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A gas dryer blows air through a
burner assembly to heat the air. The burner assembly consists
essentially of a gas valve, ignitor and a flame sensor. If any
part of the burner assembly malfunctions, the result will be low
or no heat and slow drying of the clothes.
Caution:
Please read our safety
information before attempting any testing, maintenance
or repairs.
 Before testing the gas coils, unplug the clothes dryer or shut off the
power at the fuse box or breaker panel to avoid an electrical
shock hazard. Turn off the gas line to avoid a possible gas leak. When moving a gas dryer be careful not to damage the gas line.
On the gas valve are one or two
coils (solenoids) used to open and close the valve to control
the flow of gas. If a coil fails, gas will not flow and the dryer
will have no heat.
The easiest way to diagnose a problem
in the burner assembly is to observe the burner operation. Remove
the small access panel at the bottom, front of the dryer, select
a high temperature setting and start the appliance. Watch the
burner assembly, shortly after starting the dryer the ignitor
should begin to glow. Next you should hear the click of the gas
valve coil and a flame should ignite. The flame should be mostly
blue and it should remain on for a minute or more.
If the ignitor glows for several
seconds (up to 15 seconds) and then goes out, the problem is probably
the coils (solenoids). If the ignitor glows and stays on, then
the problem is usually the flame sensor. If it ignites and then
quickly goes out, it is most likely a problem with inadequate
air flow.
Test the coil for resistance
using a multitester.
Set the multitester to the ohms setting X10. Place a probe on each
terminal. The multitester should change from a reading of infinity
to roughly 1300 ohms (+/- 150 ohms) when the probes touch the terminals. If the
reading is infinity or substantially different from 1300 ohms, the
solenoid should be replaced.
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