WED4975EW1 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

*as with all electrical repairs I unplugged dryer from the outlet*

I disconnected the wires to the heating element, removed the 2 nut screws holding the heating element in place and removed the defective heating element. It looked like the heating element had darkened on the lower end and the wire terminals definitely looked like they had built some resistance that lead to the connection wire melting.

I slid the new heating element in and replaced the 2 screws. I cut the melted portion of the connection wire about 1/2" beyond the melted area and stripped the wire jacket exposing clean wire. I took the connection kit & clean wire lead, divided the wires into 2 groups on each end and braided them together and twisted them to a hand tight grouping. I then took the lead cap and twisted into onto the braided wire connection until it was also hand tight and snug.

I then reconnected the heating element connection wire back to the terminal end of the heating element and made sure all connections were snug.

I plugged the dryer back in, reset the dryer by turning the dial to a timed setting then back to off. I set the heat to low turned the dial to a time dry and turned on the dryer to ensure the element heated up and that the wired connection was secure. After 20 - 30 seconds, the element maintained heat and no issues were found with the fixed wire.

I replaced the dryer back and all screws and reconnected the vent hose. Dryer has worked great for the last few weeks with no issues. I was really surprised it was that easy to fix.

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

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.

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.

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.

I received the part and was able to get this on my dryer in just a few minutes. I would use this company again if I have any issues with my products at home.

Took off back panel. unscrew timer. unplug wire and replace new wires from new timer, one at a time to make sure plugged to right terminals. screw back on the new timer. replace back panel.

Boyfriend stated it was simple, he removed the back and replaced the part using a few everyday tools.

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.

My 80 series Kenmore dryer wouldn't start so I looked online for a solution to the problem. One of the sites I found stated that the problem could be as simple as a thermal fuse if other potential issues could be ruled out. I ordered the part on a Monday from PartSelect with standard FedEx ground shipping - stated it could be 3-5 business days. To my amazement, the part arrived the next day! Awesome!!! I watched the video on the PartSelect site to make sure I knew how to fix it, then followed the easy instructions. All I needed to do was use the nutdriver to remove the back cover from the dryer, unplug the two wires going into the thermal fuse, remove the old fuse, and pop the new one in. Then I just plugged the wires into the new fuse, replaced the cover and voila, the dryer worked like a champ! Thank you PartSelect for saving me a needlessly high repair bill!!

just slide the new filter in.

repair was fairly cut and dry...if you have any handyman experience....the hard part was partselect web page...starts out easy to locate part if you have the correct model number....however after that it can be confusing as to what you are looking for part wise and if you have located the correct part....diagrams are helpful if you could see them and/or understand them or what you are looking for....as a novice can be fustrateing....even after calling partselect for help/explaination....other wise it went well for a repair and hopeful will get another 10yrs out of this dryer.....

Unplug Dryer.
Disconnect dryer vent line from rear of machine.
Removed 8 screws holding back cover on.
Removed back cover.
Disconnect 2 quick connect wires from dryer heating element tube on right side of the machine.
Remove 2 screws holding element cover in place.
Remove cover and element.
Remove thermostat from unit and connect to new unit.
Re install parts in reverse order of above.

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

Started at the top by laying back the control panel, then I removed the top panel, then the front panel, next the drum and the broken belt. before I put it back together in reverse order, I vacuumed the inside of the dryer and the exhaust vent