How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6008294 / WP338906 Flame Sensor

I used Fixya as an initial source describing my problem. I got two responses which were very helpful. One that the "coils" were probably the problem. Two, that the problem could be the thermostat or a thermistor in the dryer. I verified that AC was coming from the timing control, that both the two terminal and three terminal coils,the igniter and shut off thermostat all had continuity. I then applied AC directly to the coils: the two terminal coil ""clanked" and I interpreted that as the coil driving the gas valve plunger properly; the three terminal coil "buzzed" and I interpreted that as poor operation, and not driving the gas valve in or out properly. I ordered the coil kit, a ignitor kit, and a flame sensor as I considered these wear-out items and worth replacing to avoid future failure. When I installed the new coils, I was surprised that I got exactly the same response as the original coils. I figured the main gas valve assembly needed replacement. To my surprise, the dryer worked great with just the two new coils installed. The gas burner cycled on and off during the drying cycle, and my wife said that the dryer was working just like it was new. It apparently wasn't drying well for a while. Luckily, my dryer had a removable front panel, so I didn't have to remove the drum to replace the coils, as your video suggested. It was pretty hard to get the two screws off which mounted the two coils on the gas valve assembly, not much space to get a regular size P.H. screwdriver in, luckily I had a stubby, fat-handled screwdriver that allowed me to apply sufficient breaking torque to loosen the screws. I also cleaned out the accumulated 11 years of dirt and lint at the bottom of the dryer, and also cleaned the burner funnel carefully, and checked the outside dryer exhaust for leaks and lint, and there was virtually no lint. I was happy to see that you carried all authentic Whirlpool replacement parts. I also reported that the technician in your video on replacing the shut off thermostat mounted opposite the flame sensor on the burner funnel stated that the T-stat normally fails "shorted" which doesn't make sense, as that would cause the burner assy. to heat up and not shut the dryer off, which is its intended purpose. 

I suspected the gas valve coils as I’ve replaced them before but this time it did not solve the problem. Luckily I ordered all five parts that are related to the heating function including the coils, thermal fuse, igniter kit, flame sensor, and finally the cycling thermostat. I figured while I had the dryer completely apart it’s probably a good idea to replace everything at once since one of the other parts may have failed shortly after. With all five new parts installed I gave her a test spin and she literally fired right up! I only had two challenges during the process, first, the dryer drum will not stay in position until you put the front panel back on so I used a bungee cord to keep it in place while I reattached the drive belt. Second, the one screw that holds the igniter bracket in place is in a bit of an awkward place, had to use a very small crescent wrench to get in there. Additional tips: Disconnect from the power outlet and turn off the gas valve behind the dryer, to open the top panel you can use a putty knife on the two front corners to release the clips or just give the top panel a nice tug forward at the rear left and right corner then simply pull the front of the panel up, change all parts while you’re in there, vacuum out all lint and debris, change the vent duct if bent or out of shape. The overall repair was actually pretty easy, I’d say give it a shot as a repair service could run a couple of hundred dollars and new dryers are getting pretty expensive these days. Good luck! 

After verifying the no heat problem myself, I just googled "LG3412W no heat" with my smartphone and thumb. One of the first hits was the Appliance Parts Pros website with a list of 8 possible parts that might fix this problem, listed in descending order of likelihood of success. With 3 adults worth of dirty laundry piling up and straining our ability to drip dry, I had to agonize over: 1) buying a new dryer from whatever a local dealer had in stock, then clearing years of valuable junk in the garage out of the way to pull out the old one and bring in the new OR B) Calling in a professional service man from any of several local depots whose online ratings invariably included comments like "took three trips over three weeks to fix problem" and "my cousin works there, five stars!!!", and then admitting said stranger to the privacy of my house according to his schedule OR III) Exercising my aging limbs and muscles "one more time" like I always used to do and fix the thing myself. I selected the latter. I ordered the first 4 parts listed by APP and gladly payed for overnight delivery. And POOF there they were, before lunch on a Saturday! After watching APP's online videos, I popped off the Amana's front panel by removing the only two screws I left in place from previous repairs (hahaha) and was overjoyed to see all 4 of those parts conveniently situated right in front, unlike in the Maytag shown in the video. Time being of the essence, I replaced the gas valve coils, the flame sensor and the limit thermostat just because I could. The Amana uses a "round" igniter as mentioned in the APP parts listing, and is held captive by a clamp which is spot welded in place, so clearly some extended field engineering would be necessary to replace that, plus I hadn't ordered the suggested igniter bracket (yet). Fortunately my existing igniter passed the ohmmeter test OK, so I've set the new igniter aside for the next time I have to open 'er up and replace the drum rollers and / or belt. I took my time on this repair and had the dryer running again after about 2.5 hours, all told, of slow paced work while laying on my aging back and side, finishing at a perfect time to treat myself to a congratulatory pizza and resume the neglecting of other pressing duties, as usual. My most important comment to make: As far as I'm concerned, Appliance Parts Pros gets half of the credit for fixing my dryer, and they earned it without even leaving their parts warehouse or web server! 

