Let’s start by saying that repairing your Whirlpool electric dryer when it’s not heating up isn’t a difficult job, if you know what to look for.
The heating circuit of the Whirlpool electric dryer consists of the following parts. The timer, the heating element, the high limit thermostat, the safety thermostat, the operating thermostat, the temperature switch and the centrifugal switch of the motor.
If any of these parts fail, the dryer will not heat. Now most people, when the dryer stops heating, they replace the heating element or timer without checking to make sure those parts are faulty. Rule number one is, don’t assume the part is bad without checking with a multimeter.
The first and foremost thing to do is unplug the dryer from the wall outlet before doing any work on it. Most parts will need to be checked for continuity and unplugged from the wall outlet.
Most of the time, the part that causes the problem is behind the dryer and can be accessed by removing the back panel.
Remove rear panel from dryer. Disconnect one of the heating element wires and take a reading between the two heating element terminals. The reading should be between 10 and 50 ohms. If the heating element is in good condition, check the high limit thermostat by removing one of the wires and checking for continuity. Continuity means that electricity could pass through the part you are checking.
The high limit usually trips when there is a clog in the exhaust hose, so make sure the exhaust hose is not clogged when replacing the high limit kit.
If the high limit thermostat and heating element are okay, check the operating thermostat. The operating thermostat is responsible for maintaining the temperature inside the drum at about 150 degrees. You will need to check from the two terminals with the red wires connected.
Those where the parts that most frequently fail in the Whirlpool electric dryer. The timer, the motor centrifugal switch, the temperature switch are a bit more difficult to check because they may be different. You will need to use your wiring diagram to see how to verify them.