7MKGDS400DW0 Kenmore Dryer - Instructions

First, I unplugged the dyer and then I removed all of the screws for the panel that covers the rear of the dryer. This exposed the cycling thermostat's location. I then removed the wires, one at a time so I would be able to put them back on in the same place. Then I removed the one screw using a nut driver and then put the new cycling thermostat in place. It was pretty easy.

removed front of dryer located igniter removed two screws disconnected wires then put new one in also replace thermal fuse and thermostat on back of dryer works great.

I looked at the parts breakdown to see how it cam apart.

I tore the dryer down,
1. removed the door
2. openned the top
3. removed front panel
4. removed fron bulkhead
5. removed belt and drum
6. removed back cover
7. removed the ductwork
8. removed the fan (this is the hardest part, it is very tight on the motor with left hand threads, there are flats on the (inside of the dryer)fan where the motor shaft goes into the fan for a wrench and you can put a socket on the front pulley on the motor. I ended up just knocking the center out of the fan and replacing it.
9. removed the motor and cleaned the entire unit
10. reinstalled everything in reverse order. Note:I went ahead and replaced the idler pulley and the rear wheels that support the drum, and put a new belt in (just about
everything that could fail) I spent about $200 to keep a $1200 dryer in service at least another 7 years.

I needed to remove the front lower cover, very easy as it is held on with clips only so I used a flat head screw driver to pop it off. I had to remove the lint filter and then there are two screws attaching the top cover of the dryer to the internal lint filter tray. The top of the dryer can then be opened front to back I again used the flat head screw driver to pop the top open as it has two clips at the front corners. It helps to have someone to hold it open or a rod of some type to keep it open. You can now lay the belt on the top of the drum and work it down the back side by pulling forward on the drum itself to seperate the drum from the seal that presses aginst the back side of the drum. I then went from the lower front to retrieve the belt now draped over the drum and pinched the belt to pass it through the tensioner and over the drive pulley. looking at it from the front the belt will come down the right side of the drum under the tensioner pulley around the drive pulley across the bottom of the drum and up the left side. The belt sits almost in the middle of the drum not against the back lip where there is a groove that might be confused as a place for the belt to ride that is where the seal sits then reverse the process to reattach the top to lint tunnel and reattach front cover and you are good to go . i would suggest vaccuming any old dust/ lint whlie everything is open as this reduces the chance for catching on fire I was supprised as to how much lint was loose inside the dryer cavity itself and our dryer is gas and the flame is an open flame.

Thermal fuse was blown so I replaced it. Still no heat. Hi-Limit thermostat and Cycling Thermo. had continuity as did flame sensor. Igniter tested 66ohms. I placed a wire jumper across the Hi-Limit and the igniter glowed, solenoids opened and gas came on. I orderd the Hi-Limit and since both "overheating" limiters were defective I decided to order the cycling thermo just in case. The Hi-Limit was received in 2 days but the Cycling Thermo was backordered. In the meantime my wife got antsy so I went ahead and installed the Hi-Limit and put her back in service... ...for one load. I wasn't certain if I had fried the "limiters" again but since they had continuity and I could measure continuity all the way to the Igniter I decided that it HAD to be the cause. I ignored the flame sensor since it never came into play without the igniter glowing... The igniter arrived and measured 56ohms. Hmmm... After installing the problem was solved. Word of advice: If the thermal fuse is blown and even if all else in the circuit SEEMS ok, go ahead and order the Fuse, Hi-Limit and Cycling Thermos, and the Igniter. It will take you about 30 minutes to install and you'll reduce your out-of-service time! Good luck!

First, removed the bottom cover below the dryer door. This is just held on with two clips that can be pushed in with a flat screw driver. Then remove the springs that go from the bottom of the dryer to the inside of the dryer door. We had to remove the entire front of the dryer, so the easiest way we found was to loosen the two screws on the bottom of the front panel, but not remove them. Then pop up the top of the dryer. To lift the top, first remove the two screws under the little door where the lint trap goes. The top is hinged in the back, and it snaps down onto two clips that can easily be popped up with a flat screw driver) With the top opened, there are two screws accessible. When the front of the dryer is removed, there will be nothing to support the drum, so what we found was that if you rotate the drum, you'll find a point where there's a hole in the top of the drum. If you take the springs that you removed from the bottom of the door you can hook them into this hole, and hook the other end into a hole in the back wall of the dryer just behind the drum. The springs are the perfect size for this, and it keeps the drum from falling when you remove the front panel. then just disconnect the three wires going to the switch inside the front panel, and remove the two screws from the top of the front panel. It should then lift right off. The bearing can just be pulled away and the new one installed. Put everything together again in reverse order.