The best way to fix it is to open the plastic port on the bottom front of the dryer. Lie on the floor and you can see the flame when the cycle begins (the burner is visible through the port on the left and slightly up). If the flame goes out after about five minutes it's the same symptom. On ours I noticed that the vent was blocked (there's an indicator on the dryer control panel). Suspect that led to overheating and fried the coil. First thing is to clear the vent by disconnecting it and using a vent cleaning kit. Order a new coil. You'll also need a 2.5" long Phillips head screwdriver - its tight in there. When the coil arrives unplug the dryer. Lift the top. Take off the front. Take off the drum bulkhead. I hooked the top and the drum up with bungie cords to keep them from dropping. Replace the coil. It is right in the front and easily reachable. There is a single screw holding it down. It's behind the coil and not visible but you can see it with a mirror or just note where it is on the replacement part and you'll figure it out. The small screwdriver is needed though. If there is lint build up you might want to vacuum out the bottom of the dryer and remove the lint filter housing (just two more screws) to clean that out as well. I went ahead and got a spare coil in case it happens again. Next time I'll be able to fix it in under an hour. This time though I spent time cleaning the vent (ours runs a long way to the outer wall) and took the dryer apart once before having the part to see how it worked. 

When I pulled out the dryer from the wall, I could see dust/lint had accumulated everywhere and the vent system was compromised. I vacuumed up the dust/lint accumulation outside and then inside the vent system. I then opened the lower cabinet to clean and check its condition. I removed the water steamer bottle and its sub-assembly and then the drum. After cleaning and inspecting components — both visually and with a multi-meter I determined the problem was the appliance doing what it was designed to do. It was shutting off because of restricted flow out the vent caused by dust/lint accumulating. I further confirmed this by returning power and switching the dryer on with the cabinet still open and the drum still removed. I could observe the igniter heating to a glow and then the gas valve delivering fuel followed by ignition. I ran the unit for approximately a minute to see if it would cycle off or continue. It operated normally. I replaced the drive belt on the drum as part of routine service as the appliance cabinet was open and it was due. I redesigned and installed a new vent system to prevent problems in the future. It was a three-hour job in addition to the dryer work of an hour. I ordered a number of parts to have on hand as I generally perform my own repairs. I found the information on your website to be helpful in determining which parts to the stock based on the problems others had and your troubleshooting information. I also want to compliment you on your prices as I found other sources charging twice the amount for the same part. Shipping was fast and as advertised. I have you listed as my source for major appliance parts. 

AppliancePartsPros.com made it very easy. I'm somewhat technically inclined and not afraid of opening up and tinkering with electric devices, but I never imagined myself fixing a Maytag gas dryer. Mine was not producing heat, and the AppliancePartsPros.com site had one diagnosis for this problem: failed gas valve solenoid coils. So I ordered the part and watched the video on how to replace it. The video was easy to follow, and what I saw in the video matched what I saw in my dryer (except that the video was for the side-by-side model and I have the stacked model, so there were some differences, and there wasn't a video for stacked models, so I had to figure out a few things, which wasn't too hard). The part came quickly, and I made the repair. The instructions were helpful so it wasn't too difficult. Unfortunately, the dryer still didn't produce heat. I decided that this meant I'd replaced a working part and that there was some other part that had failed that AppliancePartsPros.com didn't diagnose. Digging deeper, I found two other parts that could be responsible for no heat: the electric igniter, and an ignition sensor. I looked up both parts on AppliancePartsPros.com, and they were pretty inexpensive so I ordered both, just in case. To my amazement, the parts came the very next day. I found two more videos on AppliancePartsPros.com for replacing those two parts, and the job was very easy. The result? My dryer now works perfectly again. And now 3 old parts are replaced with new ones, and I anticipate this may add years of service life to the dryer. My only comment about AppliancePartsPros.com: Since there are 3 separate parts that if failed could cause the dryer to not produce heat, they should have listed all of those parts, and not just one of them. That would have made it easier for me to fix it with one parts order instead of two, and get it done faster. All in all, I will turn to AppliancePartsPros.com in the future for other repairs. I think the site works really well to help pretty much anybody willing to try fixing their own appliances. 

