blackcrk
New member
Hello everyone,
For full disclosure, I'm posting here in a bit more of a panic than I should because the wife is threatening to retire our Maytag DE306 dryer in the next week or two if I can't diagnose and fix what I think is likely a simple problem.
This dryer (DE306) and a Maytag A606 washer came with our house when we purchased it in Sept 1978. They have been extremely reliable work horses - perhaps I've had to make a half dozen or so repairs to them over the last 40 years - the washer required a motor replacement and a new timer, the dryer required new belts, a new heating element, and an over temperature sensor.
The current problem with the DE306 is that the dial spins freely in both directions unless you push it in. So you go from normal to delicates to permanent press with no clicking. If you press and turn, the dryer starts and seems to work properly - you just have no idea what time you are selecting or which type of drying you are selecting.
I believe that the timer itself is fine, I think that perhaps the "do-hickey" little tab that moves the timer to the setting you want has broken.
I made an attempt to remove the dial and see what might be going on inside, but the dial didn't pull off easily and I didn't want to break it more than it already is.
It's a lot easier to tear into something when it is in total failure - when there is nothing to lose, but the dryer is still working, and I don't want to make things worse until I better understand what's behind that 45 year old dial and the timer that still appears to be working.
Any thoughts on how I should proceed?
For full disclosure, I'm posting here in a bit more of a panic than I should because the wife is threatening to retire our Maytag DE306 dryer in the next week or two if I can't diagnose and fix what I think is likely a simple problem.
This dryer (DE306) and a Maytag A606 washer came with our house when we purchased it in Sept 1978. They have been extremely reliable work horses - perhaps I've had to make a half dozen or so repairs to them over the last 40 years - the washer required a motor replacement and a new timer, the dryer required new belts, a new heating element, and an over temperature sensor.
The current problem with the DE306 is that the dial spins freely in both directions unless you push it in. So you go from normal to delicates to permanent press with no clicking. If you press and turn, the dryer starts and seems to work properly - you just have no idea what time you are selecting or which type of drying you are selecting.
I believe that the timer itself is fine, I think that perhaps the "do-hickey" little tab that moves the timer to the setting you want has broken.
I made an attempt to remove the dial and see what might be going on inside, but the dial didn't pull off easily and I didn't want to break it more than it already is.
It's a lot easier to tear into something when it is in total failure - when there is nothing to lose, but the dryer is still working, and I don't want to make things worse until I better understand what's behind that 45 year old dial and the timer that still appears to be working.
Any thoughts on how I should proceed?