Whirlpool 279834 Dryer Gas Valve Coil Kit OEM Part

I'm starting with a quick background on my dryer. About 18 months ago the belt on the dryer started slipping and squealing. I had a can of belt dressing spray so I popped the top open and sprayed the belt. It actually worked for about a year before it started squealing again. For the next 6 months I had to spray it more and more often. Then the clothes stopped drying. Obviously, at this point, I had to get off my lazy ass and fix the dryer. Searched my dryer's model number on the internet and found several appliance parts sites. Appliance Parts Pros was the best organized with their pictures and videos. I needed a belt so I started with that. Following their easy to do video I pulled off the belt and removed the drum. Doing so I found out the plastic heat shield that protects on the motor shaft behind the belt pulley was melted onto shaft. Probably from the 18 months of the belt slipping and spraying in with belt dressing. I had to clip it off with a large wire cutter. I tried taking the pulley off but it was frozen on and I didn't want to strip the slot on the motor shaft so I sprayed it down with WD40. I did this a couple of times a day until the replacement parts came in. It came off fairly easy then. Going back to the issue with the clothes not drying. After unplugging the dryer and pulling it away from the exhaust vent, I cleaned the entire vent from were it exited the house to were it ran it to the dryers exhaust housing. I took the back panel off and used a multi-meter to check the thermal fuse, dryer cycle thermostat and high limit thermostat. They all tested good. I put the back panel and vent back on. Inside the cabinet at the burner assembly, I checked the flame sensor and the dryer gas valve coils. They tested out good. At this point I ran out of options so I left the drum out and put the front panel back on. I removed the small 1"x1" door for the peek through window located toward the bottom left of the front panel. I started the dryer and watched the dryer igniter for about an half hour and everything now was working good. I thought I must have had a dirty contact that was clean now after pulling all the connecters off from testing. I ordered the belt and pulley assembly. When they arrived I put the parts and drum back in the dryer and tried it out. The flame lite for about a minute, went out and didn't light again. I pulled the drum and belt back out, put the front panel back on and tried it out again. The flame stayed lite like it was suppose to and was working again. I placed the drum and belt back in checking that the motor was spinning freely and the flame wouldn't stay lite. I read through the comment section and found some mention of the dryer gas valve coils failing even when testing good. I retested them with a multi-meter and they still tested good. At this point I took a chance and ordered the dryer gas valve kit. I put them in and everything is drying great so far after about ten loads. Even with everything I went through, it all was simple to do with the help of the videos on the web site. This was the first time I attempted to fix a dryer.

I consider myself moderately-skilled at home repairs, but until now I hadn't had the need to repair a gas dryer. We've owned several over the years, and I fully expected to have to replace this one when it started producing less and less heat, then no heat at all over the course of about a month. Feeling brave, I searched the heating issue for my particular dryer model on this website, and this part was suggested as the most likely fix, even though it wasn't the most expensive part, which was nice. For a ten-year old dryer that otherwise works, I thought a $20 part purchase might be worth the effort, compared to the $600 replacement option. I watched the step-by-step repair video on the part page and thought I could probably execute the plan. The part arrived in just over 1 business day (ordered over the weekend, shipped Monday, received Tuesday). The video mentioned model differences (some have an access panel below the door, some don't) but showed the work (on the model without the small access panel) taking place in a relatively large space, so I uninstalled my dryer and moved it into another room to make the repair. After about an hour of trying to get the front clips to release so I could tip the top back onto its hinges and remove the drum, etc. to access the burner assembly, I determined that my model couldn't be opened that way. At this point I was about to give up and buy a new dryer..then I noticed the two screws (mentioned in the video, but I apparently didn't pay attention) at the bottom front of the unit. I removed them, slipped the access panel off, and there within easy reach was the part that needed to be replaced. It turns out that I didn't even have to uninstall the dryer at all, though it did give me an opportunity to thoroughly clean it. Oh, well. A mere five minutes later, and exactly according to the video instructions, I replaced the gas valve coil, and had it back together. Ten more minutes, and I had the dryer re-installed. Then for the moment of truth: I fired that baby up, and there was glorious heat coursing through the drum. We were back in business, for about $20, including shipping. All together, it took me less than 2 hours to save nearly $600 and a full day of retail appliance-buying hassle. Thanks for the correct advice the first time, quick shipping, and an extremely helpful video. You guys rock!

This Maytag dryer was bought in 1985 if memory serves. It has worked hard with few repairs done by yours truly over the years. Thanks to the engineering and excellent design by Maytag staff, removing parts are relatively easy. Once I opened the unit, I found it to be full of lint. I cleaned the entire inside and the vent pipe duct work. I found the blower wheel assembly worn. Though it was not cause of my problem, I decided to change it along with the igniter, heater relay and the fan belt. I figured it needed some TLC after all these years and since I had the unit this far disassembled (my auto shop teacher frowned about using the word “taking apart”), might as well give it a new life. As I had expected these replacements did not solve my problem. Next item, which is listed first in the repair manual as the possible cause was the cycling thermostat. The meter reading showed good, but since my problem was heat not cycling, I figured that was it. The factory one was no longer available, so I replaced it with an adjustable/generic one. It did not help either. While testing the unit, I would see the new igniter get hot and glow, but the flame would not be present and the igniter would go cold. I kept hearing slight buzzing noises as well. Even though the gas valve coils had been previously tested with a meter and showed ok, I could feel the gas valve unit, and feel the vibration. I opted to replace the coils. As of this writing the unit is assembled again and several loads have been done and dried properly. Knock on wood. The Staff of the AppliencePartsPros.com have been very patient with me which was greatly appreciated.

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!