I have the Maytag MDG9700AWW gas dryer and I had low heat. Upon running diagnostics I found that the temperature was going from 64 degrees F, only to 74 degrees F after running on Medium Heat for 15 minutes (of a 30 minute heat session), so that means the flame was turning on for a minute or two and then shutting off. The normal temp after running on Medium heat for 15 minutes (of a 30 minute session) should be around 115 degrees F. I replaced two parts, although for most people, replacing only the Coil Kit should fix their problem: I replaced two parts just to be safe so I wouldn't have to open it up again. First, I unplugged the Dryer. Then I turned off the gas flow at the pipe behind the dryer. First part I replaced was the Dryer Gas Valve Coil Kit. Very easy to replace. Location is in the bottom right of the front, and it requires a small stubby Phillips head screwdriver or a ratcheting 90degree angled Phillips head screwdriver. Just remove the metal holder first, two screws, then replace one coil at a time, remove the old one, disconnect the wire from it, connect the wire to the new one, put the first one back into place. and then repeat for the second one. Each coil is different so match them up. Each coil has a small protruding white bump at the top that lines up with the holes on the top of the metal holder to keep them in place. Put the metal holder back and tighten the screws. This one-part replacement may fix most no heat problems for most people. The second part I replaced was the Flame Sensor. Flame Sensor is located several inches behind the first part replacement. It's screwed onto the cylinder where the flame shoots out towards the back. You'll see two wires connected to it, That part is held in place by only one screw and a metal tab that fits into the cylinder. Easy to replace. Also needs a stubby Phillips screwdriver or ratcheting screwdriver. Unscrew it, remove it from the metal tab, unplug one wire and connect it to the new one, disconnect the second wire and connect it to the new one, and then put the metal tab back into place and screw it back into place. Close up the dryer going backward in how the panels were removed. Plug the dryer back in. Turn the gas back on. Test it out with a few wet towels.. It worked for me. Now normal dryer temperature after 15 minutes on Medium goes to 114 degrees F which is normal, meaning the flame stays on and doesn't turn off after 2 to 3 minutes. I do a 30-minute heating session on Medium, pause it after 15 minutes, so halfway, and then run diagnostics to see the internal temperature, and I see 01 and 14 flash on the panel. I'll try to make a youtube video sometime.I was only able to take photos. no video. 

Did some dryer repair research (dryer not heating) on the internet. Bought an ohm meter, opened up the dryer and tested the cut-off-T, high limit thermostat, dryer igniter, flame sensor, cycling thermostat for continuity. The igniter was bad, the other parts tested ok. Went online to AppliancePartsPros.com searched for a new igniter for my specific dryer model, found the right replacement igniter and watched the video on how to replace the igniter. Because my dryer is old (15+ years) and I prefer not to experience the hassle of replacing failing parts every year so I purchased the new igniter and several additional parts (and the parts are inexpensive). Installed all of the new parts as shown on the repair videos on AppliancePartsPros.com and the dryer is now heating up as designed. Thank you AppliancePartsPros.com. 

I posted a question on the Appliance Pros forum and quickly received responses saying that the problem was likely the flame sensor. I ordered a flame sensor from Appliance Pros and it was delivered in less than 36 hours. I replaced the old part and the dryer is now working fine. This isn't the first time that I received help from Appliance Pros. It's so good to know that there are experts who can help me diagnose appliance problems. I really appreciate it. 

Repalced solinoids on gas valve and replaced flame sensor