No HEAT in Old Broad's Dryer

[babs277]

Hi Everyone!!

I DID IT!!!  My parts came in on Monday ... and I had the dryer back together and running with HEAT by Monday night.  I've been catching up on laundry ever since.  Hurray!  I only installed the heating element and kept the other fuses for later if I need them.  Now that I know how to do this, I can replace the fuses if necessary.  The ones that were in the dryer weren't bad so I left them be.

I still have a couple questions though.  I hope you all won't mind.
When I originally tried to take my dryer apart, I mistakenly tried to remove the back.  I removed some screws ... about seven.  But, when I went to put them back in, the holes seemed to have disappeared from the underside for 5 of them.  I hope I'm explaining this so you can understand what I mean.  It's like when you try to line up the two holes and the part underneath has moved and there's just solid metal showing ... or nothing at all.  To be honest, I can't even remember for sure which holes three of the screws came out of ... but I can't get them to go in anywhere!  There's solid white metal behind where I thought they were supposed to go.
The other two left over screws came off the hinged part of the top control panel thing.  It had four screws ... and it now has only two.  I can see through those two holes, but the there's nothing at all behing the top part to screw into.  I can put the screws in and they just sit there loose ... not secured at all. 
So what do ya'll think happened?  Do ya think that the dryer back plate shifted or dropped somehow?  If so, how do I remedy it ... get all the screws back in?   It doesn't seem to be affecting the dryer's operation, but I'd like to fix it anyway.

Problem two ... when I originally removed the terminal plate/cover over the wires coming into the dryer in the back, a spring clip fell out and I didn't see where it came from ... nor can I figure it out from the parts illustrations I have.  They list the clip as Part#3394427 Clip Harness.  It's only listed ... and not shown on the drawing itself.  It's identical to the ones that were at the top of the front bottom panel I removed.  So, can one of you geniuses tell me where this wire harness clip belongs and how to put it back in?

Finally, I bought new 8 foot semi-rigid vent duct and a new piece to put through the wall outside.  But, I was having trouble stretching the vent ... I was afraid I'd break it.  So, for now I have the new good vent attached to the dryer ... and then duct taped at the other end to a section of the old cruddy stuff going outside.  I have to wait until next pay day to pick up an additional 8 foot piece of the good stuff. 
Repair-man ... I watched all your videos ... including the one about how improper venting can make your house sick.  I learned a few things I was actually going to ask ya'll about.  Like ... Can I somehow recycle all that good heat back into the house?  No! No! No!  Too bad though!
I also learned that dust mites POOP their own weight EVERY DAY!!   GROSS!
What I do need to know is ... How do I connect the two pieces of semi-rigid vent together?   I'm sure there's a better way than duct tape ... right?  And they won't fit inside of each other cuz they're too rigid, right?  I don't recall seeing any connector type pieces at Home Depot when I bought the other stuff.  But, I want to do this RIGHT!!
The over all vent distance is only about ten feet ... maybe less, but I'd prefer to not "stretch" this semi-rigid vent stuff any more than I have to.  It seems like it'll be stronger that way.

So, that's about it!  I can't thank all of you enough!  You're the greatest!  MANY MANY THANKS!!

Sincerely,
babs  ... the old broad who learned a few new tricks!

[BrntToast]

the missing screws from the back could be very important, they could be the ones that hold the heater housing in place or the mount for the rear rollers

you need to remove the front panel, then the drum, once the cabinet is all open you will be able to shift the 2 parts so the screw holes for both line up

also dont connect semi-rigid ducting, its sold in 10 foot or longer lenghts, the coupler will catch lint and create problems in the future

with semi-rigid always use an elbow to connect it to the dryer and also to the rigid that leads outside, its just so much easier

hth

[JWWebster]

Unplug the dryer. Use an ice pick to line up one of the holes in the back. Once you get it centered the rest should fit nicely. I have no idea what the spring clip does. Aproduct called foil tape is heat resistant and lasts way longer than duct tape. Costs more though.