Repair a 10 year old Maytag dryer

I noticed a 10-year-old Maytag dryer was being given away and it had been on-line for several days without a response. So I picked it up with lots of help from the owner. He said they had not kept the vent clear and now the unit spins and all but does not heat. He said they replaced the heating element two years ago.

I was hoping the thermal fuse had blown but after disassembly and diagnosis, I found the heating coil had opened up. There was a lot of lint inside almost an inch covering the bottom, including the motor, the roller wheels holding the drum and also on the heating element case. The lint on the heating element case shows signs of smoldering.

I was able to find a new element for less than $20 on eBay which ships from California. P/n 3387747. Maytag model number MED9600SQ.

I cleaned everything real good even taking the drum roller wheels off and lubricating them with Tri - something or other. Now just wait for the new heating element to come in.

Found the light inside the drum was broken off so will get a replacement for that as well. If all works I will replace our 39-year-old green Maytag dryer even though it is working just fine.

Lint on the motor. 

See burnt lint which was sitting on heating element can.

 Lint on inside of vent tube inside dryer. 

Lint on drum rollers.

Bad heating element. The break is at the bottom left. 

See the breaks in the metal holding the element due to overheating.