Followed simple instructions to replace two pulleys and belt. The Virtual Repairman helped me identify the cause in minutes. Took another 5 minutes to place the order and the part arrived two days later. Saved $125 at least. Thank you!

john

1 screw to replace.

Super easy to repair...I had to idea how to get started; but after watching the video from your site it was a breeze. Thanks for having "how to repair" videos on your site.

Repair kit came in 2 days..fantastic..thank you so much....with new rollers, belt and tension roller she works like new

1.Unplugged the connections to dryer door
2. Removed dryer door, front cabinet,popped off the drum belt (this is done by feel),unplugged the drum from cabinet, removed drum, all to get to the gas element inside at the bottom of dryer.
3. Unplugged the connection to the element, then removed unit to get to the burner parts.
4. Replaced the natural gas burner element with the LP gas element.
5. Re assembled dryer and tested.
*Note: Actually my son did the work while I read the very easy to follow directions. Since neither of us has disassembled a dryer before, the thought of taking a brand new dryer all apart was more daunting than the actual task.

First, let me say the t videos are excellent. Check them out if you haven't already.

I came across the video on diagnosing the causes of odd dryer noises. After watching that, I decided that the issue was probably a drum roller.

I took a chance and ordered the maintenance kit to avoid having to take the dryer part to confirm the diagnosis and then put it back together again while waiting for the parts to arrive (BTW - the parts arrived within two days of my ordering them) .

Even if you know your issue is only the roller, I recommend getting the entire kit. It takes no extra time to replace the drive belt and the idler pulley while you have to dryer apart and I consider it good preventative maintenance.

Definitely watch the how-to video PartSelect provides on how to perform the repair using the maintenance kit. It's very clear and very helpful. I'm not sure I could have figured out how the belt fit through the idler pulley without it.

As video shows, the repair is pretty straightforward. As others have noted, you'll likely find a couple of dollars in change and a goodly layer of lint in the bottom of the cabinet. Have your shop back handy.

It seems kind of silly, but I found the hardest part of the whole repair was getting the front panel to slide onto the two bottom clips that support it.

One thing to watch out for are two small metal clips surrounding the screw holes at the top of the front panel. The nut screws that hold the panel in place screw into these, not the panel itself. After I struggled to get the panel in place I realized that in the process I had knocked the clips off and so had to remove the front panel again in order to retrieve the clips from the bottom of the cabinet. Minor frustration. And with all the practice I had the first time around, the panel went on much more easily the second time :-)

It was very gratifying to plug the dryer in, turn it on and have it run perfectly. Better yet, it impressed my wife.

Purchased the dryer maintenqance repair kit. Very simple to do. Easy to follow instructions. Took less than an hour. Everything I needed was in th kit. Did not have to run to home depot for anything.

For the Ignitor - As involved as taking the dryer completely apart sounded, it was super easy. 1-take out the lint trap and remove the two screws there. 2-Pop open the top with a screw driver and swing the top completely over/back. 3- remove the two screws holding in the front panel and remove the panel. 4- loosen the belt by pushing on the tension roller under the drum on the right and remove the drum (its super light) use the belt as a handle. 5- remove the screw holding in the ignitor and replace it with the new one. Be careful to not touch the new ignitor. Then go backwards putting it back together.

Cleaned out years of fuzz behind lower access panel and noticed where the igniter sits there is a metal tube about 1 inch in diameter. It had rust on the end and was starting to flake away. Found some helpful hints about how to test the igniter. Very easy, just used an ohmeter. Unplugged the 2 pin wire connector and checked for continuity. 1 lead on 1 pin and the other on the other pin., igniter side not the harness side from the dryer. A good igniter should read less than 5 ohms. I don't know the spec. exacttly, but it should not read open or infinite resistance. My meter read an open circuit. Removed the tube and igniter assembly, mine only 2 small bolts. I found the igniter element cracked. Ordered and installed igniter and tube assembly. This was a very easy install. 20 year old dryer works great and it's better than spending $500.00+ on a new one.

First i removed the rear panel on the dryer.the removed bothe thermostats that were on the blower housings.unpluged all wiers and installed new thermostats.reinstalled the wiers in there proper locations...note to log the location of the wires when removing from old switch.reinstalled the rear panel and hooked dryer back up and test.