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Thread Number: 85876
/ Tag: Vintage Dryers
Maytag LDE412 Series 2 Dryer |
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Post# 1104269 , Reply# 1 1/12/2021 at 10:22 (1,193 days old) by maranoman  (Des Moines, Iowa) |
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Thermostat located on Blower Housing Steven - before you assume it is the cycling thermostat, have you already eliminated the possibility that the venting (ducting) of your dryer is not blocked or severely clogged with lint? Also is the outlet of your ducting on the outside of your house free from obstruction? Most slow drying is caused by blocked ductwork or ductwork that is too long, which causes the dryer to cycle on the hi-limit thermostat, resulting in prolonged dry time.
My guess is that your thermostats are fine. When using the autodry cycles, it will take a while before you see the timer begin to move on a Maytag DE412. As the clothes become more dry, the timer will move much faster towards the end of the cycle. If you have extremely long dry times, I would first inspect your ductwork.
But to answer your question:
The DE412 has two cycling thermostats - one for the regular temperature setting (304474 - 150 degrees) and one for the low temperature setting (304475 - 140 degrees). If is is a DE412 series 7, it will also have a thermal cutoff. The cycling thermostats (and thermal cutoff) are located on the blower housing cover, which is located in the front lower left corner on a LDE412. To access it, FIRST UNPLUG YOUR DRYER. Then remove the two screws found on the front panel near the base (they are about 4 inches above the floor. When the screws are removed, you can tilt the front panel up and unhook it from the clips that hold it to the top cover. You will need to remove the two wires connected to the door switch as well. You will see the thermostats as soon as you remove the front panel.
Again, MAKE SURE THE DRYER POWER IS UNPLUGGED before replacing the thermostat(s). Use needle nose pliers to remove the wires from the thermostat(s). Take a picture if you need to so that you put the wires back in the correct place on the new thermostat(s). You will need a 1/4 socket driver to remove the two screws fastening the thermostats to the blower housing. Installation is the reverse of the preceding steps.
This would be a good time to clean out as much lint as possible from your dryer and also inspect the condition of the belt (look for signs of shredding on the belt edges.) If your dryer has been noisy, you should also inspect the rear drum rollers and the front drum glide bearings.
Below is a link to an excellent video showing the disassembly of a DE412. You only need to watch up to the removal of the bulkhead if you are just replacing the thermostat(s). If you want to replace the belt, watch the entire video.
Thanks,
Jeff
CLICK HERE TO GO TO maranoman's LINK This post was last edited 01/12/2021 at 12:43 | ||
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Post# 1104280 , Reply# 2 1/12/2021 at 11:53 (1,193 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 1104324 , Reply# 4 1/12/2021 at 18:32 (1,193 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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Dryer sheets, like duct tape, to be used for everything except put in the dryer.....
these handy little tissues which makes your clothes static free and smell nice play havoc on a dryers internals, IE sensors and duct work.....best to avoid using them at all in a dryer.... if you dryer has never been opened, its probably the best time to open it and clean it out thoroughly....as well as the full run of the ductwork from the lint filter to the exterior vent... keep us posted on your progress... | ||
| Post# 1104350 , Reply# 5 1/12/2021 at 21:46 (1,193 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
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Post# 1104496 , Reply# 7 1/14/2021 at 09:39 (1,191 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa) |
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Error in Parts Diagram I believe that Appliance Parts Pros is wrong and are basing there omission of the 304475 thermostat on an error in the Whirlpool version of the DE412 parts diagram, which does not list the 304475 thermostat. I have attached two photos below from the DE412 parts manual. The first diagram shows the blower housing thermostats for all the 12 series machines. You will see two cycling thermostats shown for the DE/DG412 machines. The second diagram is specific to the DE412 and for some reason, they omitted the second thermostat (4 on the first diagram). The hi-limit thermostat s attached to the heating element so is on another page in the parts diagram.
Also attached is the electrical diagram of a DE412 again showing the presence of two cycling thermostats and one hi-limit thermostat.
The DE/DG412s are perhaps one of my favorite Maytag dryers. I love the thermostatically-controlled automatic drying design concept for its flexibility in selecting how dry you want your clothes. The electronic-sensing Maytags are excellent, but don't provide the same flexibility in my opinion.
As luck would have it, I've run into a string of three DG412s recently in my neck of the woods, otherwise known as the Land of Maytag Milk and Honey (Des Moines is 35 minutes west of Newton. ) I restored all three DG412s over the past two months. All three had two cycling thermostats. The DE412 would have the same.
I've attached photos of one of my DG412s (before and after) showing the blower housing thermostats (this was a series 7 machine, so it also has the thermal fuse to the left of the thermostats.) Finally, I've attached a photo of my Maytag Plant 2 Dryer Line "re-creation" in my garage!
