Maytag Gas Dryer Not Heating: 10 Easy Tips To Fix it

If you come across the inconvenience of your Maytag gas dryer not heating, then your laundry might be in a chaotic situation. You might need to find the cause of interruption before getting your technician to check it out. Sometimes, the issue might be simple, and you would be able to fix it quickly by yourself. Start by inspecting the venting system of the dryer to check whether there is any airflow issue. If it is clear and no problems detected, get into detail and investigation by checking each component with potential faults.

Maytag Gas Dryer Repair Tips

Identify the reason for your gas dryer not heating properly and how to conduct the Maytag gas dryer repair. However, before you proceed with the troubleshooting, make sure to follow safety precautions.

CAUTION: Make sure that the dryer is switched off and unplugged from the power supply. Most importantly, turn off the gas running to the appliance. Use gloves, goggles, and other necessary PPEs to ensure your health and safety when handling the components.

1. Thermal Fuse

The Dryer Thermal Fuse is a safety feature designed to shut down the heater circuit during an overheating condition. So if you find that the dryer has not dried your clothes properly, then the reason might be that it never turned on in the first place. Since there is a possibility that the thermal fuse can be blown out, it is necessary to check this component when troubleshooting. This can be purchased by ordering from Maytag, and you can replace it yourself by following these steps.

• First, pull the dryer out from the wall and confirm that it is unplugged and the exhaust hose is disconnected.
• As you have easy access to the back of the dryer, remove all of the screws from the back cover using a ¼ inch nut driver. 
• Take off the two wires that are connected to the terminals of the old fuse using a flat tip screwdriver.
• Remove the screw that holds it in place using a ¼ inch nut driver. Remove the old thermal fuse and install the new one by fixing and tightening the screws.
• Attach the two wires on the terminals of the new fuse, and there is no specification for connecting which wire to which terminal.
• Place back the access cover and tighten all the screws. Plugin the power cord to the outlet, connect the exhaust hose and reposition the dryer to the previous place. Turn it on and check whether it heats up.

2. Gas Valve Solenoid

There are two or more gas valve solenoid coils in gas dryers. The gas valve solenoid is located on top of the gas valve. Once the igniter reaches the proper temperature, the flame sensor determines the opening of gas valve ports. You can determine whether this is defective by checking the igniter. If the gas does not ignite even if the igniter glows orange, then the gas valve solenoid might be defective. You can try replacing this set and check whether the problem is solved.

3. Igniter

When the coils in the igniter get heated up, they glow in orange. After it reaches a certain temperature, the radiant flame sensor opens the gas control valve. The function of the igniter is to ignite this gas. However, the igniter coils can burn out, and the component would not be able to heat up enough to open the gas control valve. Due to this, the Maytag gas dryer won’t heat, and you can check the igniter for continuity using a multimeter. If it does not show continuity and is faulty, then you would have to replace the igniter as follows.

1. Pull out the lint screen from the dryer and unthread the two screws below it.
2. Insert a putty knife between the main top panel and the front panel. Slide the putty knife from the two corners, and drag it an inch or two towards the center of your dryer. You would be able to locate the right and left locking tabs. At this moment, use the putty knife to disengage their locking mechanisms. Flip the dryer’s main top panel over and remove it.
3. Before removing the front panel, disconnect the door switch wire harness. Then the wires are free, and you can remove the screws on the inside of the frame that holds the front panel to the dryer. Tilt the front panel back and lift it off the dryer.
4. Reach your arm between the dryer floor and dryer drum and take off the idler pulley. When the belt is loose, remove the dryer drum out of the dryer cabinet to access the igniter. 
5. Disconnect the igniter from the burner tube by removing the screw holding the two components together. Remove the igniter from the burner tube and detach the wire harness. Remove the screw fixing the igniter to its mounting bracket.
6. Since the coils on the igniter are fragile, take care not to damage them when installing the new igniter. Place the igniter carefully on its mounting bracket and fix it with a screw. Then reconnect the component to the burner tube and replace the screws taken out previously and reconnect the igniter’s wire harness.
7. Start reassembling by putting the drum back into the dryer cabinet. Then reconnect the belt to the idler pulley and the motor shaft by reaching underneath.
8. Reinstall the front panel, and reconnect the door switch wire harness. Engage the locking tabs by lowering the main top panel and pushing it down. Replace the screws previously removed from underneath the lint screen. Finally, slide the lint screen back into its housing.
9. Plug the dryer back and turn on the gas. Test out the new igniter with a load of wet clothes.

4. Flame Sensor

The flame sensor is located on the burner assembly near the igniter. It is responsible for sensing the heat generated by the igniter and transmitting the signals to the gas valve solenoids to function. If the flame sensor malfunctions, it would not send the signal to open the valves and result in the Maytag gas dryer, not heating. Conduct a multimeter test to check this and, if necessary, replace the flame sensor as indicated here.

