How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6015206 / WPW10116735 Hi-Limit Thermostat

Since this dryer was probably 15+ years old took it apart and gave it a good cleaning, which was long overdue. Replaced the Thermal Fuse and Hi-Limit Thermostat and the the exhaust duct which had a lot of "caked" lint. Replaced the drum belt (which was ready to go ... cracked in two places) drum support rollers and drum guides. The dryer came on normally and heats fine and the squealing has stopped. Will plan on routine maintenance in the future since the lint really does build up quickly and clearly affects the dryer performance. Until could actually see the buildup, especially in the exhaust duct did not seem very blocked, but it was. 

At first, the problem was the drum would not turn a full load of clothes so I suspected the belt had worn and stretched. This dryer was 6 years old now. I ordered the belt from Appliance Parts Pros and began the shaky task of removing the cover and sides of the dryer. When I got the drum and belt out I did an inspection of the rest of the internal parts, why not right? Lots of lint and I noticed the wire connected to the Hi-limit thermostat had begun to melt and saw the thermostat melted and had come apart. So I ordered another one and put my task off for a couple days. As soon as I got the new part, I replaced it easily by following directions in the video. Then I installed the drum and new belt, re-assembled the cover and top and wow! It's like new again! Easy as pie. Just remember, you can take pictures along the way during dis-assembly and use them as a reference to get it all back together!