How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP3094224 / 279769 Dryer Thermal Cut-Off Kit

After diagnosing with a multimeter. I ordered a thermal cut-off kit from appliancepartspros.com and received it in two days. Installed and the problem was fixed. Tech at Appliance Parts Pros was very helpful in verifying my diagnosis of the problem. They are very knowledgeable about appliances. 

Purchased replacement thermal cut-off kit, easy to install and dryer works fine now. Youtube very helpful. 

Repair parts from appliancepartspros. Dryer Heating Element and Thermal Cut-Off Kit. Did not use Thermal Fuse (disposable, One Time Fuse). 

I did kind of use the shotgun method in this repair. I replaced all four of the internal sensors and the moisture bar. I figured with all new sensors, another one of the old ones may have failed in the future and I would be back into it again. I did check the heating coil with my ohm meter and it was fine. This unit is 17.5 years old, it is a Sears Elite Series and I was told worth repairing. It is a combo washer/dryer, so the videos here dont show the proper location of the parts, but they are the same and it takes just a few minutes to orient yourself to finding them all. $175 in parts and it was up and running again and working perfect. I recommend taking pictures before you begin for reference later. The pictures help with the older memory! FEDX was very slow in the parts delivery, so be prepared for that. I also did a lot of cleaning of lint from everywhere in this unit, it is a good thing to do while you have it all apart. 

Installed a thermal cut off kit and it works fine. Cleaned the fan while I had the back off. Four screws and I'm glad I did. Lots of lint. 

The Thermal Cut-Off Kit fixed the problem, very easy to install. Removed the bottom front panel, (pops off) removed the fan cover, (two nut driver screws) removed the wires from the heat coil and wires from the Thermal Cut-Off Kit. Removing the heat coil pipe made it easy to remove and replace the Thermal Cut-Off Kit. Never work on a dryer until you unplug it. 

Ordered one and it took 5 minutes to install 

I watched a youtube video on how to diagnose the problem and find the broken part. I ordered a replacement part from AppliancePartsPros.com, installed the part and fixed the problem. 

I replaced the high-limit thermostat and the thermal cutoff. 

Being a forward thinking individual, I surmised that the Kenmore 80 Series dryer is 25 years in-service, I ordered a new heating element, thermal cut-off, in addition to the cycling thermostat. The parts were shipped on day ordered and received exactly as promised(3 days)! On this unit, it only required removing the rear panel; after unplugging the power and dis-connecting the exhaust connection. All three components were readily accessible once the rear panel was removed. The heating element was the most challenging component to remove, due to a single retaining screw on the lower rear side of the heater shroud(box). There is only one screw, total - Nice! I used a 5/16" box wrench to remove the screw, but remember; the direction of loosening is reversed due to it being on the back side! The job went well, taking about .75 - 1.0 hr. including vacuuming all the "bunnies". Videos can be searched using "Kenmore Dryer 80 Series - Mod. No.(located inside upper left corner of door frame). You CAN do this with basic tools, and get a new merit badge, along with the couple hundred $ saved, for your next appliance repair. That'll work!