3RLEC8600SL2 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

I watched the video or I would have likley just called a repair man. It took longer to clean behind the dryer than to install the new thermal fuse. After taking the back off the dryer is was as simple as changing a fuse. Dryer works like new for about $20 bucks and we avoided the hasle of getting a repair man, especially since we live in the country. Thanks for having a web site that is so easy to use and full of good information.

Removed the front panel, removed the tub and removed the old seal. Tub seal area was scraped, sanded and wiped with acetone to ensure a clean. Bonding surface. Applied adhesive with and acid brush to get a consistent adhesive layer without getting too much in any one place. Seal was a bit smaller than the tub circumference so it had to be stretch to fit. While the adhesive was curing , I took the time to clean the contact surfaces and vacuum the lint from inside the cabinet. Reinstalled the tub, drive belt and front panel.

Took the top off and then front off and drum out . Replaced Drum roller and shaft support bolts.

Removed the dryer's back panel and took a look. Had no idea what to do next, so I read up on it. Partselect was extremely helpful to me, the exploded views with the part numbers called out were particularly helpful. So I determined it was the thermal fuse. Unscrewed the screw holding in the fuse and disconnected the electrical supply. New fuse went in really easily. Job took a lot longer than it had to cause since I was in there, I cleaned out the dryer really good.

Why the fuse blew was interesting: had an extension cord routed over the dryer, well it was situated such that it caused the timer knob to bind up. Apparently, the dryer ran all night because of this and blew the fuse. So don't obstruct the knob or you will be replacing a thermal fuse!

Take pictures along the way.
1. Remove lower front panel using screwdriver to lift up on tabs on top of panel.
2. remove door
3. unplug moisture sensor plugs
4. remove lint trap
5. on back of dryer, remove screws holding upper lid
6. slid up lid forward just a small amount, its hooked in towards the front of the upper lid. you will need to do this so you can can remove two screws under the lid holding the front panel of the dryer on
7. remove the front panel screws mentioned in step 6.
8. Remove lower front panel screws
9. remove front panel
10. reach into dryer at the bottom and release tension from belt pulley, sliding the belt off. (make a note of how the belt is routed around the drive and idler pulleys)
11. slide out tumbling drum
12. with drum removed, use socket wrench and socket to remove old idler pulley.
13. install new idler pulley
14. reinstall tumbling drum
15. slide belt back around tumbling drum, looping belt around drive pulley and around idler pulley.
16. When belt is installed, rotate drum a few revolutions to ensure belt rides correctly.
17. Reinstall front panel
18 slide top panel back into place and secure with screws from back
19. reinstall door
20. reattach moisture sensor plugs
21. reinstall lower panel

Simply followed the video that accompanied the part confirmation. Removed the top and front of the dryer. Removed the drum and belt. Unbolted (1 bolt) the Idler pulley and bracket and bolted on the new one. Reversed the sequence of disassembly and tried it out. The only minor difficulty was slipping the belt over the idler pulley after the drum was in place. This is where a second set of hands might be helpful to hold up the drum, while the other person puts the belt in place. Other than that, this was a simple repair and probably saved a couple hundred dollars for about 1.5 hours of my time. Thanks for the video...it was right on point, and made the job much easier.

Unplug the machine. Take off back panel and remove heater assembly. Since I was already into the heating system, I replaced the heating element as well ($30). I replaced the old thermal cut off and overtemp, put the wires back on the connectors, reassembled, and the dryer works like it did when brand new! Within 30 minutes the repair was completed. Still saving for a new front loader washer/dryer, so the repair will hold us until we have enough to buy new. Alos, helped us to need to dry clothes on a clothes rack in the house. Good practice and lesson for the entire family!

Removed Back and found schematic. Found fuses on schamatic and parts inside dryer. Checked fuses and thermal fuses with an ohm meter and found one that was open. Went to Parts select and ordered part. Relpaced the part and dryer works like new.

