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Monthly Archives: July 2014

How To Replace Whirlpool 279838 Heating Element

Posted on July 11, 2014

One of the most common repairs done to dryers is replacing the heating element.  This is an easy task that most any DIYer can tackle themselves.  The most common heating element found on Whirlpool dryers is part number 279838, this element is sometimes called the “shorty” because of its small size compared to its larger predecessor used on older Whirlpool dryers part number 4391960.

How To Replace The 279838 Heating Element

How To Test The 279838 Heating Element

My Dryer Still Doesn’t Heat After Replacing The Element

Where Can I Buy A Genuine Whirlpool 279838 Heating Element?

How to replace the 279838 heating element:

First before working on the dryer, you will need to unplug and remove the exhaust vent from the dryer.

Next, you will need to remove the back panel of the dryer. Remove the nine 1/4″ screws and then tilt the panel back and lift up to remove.

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Now remove the wires going to the heating element and high limit thermostat.  Some dryers may have up to five wires, so make sure to note the place and position of each wire.  The high limit thermostat is the part attached to the left side of the heating element.  Newer dryers will use a push on style high limit thermostat part number 3977767, and older dryers use a thermostat that is attached with one or two 1/4″ screws part number 3390291.

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Remove the two 1/4″ mountings screws on the left and right sides.

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With the two mounting screws removed, pull back on the bottom of the element, and then slide it down to remove it from the dryer.

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Remove the high limit thermostat from the old heating element and transfer it over to the new heating element.  You will have to pry up on it if you have a newer style thermostat, or you will have to remove the mounting screw(s) if you have an older style thermostat.

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Re-install everything in the reverse order. Make sure to check your dryer vent and blower housing (where the lint filter slides into) for any vent restrictions. This is the number one thing that causes heating elements to burn out prematurely.

My Dryer Still Doesn’t Heat

Multiple things on a dryer can cause dryers not to heat. The heating element is just one of many things that can cause your dryer not to heat. The second most common thing that causes these dryers not to heat is a bad thermal fuse. There are two thermal fuses, one is right next to the blower fan and one is on the heater box. The common blower thermal fuse is part number 3392519 and when that goes bad you should also replace the operating thermostat (Usually part number 3387134 or 694674). Whirlpool sells the high limit thermal fuse and thermostat on the heater box as a kit. Newer dryers use part number 279816 and older dryers use part number 279769. If you have a bad thermal fuse, then your dryer got too hot. Check your dryer and venting for any restrictions. Also make sure your heating element is not shorted to ground (this causes the heating element to stay on all the time).

Electric dryers also require 220-240 volts to work properly, if you only have 120v going to the dryer it is possible for it to run but not heat. The timer, motor, and bad wiring can also cause heating problems on dryers. All parts are specific to your model dryer, so please contact us before ordering parts.

How To Test The 279838 Heating Element

To test your heating element you will need to first remove the heating element from the dryer (follow the above instructions to remove the element). With the element removed from the dryer, do a visual inspection of the element. Often times you will be able to see a break in the heating coil. Sometimes it even helps to grab each section of the coil and wiggle it to make sure there isn’t a break in it. If you can’t see a break in the coil, then you will need an Ohm meter or Multi-Meter to test the heating element. Place one probe on each terminal of the heating element, you should get a reading of approximately 9-10 ohms on a good element. If you get no resistance, then the element is bad and will need to be replaced.

Where Can I Buy a Genuine Whirlpool 279838 Heating Element?

Parts Dr sells new genuine OEM Whirlpool replacement heating elements. You will often find knockoff heating elements sold for less money. These elements are lower quality, and don’t hold up as well in the long run. Visit the link below to visit our store to purchase a genuine Whirlpool 279838 heating element.

Whirlpool Dryer Heating Element  – 279838

279838

W10503278 Control Board – Service & Replacement Info

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The W10503278 control board is found on some Whirlpool built refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom. It can be found in Admiral, Amana, Jenn Air, Kenmore, Kitchen Aid, Maytag, and Whirlpool brand refrigerators. This control board controls most of the main functions on the refrigerator. It takes the place of a defrost timer and controls the automatic defrost cycle. It also controls the compressor, refrigerator & freezer temperatures, and the evaporator and condenser fan motors.

How To Replace The W10503278 Control Board

First, unplug the refrigerator before working on it.

