WGD4800XQ5 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

I suspected a faulty igniter and disconnected the cable to the igniter and measured the resistance of the igniter and found it to be 70 ohms then I checked the voltage at the same cable towards the power source and found it to be 25 volts ac which should be 120 volts ac. Next I checked the radiant flame sensor and found it to be open (it should be a closed circuit when cold). I removed the flame sensor (with the power off) using a small box wrench and found a broken lead. Replacing the flame sensor solved the problem.

I was reluctant to call a repair service. Typically when an appliance is as old as my dryer (14 years old), service people encourage you to replace, not repair. I had replaced the dryer's motor within the last 5 years and believed my dryer still had life to it. At first, I tried cleaning the lint build up from the dryer cavity and hoses. This worked but only for a couple of days. After reading other successful repair stories on the website, I decided to try replacing the thermal fuse. It was so easy. The part was easily identifiable. It was just a little hard to yank off the connecting wires. Good as new and no service call.

First I pulled out lint catcher, you will see two screws ,removed two the screws on top ,( philips head screw driver) I than took a putty knife and pushed in the front of the dryer under the lid and lifted the top up, I than removed a self tapping screw on each side with a 5/16 wrench and lifted the front panel out. I than pulled out the drum and this exposed the two rollers, I than pulled of the nut locks with athe pliers , took off the plastic triangle snaps and pullled off the old rollers , replaceing them with the new ones,put the triangle locks on and that the lock nuts on , I than put the drum back in, than the front panel, replaceing the two self tapping screws , snapped down the top,replaced the other two screws again on top and replaced the lint catcher, I was done.

Unplugged washer,removed the two screws by the lint trap,moved the top foward lifted the top (it'shinged in the back )the switch is right inside the door top right hand corner removed the two screws that hold the switch in place used a flatblade screwdriver to seperate the connections pulled off the old installed the new switch put every thing back together worked as though it wes never broken

Troubleshhot problem, used multimeter to verify current to motor. Once that i was sure motor was getting proper voltage, I used a meg-ohm meter on A/C motor windings and physically tried to turn motor and found that it was siezed. I then cleaned inside of unit inspected belt and drum rollors. Due to the cost of the items, I decided If I was going to replace the motor I should replace all moving parts, and install new belt. Everything went easy. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE! was that the Parts people sent the correct parts on time the first time, with no hiddin charges. There web site should accurate diagrams of parts and internals of machine. I was really pleased and will use this service again. Thank you

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.

Took back cover off
Disconnected part
Put new one in
Reconnected wires
Put back cover on

To verify that this was the needed part, I used a digital multimeter to confirm there was no continuity.

Took everything apart, replaced the igniter flint, and still didn't get heat. Then found out the thermal sensor wasn't running a electrical current through it with voltmeter and just replaced that, now it we have heat again!

Solution: electric motor replacement as the integral centrifugal switch lever (plastic cam) wears over time causing the start windings' switch poor contact. Took it all apart, (back panel, front and top) including lifting the drum out to completely expose the motor. Needed to wrench the plastic fan from the inside motor shaft. Tricky part was swapping the original pulley (6 rib belt, still good) for the one supplied for 4 rib belts. I needed to file another flat onto the other side of both motor shafts (old and new) to break them free, using a vice to secure the pulleys. The dryer works perfectly! It's a great dryer that can be repaired by a determined novice. The enclosed instructions were helpful, although if followed about cutting the original motor shaft to obtain its pulley might require drilling the shaft from the pulley = nonsense. Thanks again Parts Select.

After researching and finding correct replacement unit placed order and waited to receive. Screen is located top of dryer so replacement simple and fit was perfect.

Replacing the part was easy: unscrew the old one from the front of the dryer after opening door, disconnect and replace with new one. Getting to it was a bit more difficult: Remove 6 screws from the back, 4 that hold the back of the top down and 2 that hold the control panel in place. You had to remove the control panel to free up the wiring bundle (held in place by a tie wrap inside the control panel housing) so you could move the top forwards enough. Then remove the top of the dryer by lifting the back up slightly and moving it forward to disconnect from attachments in the front and move aside to gain access to the switch.

I had an issue where I was not getting any power to my ignitor. After replacing the ignitor with a fresh one, the problem persisted. Next, I went hunting all the fuses and therrmostats for continuity. All seemed fine. So finally I decided to jump the flame sensor which is located on the outside of the flame tube. WHALLA! It ignited the glow plug. So with one 1/4"" nut driver I removed the single bolt from the unit, then I used a pliers to remove the two wires from the old unit. I replaced the sensor with Tue new unit and all was well. It took less than 5 min once I diagnosed the problem.

just slide the new filter in.

I watched all the videos with Steve. He was very helpful in his presentation of the repairs. Due to the age of the dryer every thing was replaced and was very easy to do. Thank you Steve and PartSelect for making these repairs possible and easy