thermostat (135°F to 155°F) (A-B-C-D-E? presumably in 5°F increments) is substituted so FSP doesn't have to source multiple fixed-limit thermostats.  The replacement is adjusted to the correct limit per the original thermostat.  Not an unusual situation.

 

[fan-o-quality]

Kenmore Dryer

Thank-you DADoES! Your are correct on each point. The dryer has 4 cycles: a 20 min. air dry; a 50 min. high heat dry; and 2 cycles called "more dry/less dry." One of these is low heat. Because they are called more or less dry and aren't timed I thought this unit might be equipped with a moisture sensing system but I haven't seen any evidence of that. But, then I've only seen inside the back of the unit.

Only the heating element fails my testing. The other limit switches pass testing. If I can find more durable contacts I may install the element, it's associated limit switch and the new thermal fuse and re-install the old limit switches so I can have some drying ability till I find correct replacements. I was just thinking I had it apart so why not replace all the gear.

I really don't want to start chopping into the harness and start replacing parts that will change or prevent it from working as intended. That's a dangerous slope!!

Thanks again!

 

[DADoES]

 
The replacement element you have is factory-authorized substitution.  The rewiring is an acceptable procedure, same as the substitution on the adjustable thermostats.

Regards to auto-dry on your machine, it's probably thermostatic instead of direct moisture sensing. Process works by the timer remaining "off" while the heat source is energized, timer advances when heat cycles off (target operating temp is reached). Longer and more frequent heating cycles to reach and maintain the temp (due to moisture evaporation) when the load is wet at the start, so the timer runs less. Shorter and less frequent heating cycles to maintain the temp as the load progresses toward dryness, and the timer begins progressing more quickly toward cool down and off.

 

[fan-o-quality]

Kenmore Dryer

DADoES,

I always wondered how that process worked. Years ago a guy I worked for that had a fantastic collection of vintage washers & dryers loaned me a Maytag that just had a row of buttons on the front - from the mid 1960s I think. It seemed like magic to me at the time. That's what I like about the older machines. There was such an attempt to do weird and wonderful science. With such imagination, creativity and - face it - entertainment!

In my view newer machines don't have this imagination - just my opinion!

Thanks again!

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Some more answers to your mysteries...

Glenn is absolutely correct, this is a thermostatically controlled dryer when used on either of the two auto-dry cycles. Your dryer is a 1982 model. There are two nearly identical dryers in my family, mom has had hers since December 1982 and I got mine in 1986. He is correct as well about the adjustable thermostat. This is how we can have factory support and replacement parts available for models that are 30 or more years old.

When starting out on fresh or wet loads, the temperature of the exhaust is kept low by moisture content until clothes start to dry, which at that point the exhaust temp starts to increase. When the exhaust temp reaches a preset point, a circuit is completed to the timer motor and it begins to advance. One can hear that now on our dryers as both timer motors are getting loud with age and you can hear them churning when running.

The idea is that the time it takes to get from the set point on the dial to the cool down,,wrinkle guard or off position is approximately the time needed to finish the drying. This is where the more or less dry settings come into play. This has always worked very well for us, though I understand the electronic sensor models are a bit more precise.

About the 4391960 element. This is a Whirlpool factory authorized element. There is nothing wrong with using it. This was the current replacement back in 2007 when I did heavy work on Mom's dryer, and had been the current element for a long time even then. The element it replaced (279827 I believe) had the same terminals that you are objecting to, and that part dates to 1992 or earlier. To find an element with the original style terminals is going to be next to if not completely impossible. These are the most widely produced dryers in the world, and have been in production since 1966 in this design. There are too many out there consuming parts for there to be a bunch of NOS 1982 elements on someone's shelf unless the parts store is a time capsule. You only have to clip two wires. This little "surgery" has been done probably hundreds of times a day for at least two or three decades. It is easy and safe. The effort to find an original element is not worth the trouble, not IMO.

