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The Kenmore Elite HE3 is 7.2 cu. ft. capacity electric dryer by Kenmore.

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Loss of drying power

It is losing it's drying power...not getting very warm. Any suggestion?

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Hi @dickgood12 I suspect the heating element might be worn out,

perhaps you can refer to the youtube link for a better idea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NbYdKCb...

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@dickgood12 Since you said it is not getting very warm, I assume it is gets some heat. Heating elements only work or don't work. I suspect the thermistor etc. may be giving you the issue. start with a few test. Dryer does not heat:

Locate the components using figure 11.

ELECTRIC DRYER:

1. Unplug dryer or disconnect power.

2. Remove the toe panel to access the thermal components. See Removing the Toe Panel, page 9.

3. Using an ohmmeter and referring to the wiring diagram, measure the resistance from the red wire terminal at the thermal cut-off to the red wire terminal at the heater.

➔ If the resistance is about 10 Ω, go to

step 5.

➔ If an open circuit is detected, go to

step 4.

4. Visually check the wire connections to the thermal cut-off, high limit thermostat, and heater. If connections look good, check for continuity across each of these components.

➔ Replace the heater if it is electrically open.

➔ Replace both the thermal cut-off and inlet thermistor/high limit thermostat assembly if either the thermal cut-off or the high limit thermostat is electrically open.

5. If no open circuit is detected, remove the P4 connector, then measure the resistance between P4-3 (red wire) and P4-6 (red wire) at the connector. See figure 17, page 10 for connector location; and Accessing & Removing the Electronic Assemblies, page 9.

➔ If 5–15 kΩ are measured, replace the machine control electronics.

➔ If the resistance is less than 1 kΩ, replace the outlet thermistor.

TEST #4a Thermistors

Outlet Thermistor

The machine control electronics monitors the exhaust temperature using the outlet thermistor, and cycles the heater relay on and off to maintain the desired temperature.

Begin with an empty dryer and a clean lint screen.

1. Plug in dryer or reconnect power.

2. Start the Timed Dry cycle.

3. If after 60 seconds, F:22 or F:23 flashes in the display and the dryer shuts off, the thermistor or wire harness is either open or shorted.

➔ Unplug dryer or disconnect power.

➔ Check wire connections at the machine control electronics and thermistor. See Accessing & Removing the Electronic Assemblies on page 9, and for thermistor location see figure 11, page 6.

➔ If wire connections are OK, check the outlet thermistor resistance per step 5, page 7.

4. If F:22 or F:23 does not flash in the display, the connections to the thermistor are good. Therefore, check

the exhaust temperature value at any or all of the temperature levels in question, using the Timed Dry cycle, and the following process:

Hold a glass bulb thermometer capable of reading from 90° to 180°F (32° to 82°C) in the center of the exhaust outlet. The correct exhaust temperatures are as follows:

Block Image

5. If the exhaust temperature is not within specified limits, or you have come here from step 3, perform the following:

NOTE: All thermistor resistance measurements must be made while dryer is unplugged or disconnected from power.

ELECTRIC DRYER: Remove the P4 connector, then measure the resistance between P4-3 (red wire) and P4-6 (red wire) at the connector.

➔ If the resistance is OK, check P4-3 and P4-6 to machine ground.

➔ If resistance is greater than 0 (zero), replace wiring harness.

ALL DRYERS:

The following table gives temperatures and their associated resistance values.

Block Image

➔ If the thermistor resistance does not agree with table, replace the outlet thermistor.

➔ If the thermistor resistance checks agree with the measurements in the table, replace the machine control electronics.

Here is the tech sheet for all the info

HE3 Tech Sheet

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1 Comment:

What oldturkey03 said is true about elements heating or not heating. But most have two elements and one can fail and the other work. You get heat but it takes forever to dry. This happened to me. I replaced the one coil and the thermistor and it's been working OK ever since. It's 23 years old.

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Richard Good will be eternally grateful.
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