Why did my dryer shut off in the middle of drying a load?

Question

My 14-year old Kenmore Laundry Center Dryer, Model #417.98702891, shut off in mid-load the other day. Internet research led me to believe it could be the thermal fuse. I first checked the vent lines and they are clear, so I proceeded to disassemble the dryer to replace the fuse. It would appear this model does not have a thermal fuse as I can't locate it anywhere in the dryer.

What I did find is the high limit thermostat. Could this be the issue? Can they over-heat and/or go bad?

Also, it appears that 1 of the 2 legs on the heating element has broken. Will the heating element still work or could this be the source of my issues?

I'm quite handy and am really trying to avoid paying over $250 for a local repair guy when the parts are probably $75.

Answer 1

The heating element would not work at all if a leg is broken. If the clothes were warm when it shut down, then it clearly just happened. The online wiring diagram is virtually impossible to read, but it appears the heating element is interlocked through the motor controller. It's conceivable that if one part fails, the other is shut down, but it's impossible to tell from what I have available.

It makes complete sense to go ahead and repair the heating element since it is obviously broken. Don't worry about thermostats etc. at this point, fix what's broken and go from there. There's a fair chance that's all that's wrong.