If your dryer won’t start its cycle, look for broken connections that interfere with the dryer’s conditions for starting. For example, the dryer door needs to be shut for the cycle to start. But if the switch actuator is broken or the switch itself has shorted, the dryer thinks the door is open. Order replacement part number WP3406105 for a Whirlpool dryer and follow these steps.
1. Access the interior of the machine.
Unplug the dryer before starting any repairs. Open the lent trap and loosen the two screws securing the top panel to the machine. Then move to the front of the machine. Approximately two inches in from each of the front corners are plastic locking tabs that hold the top panel in place. Use a putty knife or flathead screwdriver to press in the locking tabs and lift up the top panel.
Swing the top panel back on the rear hinge so you can see inside the machine.
2. Remove the door switch.
Open the door and locate the switch in the top right corner. Loosen the two screws holding the switch actuator in place. This will let you take out the loose switch from the top later.
Then remove the mounting tab holding the switch’s wires in place at the top of the machine. The mounting tab is a small black knob. Squeeze it with a set of pliers so it can fit down the hole in the machine’s lip and push it down. Now you can pry off the wire harness and take the part out. Set it aside.
3. Install the new part.
Feed the switch through the hole near the dryer door so that the actuator will be pressed by the closed door. Then tighten the two screws to lock it in position.
Go back through the top of the machine. Press the mounting tab of the part back through the lip so the wires don’t hang freely. Then attach the wire harness. The part should click together.
4. Reinstall the top panel.
Swing the door panel shut. Apply additional force over the two front corners to ensure that the locking tabs are shut. Then tighten the two screws back in the lint trap.
The dryer should now be able to recognize the shut door and start the cycle.
Go to A to Z Appliance Repair for more ways to repair your appliances.