Then remove the light cover by sliding it towards the back of the refrigerator.

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Next depress the two tabs through the two slots on the back side of the light housing with a flat head screw driver.  This will allow the control board housing to flip down.  Then remove the two wire connectors to the control board.

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Now depress the two tabs that lock in the two separate sections of the control board.  Remove the old control board, and re-install the new control board.

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The new control board comes as one piece, and you will have to snap the board at the break line to separate the new control board into two pieces before installing.  Once this is done, you can re-install everything in the reverse order.

With the new control panel installed, you will need to follow these instructions to program the control board to work with your refrigerator.

If you need to purchase a new W10503278 control board for your refrigerator, you can click the link below:

Control Board – W10503278

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W10757851 Ice Level Optics Board Diagnostics & Replacement

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Whirlpool built refrigerators (also found on Jenn Air, Kenmore, Kitchen Aid, and Maytag brand refrigerators) with the ice bin located in the door use two optic control boards (part# W10757851) to tell when the ice bin is full of ice. There is an emitter control board that sends out an infrared beam, and a receiver board that receives the infrared beam. When the ice container fills up with ice, the beam is blocked, and it tells the ice maker to stop filling up with ice. If the ice maker optic control boards fail, it can cause the ice maker to continue to make ice even when it is full of ice or turned off, or it can cause the ice maker to not produce any ice at all. The optics control boards are replaced as a set, even if only one of the two control boards are bad, both will need to be replaced.

How To Test The Whirlpool Ice Maker Optic Control Boards W10757851

First, open the freezer door and look at the status LED on the right hand side. Make sure the ice maker control is turned “ON”. The status LED should blink twice, pause, and then repeat (blink blink…. pause. blink blink… pause).

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Next, with the freezer door open, hold down the flapper door on the left hand side to un-block the optics beam.  With the optics beam unblocked, the status LED should light up and stay on (not blink).  If the status LED continues to blink twice, then you have faulty optic control boards and they will need to be replaced.

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If there is no status LED light, then the ice maker could be in “harvest” mode.  Hold down the freezer light switch, the status LED should flash every second while in harvest mode.  If the LED light still does not light up, then the optic control boards will need to be replaced.

How To Replace The Whirlpool Ice Maker Optic Control Boards W10757851

First, unplug the refrigerator.

Remove the three Phillips screws on the right hand side.

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Disconnect the wire harness on the back side and then remove the two Phillips screws to release the receiver control board from the housing.  Re-install the receiver board in the reverse order.

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Next, remove the three Phillips screws on the left hand side.

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Disconnect the wire harness on the top side and then remove the two Phillips screws to release the emitter control board from the housing.  Re-install the emitter board in the reverse order.

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Do you need to replace the optic control boards?  Click the link below to visit our store and purchase new ones.  Be careful when shopping around for this part, as many stores sell a lower quality knockoff version of this part.  You can be assured when you order the optics control board kit from Parts Dr that you are receiving a new OEM part.

Ice Level Optics Control Board Kit – Part # W10757851

 

How To Test a GE Refrigerator Thermistor Sensor WR55X10025

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Some newer GE model refrigerators manufactured after 2002 use a thermistor in the refrigerator and freezer sections to control the temperature and the automatic defrost cycle. The thermistor is a variable resistor that varies its resistance depending on the temperature. It is sometimes referred to as a temperature sensor. GE used these thermistors on some Side-by-Side, bottom freezer, and top freezer refrigerator models that use a main control board on the back of the refrigerator. The main control board monitors and reads all of the thermistors to properly control all of the functions of the refrigerator. Please note that all of the thermistors on these models are the same.

**Before working on your refrigerator, make sure the refrigerator is unplugged.**

Thermistor Locations & Functions

Refrigerator Section: The refrigerator may have one or two thermistors located in different areas to monitor the temperature in the refrigerator section. These sensors send their signal to the main control board, which may turn on/off the compressor or evaporator fan motor, or open/close the air damper to let more or less cold air into the refrigerator compartment. When one of these sensors fails, it can cause the temperature to be off or even cause the refrigerator not to run (not very common).

Freezer Section: The freezer section has one thermistor sensor, not including the thermistor on the evaporator coil (see below). This sensor sends its signal to the main control board which may turn the compressor on/off or turn the evaporator fan motor on/off. When this sensor fails, it can cause the temperature to be off or even cause the refrigerator not to run (not very common).

