Dryer won’t heat- This could be the power from the house or the heating element burned out. The element is a long coil of wire that goes around the drum. It doesn’t always trip your breaker and can be checked with an ohmmeter. If it doesn’t have any continuity, it is bad. You could also have a bad thermal fuse or a wire that is partially bad where the cord connects to the dryer.

Dryer doesn’t tumble- Check the belt. If it is broken replace it. Most of the time the idler pulley would be worn out, too. If that’s not the problem check the motor – it will just hum when you try to start the machine. You can check the motor by removing the belt, check to make sure there is nothing plugged in the blower fan housing and then manually turn the motor shaft. If the motor is really hard or impossible to turn and the fan housing is clear - your motor is bad, replace it. You might also check the door switch.

Dryer is too slow- It is normal for a dryer to take about 45 minutes to dry a normal size load of clothes. If your dryer takes over an hour you should check to make sure that the vent isn’t plugged. Also check the heating element; make sure it’s not burned out. Check to make sure there is nothing blocking airflow in the internal ductwork. (This is from your machine to the outside of your house.) Sometimes, not often, it can be the cycling thermostat. This controls the temperature in your dryer and is a small round black device mounted to a steel oblong plate that is fastened to the internal duct work with a couple of screws.

Dryer overheats- Most of the time caused by a defective cycling thermostat or plugged vent!

Dryer runs forever- Most often caused because of a vent being plugged or the internal ductwork being plugged. Most dryers have an automatic cycle that turns the dryer off when your clothes are dry. If there is a clogged vent the dryer never reaches the right temperature, therefore it doesn’t send the signal to the timer to shut off, causing it to keep running.

Dryer is noisy- Check the rollers-or wheels that support the clothes drum. If some are bad, replace all of them at the same time. Idler pulley-this keeps tension on the main drive belt. If this is worn, don’t try to lubricate, instead replace it. Glides-made of nylon or plastic and located at the front of the clothes drum for support can also become very noisy if worn out. Some dryers have a rear drum bearing that supports the drum from the back. This is shaped like a ball on a shaft and the ball goes into a sleeve. Sometimes these pieces get worn and will squeak, squeal and rub together. Replace them if worn. There is one more thing that can cause your dryer to be noisy, and that is the blower wheel– which is usually plastic and pulls air over the heat source, through the clothes drum and past the thermostats, then pushes it out the exhaust duct. Most of the time if this is making noise it is probably full of lint. Try to clean it and retry the dryer. If it is still making noise then replace it.

Clothes come out of dryer torn or snagged – This can be because your clothes are catching on any of these things: front rollers, rear seal, or front glides. When these things wear out they can be sharp. If the front rollers wear out the drum drops a little and clothes can get caught, and this is how things get snagged and torn.

Remember to always price out the parts and consider how old the dryer is to see if it is worth fixing!

Source: RepairClinic.com