A Kenmore Dryer Is Not Turning off With a Timer

Lint Screen

• Kenmore dryers are set to keep drying until the clothes are dry. If your lint screen is dirty and full of lint, it'll take longer for the dryer to do its job. Thus, it may seem like the dryer is taking forever or that it never reaches the end of its cycle. Check the lint screen and remove any lint from it for faster dryer times. You may also want to check that your dryer's hoses aren't crushed or twisted, as this will make it harder for heat to get to your clothes and dry them.

Thermostat Problem

• If you have a thermostat problem in your Kenmore dryer, the dryer may get too hot or may stay hot for longer than it's supposed to. Kenmore dryers have several thermostats, but if one or more of these thermostats break down, the result can be a dryer that doesn't turn off or a dryer temperature that keeps rising.

Timer Motor Problem

• If the problem with your Kenmore dryer is in the timer motor rather than in a thermostat or the lint screen, the dryer may not run properly. The timer motor gives power to the timer; when this motor starts wearing out, the timer intermittently stops running and eventually stops running altogether. Defective timers often don't turn off the machine, although in some cases the machine won't turn on because of a timer problem. Once the timer motor wears out, you need to get your timer replaced.

Testing and Troubleshooting

• You can troubleshoot both the thermostats and the timer motor with a multimeter. Before doing any work on the dryer, unplug the machine or turn off the power at the circuit breaker. Open the machine and find the timer or thermostat. Disconnect the wires from it with a set of needle-nose pliers, making sure to note where the wires connect. Touch one end of the multimeter to the contacts on each side of the part. If the meter reads anything other than "zero," the part is bad and needs to be replaced.