My dryer would not start or turn. I first moved the timer to midway between start and end of a cycle and could hear the timer ticking, likely eliminating the timer as the culprit. I next opened the door, manually pressed the door-closure switch and pressed START to see if the heating coil was heating without the drum turning to see if it might be a motor issue. After no heat, I unplugged the dryer and removed the vent hose by loosening the clamp and then removed the lower back cover using a socket and ratchet. Using a multimeter, I quickly found an open thermal fuse. I tested the remaining components to see if they also required replacement (coil, thermostat, high temp sensor) - all tested good. Took a chance and ordered the fuse alone instead of also purchasing replacement thermostat as many advise - if you have not replaced in a while, probably worth doing now. I have replaced mine within a year or two and chalked up the issue to my kids not clearing the vent, so I went without the new thermostat. Model number was found by opening the lid - parts arrived incredibly fast especially for being around the holidays. Replaced the fuse with ease - there is a notch in one end that holds the non-screw end in place so it's flush. Plugged the dryer back in, selected a cycle and confirmed the dryer started and heated as normal. I then had my son open the dryer door to confirm the drum stopped turning. HERE'S WHERE IT TAKES A TWIST: When the door was open, the heating coil continued to glow red hot (faulty timer??) I moved selector to end of cycle and the glow stopped. (timer's good) I then moved the selector mid-way between cycles with the dryer door open and WITHOUT PRESSING START and the coil again glowed red. Disconnected power, disconnected coil and using multimeter, checked from coil input to case ground (any bare metal) and found one side of the coil to be grounded. I was able to removed the heating coil and locate where the coil was touching the case. I shifted the coil back into place, checked with meter (no ground this time), reinstalled and tested with no problems. Reinstalled the back plate and vent hose. Finally, had conversation with the kiddos about being gentle when moving the dryer and all was well. The thermal fuse portion took 15 minutes from diagnosis to replacement. The overall process (due to the additional grounded heating coil) took 30-60. With any repair like this, I usually recommend visually verifying the heat cycles on and off by carefully running with the door open and holding the switch. This will help you determine if you may have an additional faulty part that made the first one fail. (Most likely, thermostat).

Replaced the most worn drum wheel any lubed the belt tension arm pulley. The noise didn't go completely away. There are 4 drum wheels. I need to order 3 more wheels and the tension arm now.

all that was required was to push the catch into the slot notools needed.

The repair was no problem. Just taking off the hex screws removing the crimp wire and replace the parts in the kit and the old dryer came back to life again.

Thanks

First I removed the two screws that hold the element in place. I then pulled the element out about 3 inches and disconnected the two wires. Performed current check to determine possible problem-then Able to go on line with partselect, extremely easy part description and selection, ordered, part arrived next day. Could not have went any better

I squeezed the latch catch with a pair of pliers and pushed it in the catch hole. But that was the final repair. There were two "repairs" before that. First, we used two commercial grade rolls of wide plastic tape to tape the dryer door shut each time we used it, for a year, until we ran out of tape. Second, we positioned a chest of drawers in front of the dryer and wedged a 1" x 4" against the door. Very effective. Then I broke down and ordered the $3 catch.

The repair went well, using the whirlpool repair manual and looking at the video from PartSelect. The machine was a bit different than the one in both the video and the manual but that did not cause any problems. The only tricky part was to reinstall the belt "blind" behind the motor, easy to pinch your fingers and also get scratched by the sheet metal edges. To make it easier for that part I supported the drum with the old belt and a bungee cord to the garage frame so I did not have to hold it up and work under it at the same time. When the drum and new belt were in place I just cut the old belt, it was going to the trash anyway.. I replaced the belt and the tension pulley, witch was not turning easy and worn by the belt. I also put some grease ( SUPER-LUBE, www.super-lube.com) on all pulleys. It took about 2 hours because I am 78 years old and have heart problems.