I'm still not convinced you have a thermostat issue. Can you easily pull your dryer away from the wall and disconnect the exhaust ducting? Then run a load of wet clothes from the washer to see how long it takes? If it runs much faster, then I would look into your ductwork for any obstructions.
Qsd-dan also brings up a good point - check your blower fan and see if its connection to the motor shaft is loose. Your motor might be doing its job but if the blower fan is not connected well, it can lead to poor air flow and cycling of your hi-limit thermostat. | ||
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Post# 1104882 , Reply# 9 1/17/2021 at 21:25 (1,188 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa) |
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More Advice
Steven,
To reinstall the belt, this is a good video to watch (and the repairman's name is Steve!): Make sure you place the non-ribbed side of the belt against the outer drum surface so that the ribbed section faces the motor pulley when it wraps around it. Once you've replaced a few belts, you will learn how to reinstall one "blindly" with your hands from the front. For your first belt change, it is sometimes easier to remove the rear access panel and reach in to wrap the belt around the motor pulley and idler wheel. This would be a good time to also clean up the idler pulley, add some fresh grease between the idler bracket and the motor bracket, and apply some turbine oil between the idler wheel bearing and shaft. It should spin freely. Since your drum felt is torn, it is good that you are replacing it! Unfortunately, there isn't really a good video on replacing the glued-on felt like what you probably have on your LDE412. There are some videos on replacing the felt on newer Maytag dryers that used tabs to hold the felt in place, but it wasn't until 1989 that Maytag introduced these tabs on the bulkheads. When you receive your new felt, compare the length to the old piece. I have found that Whirlpool has shortened the length of the felt and it might be a few inches shorter that the original factory felt - just be aware of this so you don't start gluing the felt to the bulkheads and find out at the end that the new piece is too short! Take photos of the overlap felt location and orientation before tearing off the old felt. The drum will rotate clockwise as viewed from the front of the dryer, so make sure your overlap is in the correct orientation to avoid interference between the overlapping felt and the spinning drum. To replace the felt, you will need to first remove the old felt and as much of the adhesive as you can from the bulkheads. You can use a heat gun/hair dryer with a putty knife to scrape off the adhesive but it won't be easy. It is OK if there is a little bit of the old glue remaining on the bulkhead - just get off as much as you can. Once the bulkhead surface is prepped, apply a bead of Whirlpool Y055980 High Temperature Adhesive to the bulkheads, maybe a quarter section of each bulkhead at a time. Use spring clamps or clothes-pins to hold the folded felt to the bulkhead while the adhesive dries. Once each quarter section is done, move on to the next quarter section. I usually do the rear bulkhead first and when it is done, I like to lay it on the floor felt side up and place the drum on the folded felt so that the felt crease stays in place prior to reassembling the dryer. When the font bulkhead is done, I again crease its felt and lay the bulkhead on top of the drum with some weight on top to again "train" the crease on the felt. I've only had to replace the heating element on a Maytag stream-of-heat dryer once. Still, if you want this dryer to outlast you, you can keep a spare heating element on hand just in case yours ever fails. Here's my favorite video (with Steve again) on replacing the heating element: Good luck on your project! Jeff | ||
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Post# 1105305 , Reply# 11 1/20/2021 at 19:31 (1,185 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Keeping an older W&D running  It is generally better not to replace parts that show little or no wear, Replacement parts are not the same quality as the original parts that were used to build the appliance.
On your dryer I would have replaced the belt, the blower wheel and take a good look at the heating element and check for signs of overheating and sagging of the element, in which case I might replace it.
There is generally little need to replace the felt seals, thermostats, rollers, idler pulley or motor although you should drill holes in the motor and oil and clean it.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1108210 , Reply# 13 2/16/2021 at 10:13 (1,158 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa) |
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How I do it
No doubt about it - the old adhesive is a pain to get off. I've never been able to find a chemical that will remove it easily, and I've tried a heat gun without success. So I just use a putty knife and scrape off as much as I can. It's usually not all of it, but enough so that I have adequate bulkhead surface for the felt to adhere to. I'm sure I've scraped through the paint and down to bare metal in some areas of the bulkhead, but I haven't been too concerned and don't bother to touch it up (you certainly could since it won't show anyway.)
After scraping and using some mineral spirits to clean the surface of any debris, I just squeeze the adhesive out of the tube and ran a continuous bead along the bulkhead (I do not spread it on - just run a 1/4" bead.) I glue about 1/8 of the bulkhead circumference at a time, fold and press on the felt, and use spring clamps where possible to hold it in place. I wait 10-15 minutes for the glue to set and then move on to the next section. At the end, make sure you overlap the felt in the same orientation as it was originally so that it doesn't bind as the drum rotates clockwise (viewing from the front.) As I mentioned before, doublecheck the length of the felt to make sure it will be long enough to make it all the way around the circumference with an inch or two of overlap. I bought a new Whirlpool OEM dryer felt replacement for my Maytag dryer once and it was 2 inches short (and it was the correct part number.) Since then, I try to find Maytag/Maycor packaged NOS felts on eBay. | ||
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Post# 1109153 , Reply# 15 2/22/2021 at 11:33 (1,152 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa) |
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Short Felt
I actually had removed the felt on a project dryer and started gluing down the replacement OEM Whirlpool felt when I discovered it was too short - very frustrating. Glad you were able to learn from my mistake before you went too far.
