How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP3094323 / 279973 Thermal Cut Off Kit

I ordered the Thermal Cutoff kit - (2 pieces) & a new heating element. 

Replaced thermal cut-off and thermal fuse. 

First, I LOVE AppliancePartsPros.com I've fixed a dryer, washer and dishwasher all from the information found on ApplicancePartsPros.com. Not only do you get great quality parts from AppliancePartsPros.com but they give you AWESOME diagnostic steps as well. I followed their guide to diagnosing my No Heat issue which led me to the Thermal Cut-Off kit. Fairly simple repair and my dryer is HOT again. $44 repair vs. a $1000 electric dryer. I've repaired this dryer three times over 20 years based on information and parts from AppliancePartsPros.com. Couldn't be happier! 

Replaced the heating element which was bad “ no continuity “ and while I was at it I changed the thermostat and over heat fuse just in case. 

Decided to replace all parts within the main heating circuit, Element, High Temperature Cut Off, Thermal Fuse, and Thermostat. I know that only the high temperature cut-off was bad, but since the dryer is around 18 years old but in great shape, I decided to replace all while I had it apart. Also spent more time then was necessary making sure all lint was removed from the fan assembly and the back of the dryer case and main exhaust tube. It was beneficial, especially in the fan area. Reassembly of the new components actually only took around 20 minutes at most including start up and test. 

Replaced a part from Thermal Cut-off Kit. 

Took the appliance apart and investigated the components with a multi-meter located a continuity error with the Heating Element. I removed the heating element from the case and inspected it closer. Found the cracked element. I replaced the Thermal Cut-off Kit even though it registered as functional from the tests, in the event that they were somehow related to the root cause of the issue. This was the first time taking a dryer apart, I was pleasantly surprised at what simple devices these things are and very appreciative that almost all the screws/bolts are basically the same size. Though I'm not sure I saw a video on here for my exact model, the examples helped get the anatomy of the machine into my mental model. Then youtube aided in some more specific research. I was going to get some heating elements (aftermarket), but after viewing reading the reviews and asking myself why such a large discrepancy in the cost of components. I decided they were cutting some corners in their quality control and didn't want to introduce more chances of a faulty heating element into an already fire-prone situation. 

The Thermal cut-off kit did the trick when my dryer would turn off after about 2 minutes. Took about 10 minutes to cool down before I could turn it on again. The same thing happened 2 more times. The dryer would run on a low heat setting and it took most of the day to dry 2 loads. I purchased from APP in the past so I checked their online videos and ordered the parts. I was impressed at the speed of delivery. It was like overnight. The repair was simple but not quite as easy as depicted. My Duet set sits on pedestals so the bottom cover was easy. The inside was like in the video but cramped could only use a rachet on the bottom screws of the sensor and cut it off. Used a tiny 1/4 wrench, working blind, and could only do a quarter turn at a time. Took a while but got it done now my 13 yr old wed915owwo works like new. 

One of the AppliancePartsPros.com videos found the problem to be the fuse. Which comes as a Thermal Cut-off Kit. 

Bought the heating element and thermal cut-off kit to do a full replacement for peace of mind. it was a fairly easy fix. Super simple, everything fit perfectly, and no headaches from mismatched parts. I’m an amateur and the only issues I had were due to having to shove my big ‘ole ham hands into a cramped space to reach a few nuts. I recommend everyone try and install this themselves even if you are not keen on DIY as it only took me ~40 min total from start to finish. A bit pricey, but the guy I got my dryer from bought the aftermarket version of these parts exactly one year ago. For the last few months were having had to run loads 2 or 3 times for 80 minutes just to get them dry. After getting the OEM replacement parts, we just run it like normal and everything is dry the first time. It’s worth the money to know we don’t deal with that anymore.