Evaporator Coil: The evaporator coil (located behind the back panel in the freezer section) has one thermistor sensor attached to the top side of the evaporator coil. The control board monitors this thermistor and uses it to know when to go in and out of the automatic defrost cycle. Some people refer to this thermistor as the defrost sensor. This is the most common sensor to fail because it is subject to extreme temperature changes and moisture. When this sensor fails it can cause the refrigerator to not go through the automatic defrost cycle properly. When replacing this sensor, you must first manually defrost the evaporator coil to get it caught back up for the refrigerator to continue to work properly going forward.

Old Style Vs. New Style Thermistor

Some refrigerator manufactured 2005 and earlier may have a thermistor design that is prone to failure. The differences between the old and new style thermistor is easy to spot. The old style thermistor has a black area around where the wires come out of the sensor and it also has a rounded tip. The new style sensor is white around where the wires come out of the sensor and the tip of the sensor is flat. If your refrigerator has the old style thermistor sensors, then you should change out all of the thermistors with the new style sensor.

The old style thermistor is pictured on the left with a round tip and the new style thermistor is pictured on the right with a flat tip.

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The old style thermistor is pictured on the left with a round tip and the new style thermistor is pictured on the right with a flat tip.

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How To Test The Thermistor

You can test your thermistor(s) using an ohm meter or multi-meter. The best way to do this is to remove the thermistor from the refrigerator so you can control the temperature of the sensor. You can let the sensor warm up to room temperature or grab a glass of ice water to test the thermistor. With the sensor warmed up to room temperature the sensor should read approximately 6.2K Ohms at 68°F. With the thermistor submerged is a glass full of ice water, the sensor should be very close to 32°F which should read approximately 16.3K Ohms. If the values that you are getting are far off from these readings, then the sensor is bad and should be replaced. If the reading you are getting is not consistent; where sometimes the ohm reading is correct and other times it isn’t, even though the temperature hasn’t changed, then the thermistor should be replaced.

Where to Buy

The common thermistor used on some GE refrigerators is part number WR55X10025. Thermistors are model specific and should be verified with the model number of the refrigerator before ordering. This is the newest version of this part, and has been improved to have less problems. Click the link below to visit our store to purchase a replacement thermistor sensor.

Temperature Sensor (Thermistor) – Part # WR55X10025

Do I Need The DA81-01421A Ice Maker Kit?

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A common question that we frequently get asked by our customers is whether they can just replace their ice maker (part number DA97-05422A), or if they need the kit that includes the ice maker and main control board (part number DA81-01421A).  Please note that the ice maker and control board kit only works with the four model numbers listed below and it does NOT work with any GE refrigerator models.

Ice Maker Symptoms

The ice maker and control board kit may take care of one or more of the following symptoms:
  • No or low ice production.
  • Ice cubes jamming between the ice tray and the liner of the refrigerator.
  • A clicking or grinding noise coming from the ice maker.

Model Numbers Affected

If your model number is one of the four models list below, then you may need to replace to replace the main control board along with the ice maker at the same time.  See below on how to check the software version.  If your model is not listed, then you already have the newer software, and the main board is not required to be replaced at the same time as the ice maker.
RF267AABP, RF267AARS, RF267AASH, RF267AAWP

Check the Main Control Board Software

To check the software version of the main control board, you will need to unplug the refrigerator and remove the cover to the main control board on the back side of the refrigerator.  On one of the main processors there will be a sticker.  If the software version is lower than 4.02 or the sticker is white in color, then you need to order the DA81-01421A kit and replace both the control board and the ice maker.  If the software version is 4.02 or higher, or the sticker is red in color, then you have a newer version main control board and it does not need to be replaced when replacing the ice maker.

Software Sticker

Where Can I Buy A Replace Ice Maker & Control Board Kit

You can buy a replacement GE or Samsung ice makers from our online store.  Please click the link below.  Parts Dr always has the lowest prices for new O.E.M. replacement parts.

Ice Maker & Control Board Kit – DA81-01421A
DA81-01421A-1

Ice Maker – DA97-05422A (Same Ice Maker as included in the above kit, but without main control board)

Questions Or Comments?
If have any questions or comments please post them in the comments section below.

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