New old stock (NOS), or old stock for short, refers to aged stock of merchandise that was never sold to a customer, but still new in original packaging. Maytag NOS parts usually are in a plastic bag with a blue Maytag or Maycor label on it. For the felt you need (314820 or 3-14820) I don't see any NOS 314820 felt available on eBay right now. I've never tried it, but I think there have been posts in this forum from other members who bought wool felt in bulk and cut their own strips for dryer applications. Can you tell us again why you are replacing the felt? Is it ripped or shredded? That is the only reason I replace felt on a Maytag dryer. In some cases, a small tear isn't going to hurt as long as it isn't causing noise between the drum and the front/rear bulkhead. If you're not sure whether you should change your felt or not, attach a photo in your next post showing the entire bulkhead with the felt around it. | ||
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Post# 1109228 , Reply# 17 2/22/2021 at 18:43 (1,152 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Felt dryer seals | ||
| Post# 1143178 , Reply# 19 2/26/2022 at 11:10 (783 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
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There's no sensor or electronic control unit on a 412, this design uses a more basic approach where the timer only advances when the heating element is off. It's not as accurate as the electronic version but its fairly accurate and better than timed dry. On the auto dry feature, the timer should advance when the heating element is off.
The basic areas of failure are a dead timer motor, bad timer, bad regulating thermostat, or a weak high limit thermostat that's cycling at a temperature below the regulating thermostat. Airflow problems also contribute such as a clogged or restricted exhaust duct, clogged blower wheel/housing, and stripped blower wheel (this is common at the age of this machine),
Let the diagnosing processes begin....
Select time dry or air fluff. Does the timer advance? | ||
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Post# 1143179 , Reply# 20 2/26/2022 at 11:23 (783 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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 Also known as thermostatic autodry (vs moisture-sensing autodry). Premise of operation being that the heating runs for longer periods at start of the cycle to reach and maintain the target temperature when evaporating moisture tends to hold-down the air temperature, and the timer accordingly runs less. Heat runs less and the timer runs more as the clothes progress toward dryness, less moisture evaporation and holding heat longer ... so the temperature curve moderates the drying time. | ||
| Post# 1143181 , Reply# 21 2/26/2022 at 11:27 (783 days old) by LesMac (Washington) | ||
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Thanks for the quick reply. The timer does advance on the time dry and air fluff settings. Just double checked the air flow at the vent on the exterior of the house. Flow is strong and ducting is open, if a bit linty. | ||
| Post# 1143184 , Reply# 22 2/26/2022 at 11:47 (783 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
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| Post# 1143188 , Reply# 24 2/26/2022 at 12:41 (783 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
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The dryer has seemed to be operating at a higher temperature than we are used to. The top of the unit gets uncomfortably hot to the touch. This would seem to indicate that the regulating thermostat that turns off the heat for a bit is not functioning correctly and the heat only shuts off when the High Limit Thermostat is triggered. Does this sound correct?
I agree.
This dryer uses 2 cycling thermostats, regular and low. If the dryer functions correctly on the low temperature setting, the regular cycling thermostat is probably shorted inside and the dryer is cycling off of the high limit thermo.
Incase you never been inside the dryer, this is how to remove the front panel in order to gain access to the thermostats on the blower housing.
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Post# 1143190 , Reply# 25 2/26/2022 at 13:12 (783 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Maytag dryer not shutting off properly on auto dry cycle
First thing I would do is make sure the entire exhaust system is completely clean.
While you have the dryer pulled out reach all the way back inside the exhaust pipe on the dryer and clean it all the way to the front of the machine. You may also want to take the front off the machine and the front of the Tumblr off and clean completely going into the blower if this hasn’t been done in many years. As Dan mentioned make sure the blower wheel is tightly attached to the motor shaft when you’re doing this. John L | ||
| Post# 1143191 , Reply# 26 2/26/2022 at 13:15 (783 days old) by LesMac (Washington) | ||
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It appears that the low heat Auto Dry cycle is working correctly. This should mean that the 150 degree (regular) heat thermostat is malfunctioning. Sounds like a fairly easy fix. I appreciate all the assistance. | ||
| Post# 1143226 , Reply# 27 2/26/2022 at 17:38 (783 days old) by qsd-dan (West) | ||
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