If memory serves, I had the wiring mod and the element reinstall done in about 20 minutes. I felt the same way, not wanting to cut wires, etc. but having seen factory washer timers require this for many years, I just followed the directions and did it.

Good luck!

Gordon[this post was last edited: 8/17/2015-20:02]

 

[combo52]

Repairing A KM Electric Dryer

Hi Jeff, Welcome to this site, All the parts you got are correct for your dryer, But why are you replacing so many parts ? I would just replace the parts that HAVE failed and any that show definite signs of failure.

 

You may do more harm than good replacing good orignal parts that could last another 20-30 years.

 

John L.

 

[fan-o-quality]

Thanks!

Kenmoreguy65,

Really appreciate the information! I have been busilly reading any information I could find on Kenmore dryers like mine that I could find on this site. By that I had guessed that it dated from the 1980s - but now I know when. I got it from a used washer/dryer supplyer in the area and it has worked perfectly for over 2 years now. All I've done is be sure it was leveled when I installed it, that the exhaust vent was unblocked on the outside of the house and the lint filter was clean on each usage. The only dryer I've had any experience is the Maytag "halo-of-heat" types. My Mom has one and I've been the primary caretaker of it since she got it and that was at least 20 years ago. It was used then.

The supplyer didn't have any Maytag's I found interesting so I got this Kenmore. It was (and is) very clean. I know that's not necessarily the best indicator of quality but... When I first got it I noticed several things. The drum seemed very, very large capacity. It has plastic, not metal paddles (or blades? what do you call them?) in the drum. I thought this was a bit cheap but they are probably lighter and perhaps they are gentler on the clothes...? It is very quiet, even the clock has no humming or vibrations. And it really surprised me how quickly it drys. It is located in my garage, immediately against an outside wall so the vent tube it just 2-3 feet long. Maybe this is the reason? But my Mom's Maytag is in the middle of a laundry room above a basement. The exhaust tube goes down in the floor behind the dryer, into the basement, then travels along the basement ceiling 10 or 11 feet to it's terminus on an outside wall. It takes almost twice as long to dry the same size load. I never thought tube length could be such a determining factor but perhaps it is. Or there may be other contributing factors.

I got another pleasant surprise when I pulled the back access cover off. It was very clean. All the switch gear and connections and the heating element were right there in that small area. I didn't have to take off the top of the dryer or the front or sides. All I needed was right there. On the Maytag when you take off the back of the dryer it becomes a very unstable box and you have to be carefull you don't torque it or bend any of the walls if you have to move it - a small thing but I noticed. This Kenmore is really very well built and very sturdy. I like it.

I still like my Maytags! And I'm still going to get one but I'm keeping this Kenmore.

Thanks again!

 

[combo52]

Wirlpool and Kenmore dryer's

Glad you got this dryer working well. Yes the length of the vent pipe on your mothers Maytag dryer will affect the drying speed however the Maytag has about 800 W smaller heating element to begin with and Maytag HOH dryers don't do well with long vents anyway. The Maytag HOH dryers were always good performers but they are much older design than the whirlpool dryer you have and never were as fast or as large they also leaked a lot more lint internally so they were a little messier inside.

The Maytag dryer also has plastic baffled's but most dryers do usually not a problem.

I hope you find all your dream appliances and keep restoring them hopefully we can help good luck.

John L.

 

[fan-o-quality]

combo52,

I see the wisdom of your point. I was just trying to get it all in one job while I had it apart and away from the wall. But these are expensive parts. I've decided to use the heating element with the modified attachments. I'm still going to hold out for some tinned steel contacts there though. I'll install the old switches - maybe use the new thermal fuse. Then I'll have the other parts in reserve if there are failures in the future.

The more I think of it I like your suggestion. Thanks for confirming the parts!

Thanks John!

 

[mgmachine04]

Curious

My Lady Kenmore gas dryer model 6307804 is drying fine, however I find ignitors model 231603, hard to find.I only have one new left. Anyone here might have one for sale?