No dryer is fail-proof, not even the remarkable Maytag Centennial. And if you’ve one, you probably know how expensive the repairs can get, and that’s why you may need to understand the Maytag Centennial dryer troubleshooting process.
Issues like a non-starting, non-spinning, non-heating, and non-drying Maytag Centennial dryer are fixable. Yes, you can troubleshoot these issues DIY and avoid paying someone, and that’s what this guide will help you do.
All it takes to troubleshoot your Maytag Centennial dryer is first recognizing the problem as early as possible. Then, you should look for its likely cause and go ahead and formulate a way to fix it.
I’ve done all that for you in this simple guide, and while it doesn’t replace your dryer’s troubleshooting manual, it’s a less cumbersome option, which you’ll find helpful. Let’s dive in!
In a hurry? Check out the four issues described earlier and their quick fixes below.
A Quick Guide to the Maytag Centennial Dryer Troubleshooting
| Dryer Problem | Likely Cause | Fix | |
| 1. | The Dryer Won’t Start | Failed power, non-engaged start button, unfastened door, Control Lock, or defective part (timer, motor, or control board) | Check the power supply, press the start button long enough, and latch the door firmly. Deactivate Control Lock and replace a defective start switch, door switch, timer, motor, or control board |
| 2. | The Dryer Won’t Spin | Failed power, Control Lock, unfastened door, extra-bulky load, a broken belt, or worn-out part (drum bearings, drum axles, drum rollers, or slides) | Check the power supply, deactivate Control Lock, fasten the dryer door, and reduce the load if it’s extra bulky. Replace a broken belt or worn-out drum bearings, drum axles, drum rollers, or slide) |
| 3. | Centennial Dryer Won’t Heat | Failed power or gas supply, wrong setting, restricted airflow, bulky or extra-wet load, blown-up fuse, or burnt heating element | Ensure the dryer has power and gas, use a medium/high-heat setting, clean the lint screen and vent, and reduce the extra load or water from the load. Replace a blown-up fuse or burnt heating element |
| 4. | The Dryer Won’t Dry | The wrong setting, bulky or extra-wet load, restricted airflow, unstable dryer, defective blower, blown-up fuse, or burnt heating element | Choose a heat setting, reduce the extra load or water on the load, clean the vent and lint screen, and stabilize the dryer. Replace a defective blower, thermal fuse, or heating element |
4 Common Maytag Centennial Dryer Problems
Below are 4 of the commonest Maytag Centennial dryer issues for DIY troubleshooting:
1. Maytag Centennial Dryer Will Not Start
Your Maytag dryer won’t start for a reason. It could be due to one of these issues:
- Failed power – Your Centennial dryer might not be on, and that’s why it won’t start. And if it doesn’t turn on, it’s likely a power issue. In that case, watch out for an unplugged dryer, tripped breaker, defective power plug or socket, or blown-up fuse.
- Non-engaged start button – You should hold down the start button for 3-5 seconds to properly engage the dryer to start. If you only rap the button, the Centennial dryer won’t start. But the start button sometimes won’t engage the dryer because it’s defective.
- Unfastened door – The dryer won’t start if its door is loosely latched. It has to be firmly fastened, and if that’s not the case, it could be due to an obstruction or a failed door switch.
- Control Lock – Control Lock inactivates the control panel alongside the start switch. Thus, it stops the dryer from running.
- Defective part (timer, motor, or control board) – If the timer, motor, or control board is faulty, the Centennial dryer won’t start.
Fix
Ensure your Centennial dryer has power and turns on. That means correctly plugging it into the wall socket (not the extension cord) and resetting the breaker (if it’s off). See how to do it further down.
Then, check using a multimeter if the power plug, socket, and thermal fuse have continuity. If any of them doesn’t, replace it.
Meanwhile, firmly press the start button for a few seconds (3-5 seconds). And if the start button is not responsive, use the multimeter to determine if it has continuity. Replace it if it doesn’t.
Fasten the dryer door if it’s unlatched, even slightly. In that case, remove any obstruction, and if the door doesn’t shut, test the door switch with a multimeter and change the switch if it has no continuity.
Meanwhile, inactivate the Control Lock function by long-pressing the icon or resetting the dryer. And if the dryer still doesn’t start, consider that the timer, motor, or control board could be defective. In such a case, have a dryer expert check and replace them.
2. Maytag Centennial Dryer Won’t Spin
There are different reasons why a Centennial dryer won’t spin; the danger is that the clothes may not dry. These reasons include the following:
- Failed power – Your Centennial dryer won’t spin if it lacks power. So, consider the issues shared earlier (an unplugged dryer, tripped breaker, defective power plug or socket, or blown-up fuse).
