Can someone help me with a grassroots appliance repair?

I have a Kenmore branded Whirlpool electric dryer that I think I broke even worse while fixing it.

Model #110.63932101

The original problem was that it ran but had no heat, I found the cause of that problem to be a bad relay for the heater.

As I was concluding my test of the heater circuit I had a jumper wire bypassing the power side of the relay. I was running it like that just long enough to confirm that the heater element and all the other interlocks worked.

As I was shutting things down I accidentally bumped the jumper wire that I had bypassing the relay, and it briefly shorted to the body of the dryer. The dryer stopped, the breaker did not trip. Both legs of the 240v system have power.

Now it will only run if I continually hold the start button, and the motor relay won't close. I don't think that the relay is getting power to the coil side. I don't know how the motor circuit is wired, I don't have a wiring diagram, and Google seems to be failing to find me one.

Surely someone here knows about these, or can direct me the secret website with all the appliance wiring diagrams.

I have no idea if this applies here or not, but I had a F&P dryer that had fuses ... maybe check for a fuse? What throws me off is that it runs of you hold the button.

In reply to Slippery:

I don't think there are fuses. If there are, they are hidden well.

My understanding is that the motor has two circuits powering it. One through the start switch and the other through the controls, timer unit and interlocks. Some of the interlocks require the drum to be turning. When the controller is happy that all interlocks are satisfied it energizes the motor relay, at that point it will run without the start button being held down. It's got a lot more going on than the heater circuit.

I see.

The Fisker we had had the fuses on the back of the control panel. You had to remove it and they were right on the board. Two old school glass fuses.

Sometimes there are wiring diagrams hidden inside the cover panels on the machine.

Duct tape to hold the start button down?

Did you accidentally use the winding of the relay as a fuse?

Some of those have fusible links instead of a fuse block, search the model number and you can probably find a wiring diagram.

Huckleberry wrote: Did you accidentally use the winding of the relay as a fuse?

The coil has continuity, but I guess that doesn't automatically mean that it's good.

Strizzo wrote: search the model number and you can probably find a wiring diagram.

I did that first, none of the diagrams that come up are correct. I do have an idea though. I'll see if I can cross-reference this to the Whirlpool model and search that next

I'd look inside for a wiring diagram. Otherwise, I've always been able to find them for my appliances online. Try Repair clinic dot com.

Slippery said:

I have no idea if this applies here or not, but I had a F&P dryer that had fuses ... maybe check for a fuse? What throws me off is that it runs of you hold the button.

Similar, I had a washer that had a fusible link in it, check if there's one in the wiring diagram. 

It will be very hard to debug without a wiring diagram.  When you shorted it, it is possible that the overcurrent caused the contacts in a relay or a switch to weld.  So a relay could stay closed electrically even if the coil isn't energized since the contacts are welded.  A switch would be similar.   When it should be open, it is closed due to the weld.  I would get an ohmmeter and check the operation of every switch and relay and make sure that they are open when they should be.  Disconnect all the wires before trying to ohm it out.  Should be pretty easy since most appliances use spade lug type connections.

At least I'm consistent. dang canoe zombie thread. 

Repair clinic.com has good diagrams that may help you diagnose or find parts.