While not as popular as brands such as Whirlpool or GE, there’s no denying that Amana makes some of the best dryers on the market thanks to their large drum capacity and fantastic energy-efficient operation. This has made them a popular choice for families who need to wash large loads regularly.
However, these machines run into problems from time, and at some point, you may need to troubleshoot your Amana dryer.
That’s where we come in. We’ve put together a handy list of all the main problems you might encounter with this machine and provided step-by-step guides on how to fix each issue.
Common Amana Dryer Problems
Although the types of problems that occur on these machines are wide and varied, they are often easily fixed by yourself with just some basic cleaning and maintenance, which can save you a lot of money on expensive technician callouts.
First, let’s examine the problems you might encounter with an Amana dryer.
1. Dryer’s Damaging Your Clothes
Pulling your freshly dried clothes out of the dryer only to find they’ve been damaged or ripped can be very disheartening. This usually happens because there is some sharp surface inside the machine that the clothes are getting snagged on as the drum spins.
This may be a cracked filter cover with a sharp protruding edge, or the drum has chipped and developed a rough spot on which the clothes can catch. If you notice black spots on your clothes, they may be burn marks.
Burning clothes usually means the setting is too hot for the material you’re washing.
2. Drum isn’t Spinning
If the wash drum is not spinning or seems to be slipping during the wash cycle, it’s usually because the drive belt has either snapped, come off entirely, or is getting old and loose.
The best course of action is generally to replace the belt with a new one.
3. A Burning Smell Coming from the Dryer
While burning smells from your dryer may be alarming, it’s most commonly caused by a full lint filter. Lint is good fire kindling, so it will burn if it gets in contact with the heating element or burner.
You should clean out the lint filter intermittently to keep the amount of lint in your dryer under control.
4. Dryer is Excessively Noisy
Amana dryers are always a bit noisy, but if you notice the noise has become very prominent, it may mean the dryer isn’t level with the floor, so it vibrates a lot.
Alternatively, the drum rollers, which help support the drum as it rotates, may have developed low spots, which causes the drum to rattle around.
5. Not Producing Enough Heat
If your dryer suddenly stops heating, the thermal fuse may have blown. This safety feature helps protect the dryer when it gets too hot by breaking and immediately preventing it from heating up.
Once it’s broken, you must replace it with a new one, as these are single-use components.
6. Clothes Take too Long to Dry
The fundamental way in which a dryer works is by heating the air inside the dryer drum, allowing the moisture inside the clothes to evaporate into the air, which is then ejected through the vent. If this flow of air is impeded in some way, it will cause the moist air inside the drum to get stuck inside the machine, exponentially increasing the dry times.
This usually happens if the exit vent becomes clogged up and creates restricted airflow. The dryer might also be overloaded, not leaving enough room for air to circulate.
7. Dryer Won’t Start
Before a dryer can start, the door needs to be fully closed and latched. This is so that water doesn’t leak out during the spin cycle and your clothes don’t get ejected from the washer into your kitchen.
Your Amana dryer will utilize a sensor that can tell when the door is closed, but sometimes this sensor or the door lock itself may break, which will prevent the dryer from starting up. You’ll need to inspect and fix the dryer door and sensor.
8. Control Panel isn’t Responding
The control panel operates as the brain of the dryer, sending out commands to the various components as needed in order to complete the wash cycle. However, if the control panel starts to fail, it may result in all kinds of strange operational issues with your dryer.
Because the control board is tough to diagnose and repair by yourself, the standard course of action is just to replace it with a new one.
How to Troubleshoot an Amana Dryer
Now that you better understand what issues you may be facing with your Amana dryer, let’s walk through how to fix each of these problems and restore your washer to working order.
1. Fix Any Cracked or Rough Drum Surfaces
To stop the dryer from causing tears in your clothes, you should inspect the lint filter cover and the entire surface of the drum for rough areas or cracks.
If the lint filter cover is cracked, you can order a new one directly from Amana customer support. If there are rough areas on the electric dryer drum, it will require an inspection from a professional technician who may wish to replace the drum.
Be careful what heat level you set your washer to dry; if you’re washing delicate fabrics, it might be too hot.
2. Fix or Replace the Dryer Belt
As the dryer belt wears down, it may cause the drum to slip or not spin at all. You should remove the access panel and visually inspect the belt; if it’s snapped, too loose, or looks very old and frayed, then replace the faulty drive belt with a new one.
3. Clean Out the Lint Filter
It’s necessary to clean out the lint filter regularly to ensure it doesn’t cause blockages or end up burning inside the drum.
- Start by locating the lint screen, usually found inside the electric dryer door or at the top of the detergent dispenser.
- Remove the lint filter cover and pull out the lint trap.
- You can use your hands to pick out most of the lint, but if it’s packed in and stubborn, you can also wash it under some running water. Ensure it is completely dry before reinstalling.
- Clean around the lint screen area using a vacuum to remove any remaining debris.
- Reinstall the lint filter and start the machine back up.
4. Ensure the Dryer’s Level
If your dryer isn’t level, it will cause the dryer to vibrate and make strange noises as it operates. You should check the dryer level by using a spirit level or the spirit level app on your phone to determine which corners of the dryer are too low/high.
You can then adjust the feet on each corner of the dryer to change the height of that corner as needed. Once the dryer’s completely flat, you should see a significant improvement in quietness and performance.
5. Replace the Thermal Fuse
If the thermal fuse has blown, your dryer won’t be able to produce heat again until it’s replaced.
- Start by unplugging the Amana dryer from the power supply or turning it off at the circuit breaker.
- Locate the thermal fuse; it’s commonly located on the blower housing or the exhaust vent duct; if you’re unsure, we recommend referring to your user manual, as its exact location can differ from dryer model to model.
- Disconnect the old thermal fuse wires and unscrew them from the frame.
- Put the new fuse in its place and plug the wires back in using the same configuration as the old one.
- Reattach the mounting screw and reassemble the rest of the dryer.
- Turn the power source back on and run a test drying cycle to check that it’s heating up properly.
6. Clean Out the Vent
The dryer needs to be able to expel the moist air in order for the clothes to dry. But if this dryer vent is clogged up with dust and lint, it will take forever to dry.
You’ll need to remove the dryer vent from the dryer, use a vacuum with a hose attachment to remove the built-up dust or lint, and then reinstall the vent. You should also check that your lint filter is cleared, as the most common reason lint makes it into the vent in the first place is due to the lint trap being full, so it has nowhere else to go.
7. Check the Door Lock and Door Sensor
If your dryer isn’t starting, it’s usually because there’s an issue with the door lock. Visually inspect the door lock and strike for signs of damage; if anything looks broken or cracked, replace the door lock with a new one.
However, if the door looks ok, it may be the door sensor that is malfunctioning. Test the door sensor using a multimeter to see if it’s working; if not, replace it with a new one to get your dryer starting again.
8. Replace the Control Board
If the control board is malfunctioning, it usually needs to be replaced entirely, as these are very challenging components to diagnose and fix by yourself.
We recommend contacting Amana customer support, who will help arrange for a trained technician to come out and install a replacement control board for you.
Adrian is an ISCET licensed professional that has completed the National Appliance Service Technician Certification Exam and has the expertise to diagnose and repair any appliance. He is well-versed in the latest technologies and techniques and is always up-to-date on the latest industry standards.
