As a DIY enthusiast with a Maytag Bravos dryer, you may want to fix it when it fails and save money. And unlike most dryers, you can do basic Maytag Bravos dryer troubleshooting DIY and avoid paying someone, and that’s where this guide comes in.
This troubleshooting guide will help you fix a Maytag Bravos dryer that won’t start, get hot, or dry clothes and an option that squeals or has just stopped working.
So, if any of those issues sound familiar, roll up your sleeves and get your toolbox ready as I walk you through the fixes. But first, we’ll look at the most likely causes of each dryer problem.
I’ll then suggest the relevant fixes, including simple hacks like a dryer reset, vent cleaning, and setting changes. Let’s jump into it!
In a hurry? See how you can quickly fix the commonest Maytag Bravos problems in the troubleshooting guide below.
Quick Maytag Bravos Dryer Troubleshooting Guide
| – | Dryer Problem | Most Probable Cause | Recommended Fix |
| 1. | The Dryer Won’t Start | Lack of power, a disengaged or defective start switch, an unlatched door, locked controls, or an error code | Check the dryer’s power supply to ensure it has power. Long-press the start switch, and if it’s defective, replace it. Firmly latch an unlatched door, disable Control Lock, and reset the dryer to clear an error code. |
| 2. | The Dryer Won’t Heat | Lack of power, bulky or excessively wet load, clogged lint screen or vent, bad heating element, failed gas supply, or a defective solenoid, igniter, or flame sensor | Check the dryer’s power supply and avoid overload or excessively wet clothes. Clean the lint screen and vent, and replace a bad heating element. Ensure there’s a gas supply and replace a defective solenoid, igniter, or flame sensor |
| 3. | The Dryer Won’t Dry Clothes | An incorrect setting, obstructed lint screen or vent, dryer overload or excessively wet load, obstructed blower, or burnt heating element | Select the right setting, clean the lint screen, and un-obstruct the vent. Don’t overload or load extra-wet clothes, un-obstruct the blower, and replace a burnt heating element. |
| 4. | The Dryer Squeals | Loose objects, laundry overload, unstable feet, ungreased hinges, lint clogging, worn-out felt or defective drive belt, idler pulley, glide, drum bearing, or motor. | Remove/tighten any loose objects, reduce the laundry overload, and stabilize the fee. Grease the hinge, clean off the lint, and replace a worn-out felt or defective drive belt, idler pulley, glide, drum bearing, or motor. |
| 5. | Dryer Stopped Working | Failed power supply, an unlatched door, or a broken belt | Check the dryer’s power supply, latch the door if it’s open, and replace a broken belt |
5 Common Maytag Bravos Dryer Problems
Discussed below are five common Maytag Bravos dryer issues worth troubleshooting yourself:
1. Maytag Bravos Dryer Won’t Start
You cannot use your Maytag Bravos dryer if it doesn’t start. More often than not, the cause is one of these:
- Lack of power – Without power, your dryer won’t start. So, consider checking for a power loss if the dryer won’t turn on or disruption like a tripped breaker, loose power plug, defective outlet, or a blown fuse.
- Disengaged or defective start switch – Ordinarily, it takes about 3 seconds of long-pressing the start button for the Maytag dryer to start. So, you must hold down the start button long enough, but if the start switch is defective, the dryer will not start.
- Unlatched door – The dryer won’t start if it detects an open door. Even if the door is only marginally open, the dryer may not start.
- Locked controls – A Maytag dryer won’t start when Control Lock is active. This safety feature locks all the control panel functions except the power switch, thus preventing the dryer from running.
- Error code – Sometimes, a Maytag Bravos dryer won’t start because of an error code that needs clearing.
Recommended Fix
First, check the dryer’s power supply to ensure your Bravos dryer has power. Generally, there is nothing to do if it’s a power loss. But if it’s not, reset the breaker if it’s tripped and firmly plug in the power cord if it’s loose.
Use a continuity device (or multimeter) to check if the power cord and the outlets have continuity. If they don’t, that proves they are faulty, and so you should replace them.
Firmly press the start switch for 3 seconds to see if the dryer will start, and if it doesn’t, test the switch with the multimeter to see if it has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t.
Firmly latch the door if it’s not well latched, and remove any obstructions that might prevent it from locking. But if it doesn’t close, test the door switch with a multimeter – then replace it if it won’t show continuity.
If Control Lock is on, long-press it for a few seconds to disable it, and if there’s an error code, reset the dryer to clear it.
Are you asking, ‘how do I reset my Maytag bravos dryer?’
Well, here are two ways to reset your Maytag Bravos dryer:
Option 1 – Press Power/Cancel while the dryer is on and select a new cycle. Lastly, press Start to complete the dryer reset.
Option 2 – Unplug the dryer (hard reset) for 30 minutes, then plug it back in and restart it.
2. Maytag Bravos Dryer Not Heating
You want your Bravos dryer to get hot to dry the wet clothes. Several issues, however, may prevent it from heating up, and they include:
- Lack of power – You cannot expect your Bravos dryer to get hot if it doesn’t turn on. So, check if the dryer has power, and if it doesn’t, consider issues like a power loss, a loose power cord, a tripped-up breaker, or a defective socket.
- Bulky load – If the load is too large to fill up the drum, there won’t be enough room for the heated air to circulate. As a result, the dryer may take too long to get hot or may not get hot at all.
- Excessively-wet load – The dryer may also take longer to get hot or fail to get hot if the load is excessively wet. Ordinarily, running the drain cycle is advisable before removing the wet clothes from the washer if they are dripping wet.
- Clogged lint screen or vent – Lint can block the lint screen and vent; once that happens, it restricts airflow. Once there is no proper airflow, your dryer won’t get hot.
