Whirlpool WP4391960 Dryer Heating Element OEM Part

Since the dryer was 24 years old I opted to replace all the possible problem components, instead of just the bad one. The parts aren't that expensive and do to their age I figured it was worth it to avoid having to go back into the dryer in a few months. The repair was surprisingly easy and went pretty much as the video instruction AppliancePartPros provided with one exception. Because, my model was much older than that used in the video, I had a more difficult time replacing the Heating element. The older model has a different layout of the rear access panel. The top of the heating element box was concealed by another panel preventing access to the screw and bracket holding it in. For me, the easiest way get to it was by removing the dryer top panel. This is still easy... you remove the two screws under the Lint trap door and release the two clips holding down the front. You also have video on how to do this. The whole top can be lifted up. It is hinged at the back, giving you easy access to the top of the Heater Box, screw and bracket. Remove wires from the thermal cut of components and the heating element, remove the screw on the back of the box that holds the heating element in. the element box. Remove old element, install new element and lock in place with screw. Replace the parts of the thermal cut off kit, then replace the heater box re-attaching the bracket at the top. Close the dryer to Top Panel. Re attach the wire for the top thermal cut off, bottom thermal cut off, and the heating element... get the right wire on the right component, but wiring order doesn't matter. The Dryer cycling element is all that's is left, and goes exactly as in the video, The wiring order does matter on this one. I advise removing the old on with wires still attached. Put the new one in being careful to give it the same alignment, and then move the wires one a time from the old component to the new. Replace the Back panel and you are done. I used an electric screw and nut driver. and the whole Job took a about 45 minutes and I really took my sweet time. Wear gloves!

After turning off the breaker and then unplugging it, I opened the rear panel and reviewed the wiring diagram on the back of the control panel. (thank you Daddy for showing this girl how to read a circuit diagram!) Ohmed all parts along the heating system circuit and all were 0 ohms as they should be, except the heating coil which was infinity. Removed the coil and found it had snapped at one point near the middle. Performed a temporary fix by clearing the charred section of the coil and twisting the two ends together, tightening and cleaning until I got 10.6 ohms across the terminals for the coil. (should be 11.08 ohms per the specs) That got it working in the short term. (enough to at least dry the load that was already wet) Came here since I had such a great experience when my washing machine died a few years ago and the videos and comments here made diagnosing that issue a breeze! Found my model dryer and looked up other people's experiences with this dryer. With their comments in mind, I not only ordered a new heating coil, (plus a spare against future failure) but a new Cycling Thermostat, Thermal Cut-Off Kit, and Thermal Fuse... which accounts for the parts that are nearly 80% of failures of the heating system of this dryer model. Once the parts arrived, (super fast shipping... they were here in two days!) I spent an hour replacing all the parts with my new ones and vacuuming out the interior. I saved the old parts (except the temp-fixed coil) for future use should any of the new parts fail, since they were known good working parts when I took them out.

Our 25-year-old Whirlpool dryer abruptly stopped producing heat, though it was otherwise running normally. The unit had never required service of any type and we were reluctant to replace it. After confirming that no circuit breakers had tripped, I reviewed the Whirlpool and AppliancePartsPro websites and concluded that the most likely causes of the problem were a failed heating element and/or thermal fuse. I ordered both (they arrived in two business days), installed them and the dryer works perfectly again. Neither part is particularly expensive, so I replaced them simultaneously and cannot say which was actually at fault. Either way, this very simple fix saved hundreds of dollars compared to a service call. Absent the "How To" videos on this site, I probably would not have attempted to perform this repair myself.

Changed parts

I replaced the heating element. Because my dryer is older and all videos online showed newer dryers, the back of my dryer wasn't as accessible as those in the videos. I had to lay the dryer on its front and found a screw at the bottom of the element in the back. This was not visible in an upright position. The element from Appliance Pros worked great -- no problems!