1. Disassemble the dryer to reach the flame sensor on the burner assembly. For this, you might need to follow the igniter replacement steps 1 through 4 indicated above.
2. After taking the appliance apart, you can find the flame sensor on the burner assembly. Remove the screw at the top of the sensor mounting bracket and remove the flame sensor from the burner assembly. Detach the wires running to the sensor’s terminals. Use a small flathead screwdriver to loosen the connections if it is difficult to detach the wires.
3. Attach the new flame sensor by connecting the wires to the proper terminals. Then, fix the component and its bracket to the burner assembly using the screws removed earlier.
4. Reassemble the dryer by putting it back together as indicated in steps 7 and 8 above in the igniter replacement.

5. Heating Element

A faulty heating element might also be the reason for your Maytag gas dryer not heating and drying clothes. Test the terminals for any signs of open or short-circuited coils. If the heating element is faulty, you would have to replace it. Once you purchase the new heating element, fix it as indicated in these steps.

1. First, unplug the dryer from the outlet and disconnect the exhaust hose.
2. Pull out the appliance to get enough room to access the back panel.
3. Remove all screws that hold the large and small access covers using a ¼ inch nut driver.
4. Locate the heating element at the bottom of the dryer and disconnect the wires. You can use a flat tip screwdriver for this and then remove the screws and also the heating element from the dryer.
5. Remove the thermostat from the old heating element and fix it on the new one. You can do this by removing the screw that holds it in place.
6. Place the thermostat in the correct position on the new heating element and tighten the screws.
7. Reconnect all of the wires on the new heating element that were disconnected before. 
8. Place the two access covers again and tighten all of the screws that hold the covers.
9. Plug the power cord back and fix the exhaust hose to the outside vent. Test the dryer to check whether it heats the way it should.

6. Incoming Power Problem

If your Maytag dryer doesn’t heat, then the problem might be in the incoming power. Electric dryers need two legs of 120V AC which equals 240V. A fuse or breaker might trip, resulting in the malfunction of the dryer. It would make the appliance operate but would not heat. Check the fuse box or circuit breaker and measure the voltage at the outlet.

7. High Limit Thermostat

The dryer temperature is monitored by the high-limit thermostat. If the dryer gets overheated, the burner would be turned off accordingly. A malfunctioning high-limit thermostat may shut off the burner even if the dryer would not be overheating. But is a rare possibility for this thermostat to be defective. So check the other commonly defective parts before replacing the high-limit thermostat. If all of the other components are working properly, use a multimeter to test it for continuity. If the thermostat is faulty and does not have continuity, then you need to replace this. Here is how to replace a high-limit thermostat.

1. Unplug the power cord, disconnect the exhaust hose and pull the dryer away from the wall to have more space to access the back panel.
2. Use a ¼ inch nut driver to remove the screws that hold the two access covers and locate the old high-limit thermostat. It is mounted on the heating element at the bottom of the dryer.
3. Use a flat-tip screwdriver to disconnect the two wires connected to the thermostat.
4. Remove the screws of the thermostat using the ¼ inch nut driver and take off the thermostat.
5. Place the new thermostat, tighten the mounting screw, and fix the two wires back onto the thermostat.
6. Place back the access covers and tighten the screws. Plug the dryer, fix the exhaust hose, and test the function of the dryer.

8. Cycling Thermostat

Another reason for Maytag gas dryer repair is a defective cycling thermostat. This component regulated the air temperature by cycling the heat on and off. If the cycling thermostat is defective, you will end up with a Maytag gas dryer, not heating. However, this is a rare case since these thermostats do not malfunction very often. So check all the more commonly defective parts before you replace the cycling thermostat. If you identify that all of the other components are functioning, test the thermostat continuity using a multimeter. If the thermostat does not show continuity, consider replacing it.

9. Timer

A defective dryer might result in the Maytag gas dryer not drying. Check the continuity of the timer using a multimeter. You can use the wiring diagram of the user manual for this. But it is less likely to be defective and if you cannot confirm whether it is faulty, get the help of a technician for this. If the timer is defective and does not function properly, replace it. But make sure to confirm that all other parts are functioning correctly before you decide on this.

10. Main Control Board

The main control board can also be the cause that your Maytag gas dryer won’t heat. But the control board cannot be tested easily. However, you can inspect for possible signs of burned or short-circuited components. If you identify that the problem is in the main control board, you would have to replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the thermal fuse located on a Maytag gas dryer?

The fuse is located on the exhaust duct and should be replaced if open, as it cuts off power to the dryer.

Does a Maytag dryer have a reset button?

Despite having many high-performance components and advanced features, Maytag dryers do not have a reset button.

How much does it cost to replace a heating element in a Maytag dryer?

The heating element of a Maytag dryer would be around $40.

How much does it cost to fix a dryer that won’t heat?

Depending on the price of components to be repaired, the average repair cost of a dryer that does not heat would be around $100 to $350.

Conclusion

You would be able to troubleshoot your Maytag dryer by inspecting each component as indicated above. However, if you are unable to fix the problem, replace the components or have difficulties in diagnosing the issue, you can contact your home appliance repair technician for support. 

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