If your Maytag dryer is not heating, use the following troubleshooting steps to help you locate the problem, find the faulty parts and replace or repair them to get your dryer heating up properly again.
WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any dryer yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death. Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it. If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it. Be aware that clothes dryers have extremely sharp edges and moving parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death. Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved in dryer repair besides those listed above. We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further. Always think safety first!
Maytag Electric Dryer
Won’t Heat Up
- Breaker – The first thing you should check if your electric Maytag dryer won’t heat is the dryers 220 circuit breaker located in the homes main circuit breaker box. You will need to locate the breaker box and find the 220 breaker that is dedicated for your dryer. Flip the breaker off and on a few times even if it looks like the breaker is already in the on position. A standard size electric clothes dryer runs on 220 volts and if half of the two-pole breaker is tripped the dryer motor will run on 110 volts but the heating element will not heat up. If your clothes dryer still won’t heat up after flipping the breaker switch, some further troubleshooting will need to be performed on the dryer itself.
- Warning – Please be certain that the electricity has been turned off or disconnected completely to the dryer that you are repairing, please double check before you proceed to troubleshoot any further.
- Thermal Fuse – The dryer thermal fuse is also known as the thermal cutoff fuse and the temperature fuse. The thermal fuse is used as a safety device cutting off the electricity to the dryers drive motor and the heating element to keep the clothes dryer from getting too hot. Note – Once this fuse has blown, it cannot be reused. If your dryer’s thermal fuse has blown, you will need to check for lint build up or blockage in the clothes dryer’s lint filter, vent hose or ventilation system, before installing a new thermal fuse, only to have it blow out again. Lint build up prevents proper air flow in a dryer and is the most common reason for a dryer’s thermal fuse to blow.
- Heating Element – The heating element is used to heat the air before it enters into the drum on an electric clothes dryer. If your electric dryer is not heating, you will need to visually inspect the element for damage. If the element coils are intact and no signs of damage are found, you will need to test the element for continuity using a multimeter. If the element does not have continuity the part is bad and will need to be replaced. Before installing the new heating element, you will need to check for loose or burnt wires that lead to the heating element and repair or replace them before connecting the wires onto the new element. Loose wire connections and burnt or damaged wires can cause the newly installed element to short out.
- Cycling Thermostat – The cycling thermostat is normally located on the clothes dryer’s blower housing. The thermostat is used to cycle the heating element off and on during the drying cycle to regulate the temperature of the air entering the clothes dryer. Using a test meter, you will need to test the cycling thermostat to see if it has continuity, if the test shows that it does have continuity the thermostat is good. If the test shows that the thermostat does not have any continuity, then the part is bad and will have to be replaced with a new thermostat.
- High-Limit Thermostat – The high-limit thermostat is located on the dryers heating element housing. It is used to monitor the dryer’s temperature and will shut the heating element off if the clothes dryer gets too hot. You will need to test the thermostat to make sure that it has continuity using a test meter, if the thermostat has continuity the part is good. If the thermostat does not have continuity, the part is bad and will have to be replaced with a new thermostat.
Maytag Gas Dryer
Won’t Heat
- Warning – Please be certain that the electricity and the gas have been turned off or disconnected to the gas dryer that you are repairing. Please double check before proceeding to troubleshoot any further.
- Thermal Fuse – The dryer thermal fuse is also known as the thermal cutoff fuse and the temperature fuse. The fuse is used as a safety mechanism, cutting off electricity to the dryer motor and the burner assembly to keep the clothes dryer from getting too hot. The fuse can be tested using a test meter, if the fuse does not have continuity, the part is bad and will need to be replaced. Note – Once this fuse has blown it cannot be reused. If your fuse has blown, you will need to check for blockage or lint build up in the clothes dryer vent hose or ventilation system before installing a new thermal fuse, only to have it blow again.
- Igniter – The igniter is located inside of the burner assembly in a gas dryer, it is used to ignite the gas into flame for heat. If the igniter is bad, the gas will not light and the clothes dryer won’t heat up. Using a digital meter or multimeter you will need to test the igniter to see if it has continuity. If the test shows that it does have continuity, the igniter is good. If the igniter does not have continuity, then the part is bad and will need to be replaced.
- Gas Valve Solenoid Coils – The gas valve solenoid coils also referred to as the ignition coils are mounted just in front of the gas burner assembly. Their function is to open the gas valve to let gas flow into the burner assembly. If you can see that the igniter is glowing red hot and the burner does not light, it is likely that one or both of the coils are bad. Solution – replace both of the ignition coils.
- High-Limit Thermostat – The high-limit thermostat is located on the dryer’s burner assembly. It is used to monitor the temperature in the dryer and will shut the burner off if the dryer gets too hot. You will need to test the thermostat to make sure that it has continuity using a digital meter or a multimeter. if the thermostat does not have continuity, the part is bad and will need to be replaced with a new one.
- Cycling Thermostat – The cycling thermostat is normally mounted on the clothes dryer’s blower housing. It is used to cycle the gas burner off and on during the drying cycle to regulate the temperature of the air entering the dryer. Using a test meter, you will need to test the cycling thermostat to see if it has continuity. If the test shows that it does have continuity the thermostat is good. If the thermostat does not have any continuity, then the part is bad and will need to be replaced with a new one.
- Flame Sensor – The dryer flame sensor is used on a gas dryer as a safety device. the sensor is used to prevent high levels of gas from building up in the dryer. The sensor senses heat that is emitted from the igniter and monitors if it is hot enough to ignite the gas and light the burner. You will need to test the sensor for continuity using a test meter. If the test shows that the sensor does not have any continuity, the part is bad and it will need to be replaced with a new sensor.