- Bad heating element – For the cold air to get hot, it must go through the heating element. Sadly, sometimes the heating element burns from overheating and cannot heat the inbound air.
Recommended Fix
First, check your Bravos dryer power supply. While you can’t do anything if it’s a power loss, reset a tripped breaker and firmly plug in a loose power cord. Meanwhile, test the socket with a multimeter to see if it has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t.
If the load is too bulky, reduce it; if it’s too wet, you may want to take it out and wring off the excess water. But ideally, you should run the drain cycle while the load is in the washer.
Clean the lint screen and dryer vent if lint-clogged, and use the multimeter on the heating element to see if it has continuity. If it doesn’t, get a replacement Maytag Bravos dryer heating element.
Maytag Bravos Gas Dryer Not Drying – Troubleshooting
In case you have a gas Maytag Bravos dryer, also consider these issues:
- Failed gas supply – If the gas supply valve is off, no gas will reach the burner, which means the burner won’t ignite. And if the burner doesn’t ignite, the dryer won’t heat up.
- Defective solenoid – The solenoid valve allows gas into the burner assembly. If it’s faulty, no gas will reach the burner assembly, and the dryer will fail to heat up.
- Defective igniter – The igniter’s job is to burn the gas, which produces a flame that heats the dryer. If it’s faulty, the gas dryer will not heat up.
- Non-working flame sensor – The flame sensor detects the flame-emitted heat but stops the dryer from getting hot when it fails.
Recommended Fix
Ensure the gas valve is turned off and test the igniter and flame sensor with a multimeter. If any of the two lacks continuity, replace it. And if the igniter glows briefly without igniting the gas flame, the solenoid is faulty and thus needs a replacement.
3. Maytag Bravos Dryer Not Drying
The essence of a dryer is to dry clothes, but once that happens, the dryer isn’t helpful. Overall, here are the issues that could stop a Maytag Bravos dryer from drying the clothes or taking too long to do it are:
- Incorrect setting – If the dryer is on an auto-sensing mode such as an Auto-Dry or Timed-Dry cycle, it may take time before starting to dry.
- Obstructed lint screen – If lint clogs the lint screen, it restricts airflow, which prevents the dryer from drying the clothes.
- Obstructed vent – A blocked vent from collapsing, kinking, or lint clogging hampers airflow and stops the dryer from drying clothes.
- Dryer overload – The dryer shouldn’t be more than ¾ full. If it is, the excess load reduces the space necessary for hot air circulation – so the clothes won’t dry.
- Excessively wet load – Dripping wet clothes may take too long or fail to dry entirely. That’s why running the drain cycle is advisable before transferring the wet clothes to the dryer.
- Obstructed blower – The blow wheel is another component that easily gets blocked, and when it does, it prevents the dryer from blowing hot air over the clothes.
- Burnt heating element – As explained earlier, if the heating element overheats and burns, it’s unable to heat the inbound air, preventing the dryer from drying the clothes.
Recommended Fix
De-select auto-sensing and choose a regular cycle. Clean the lint screen if it’s lint-clogged, and do the same for the vent. Meanwhile, stretch out a kinked vent and replace it if it’s crushed.
Reduce the load size if excess, and avoid loading clothes dripping wet. Moreover, clear any obstructions around the blower, and if the heating element lacks continuity, replace it.
4. Maytag Bravos Dryer Squealing
Something must be wrong when the dryer squeals. More often, it does so due to any of these reasons:
- Loose objects – The cause of the squealing could be foreign objects like broken zippers, pins, and coins inside the drum or in the pockets. But still, it could be loose screws.
- Laundry overload – The dryer may also squeal if its load capacity exceeds ¾ full.
- Unstable feet – Expect the dryer to vibrate when the feet are unsteady and make some noise, sometimes squealing.
- Ungreased hinge – The dryer hinge doesn’t dry up easily, but it can happen. When it does, it squeaks when you open and closes the door.
- Lint clogging – Too much lint around the dryer’s inner components can cause the dryer to squeal when running. That’s why you should clean the dryer at least once every two years.
- Worn-out felt – The felt seal may sometimes produce a squeaky sound when it wears down. So, inspect it.
- Defective drive belt, idler pulley, glides, drum bearings, or motor – The dryer may make a squealing sound if any of these components is faulty.
Recommended Fix
Check for any loose foreign items, and remove them, and tighten any loose screws. Reduce the load if excess and stabilize the dryer’s feet if unstable.
Grease up the hinge if it appears dry, and clean the dryer’s interior to eliminate the lint clogging. And if the felt seal is worn out or the drive belt, idler puller, glides, drum pulleys, or motor are defective, replace them.
5. Maytag Bravos Dryer Stopped Working
Lastly, consider these reasons if your Bravos dryer just stopped working:
- Failed power supply – Check out for anything that might have interrupted the power supply. That includes an outage, tripped breaker, loose power plug, or a blown-up socket.
- Unlatched door – If the door is unintentionally opened, that could stop the dryer from running. Perhaps it could be a malfunctioning door switch preventing the door from shutting.
- Broken belt – If the dryer belt breaks while the dryer is running, that may stop it from working. So, check the drive belt too.
Recommended Fix
Check if your dryer has power. If it doesn’t, confirm it’s not an outage. Reset the breaker if it’s off, firmly plug in the power plug if it’s loose, and replace the socket if it looks blown up.
In the meantime, check the door and try to latch it if it’s open, and if the belt is broken, consider a Maytag Bravos Dryer Belt Replacement.
Closing Remarks
In summary, basic Maytag Bravos dryer troubleshooting is worth trying as it’s less technical. Apart from the part replacement, the others are simple checks. Hopefully, you can fix any of the six problems, as they are common among most dryers, not just the Maytag Bravos line.
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