- Control Lock – Since Control Lock stops the dryer from starting, it also prevents it from spinning.
- Unfastened door – A Centennial dryer sees an unlatched door as a fault, and as a result, it doesn’t run or spin.
- Extra-bulky load – If the laundry is too bulky, it won’t be able to turn within the drum. The drum needs some space for the laundry to turn, and that’s why it’s advisable not to exceed the drum’s ¾ capacity.
- Broken belt – The drum’s turning depends on a working belt. If the drive belt breaks, the drum won’t turn.
- Worn-out part (drum bearings, drum axles, drum rollers, or slides) – Lastly, if the drum bearings, drum axles, drum rollers, or slides are worn out, which may happen over time, they affect the dryer’s spin ability. In short, the drum won’t turn.
Fix
Use the tips shared earlier to fix any power issue if your Centennial dryer won’t turn on. Disable Control Lock if it’s active and ensure you lock the dryer door.
If the dryer is more than ¾ full, reduce the load. If the belt is broken, replace it. Also, replace the drum bearings, axles, drum rollers, or slides if worn out.
3. Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Heating
Sometimes a Centennial dryer won’t get hot, which means it cannot dry the clothes. Overall, these are the reasons the dryer won’t heat:
- Failed power – Your dryer won’t get hot without power. And so, it’s essential to check for issues like an unplugged dryer, tripped breaker, defective power plug or socket, or blown-up fuse in case the dryer has no power and fix them.
- Failed gas supply – In the case of a gas dryer, the supply valve should be open, and the supply tube should be free from kinks and other blockages. If that’s not the case, the burner won’t get any gas and will therefore fail to burn and produce heat.
- Wrong setting – It won’t get hot enough if the dryer is on a no-heat setting like Air-Fluff or a low-heat option like Wrinkle Reduction. So, that could be the reason your dryer doesn’t heat up.
- Restricted airflow – If the lint screen or vent is clogged, it’ll limit good airflow, making it hard for the dryer to heat up. The vent could also block from having many kinks or elbows.
- Bulky load – The dryer will have difficulty getting hot if the laundry is too large, perhaps more than ¾ full. Not only will the clothes find it hard to turn in the drum, but there won’t be enough space for hot air to circulate in the dryer.
- Extra-wet load – The laundry should also not be soaking wet. If that’s so, the dryer will have difficulty getting hot.
- Blown-up fuse – The thermal fuse comes in handy in protecting the dryer during a power surge. Instead of the dryer overheating and blowing up, the thermal fuse takes the hit
- Burnt heating element – Sometimes, a power surge can cause the heating element to burn out, and once that happens, it’s unable to heat the dryer.
Fix
Use the earlier tips to ensure your Centennial dryer has power. If it’s a gas dryer, ensure you turn on the gas valve and remove any kinks on the supply line.
Choose a medium-heat or high-heat setting to allow the dryer to heat up, and if the lint screen or vent is dirt-clogged, clean it. While checking the dryer vent, stretch it out to eliminate any links and replace it if it has too many elbows (more than five 90-degree bends).
While checking the laundry load, ensure it’s not soaking wet or overloaded. If it’s dripping wet, squeeze off the excess water before loading the clothes into the dryer. While at it, ensure you do exceed the dryer’s ¾ capacity.
Then use a multimeter to check if the thermal fuse and the heating element have electrical continuity. If one of them lacks it, replace it.
4. Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Drying – Troubleshooting
A Maytag Centennial dryer won’t dry for the same reasons (discussed above) that it won’t get hot. That includes a wrong setting, bulky or extra-wet load, restricted airflow, blown-up fuse, or burnt heating element.
But in addition to those, the dryer won’t dry the clothes due to being unstable or defective blower. In the case of an unstable dryer, the instability makes it hard for the clothes to turn and dry uniformly. As for the blower, it could be obstructed or defective, thus unable to blow hot air in the dryer.
Fix
Pick a medium/high-heat setting and avoid overloading or loading dripping-wet clothes into the dryer. Clean the lint screen and vent if dirt-clogged, and replace a defective heating element.
Additionally, clean the blower if it’s lint-obstructed, but if it’s worn out, replace it and ensure the dryer is stable.
Other Issues
Maytag Centennial Dryer Thermal Fuse Problems
As shared, a defective problem is a source of different issues. That includes the dryer not starting, not heating, and not drying. But in addition, a faulty thermal fuse may delay the drying cycle – causing the dryer to take much longer to get hot and dry the clothes.
At times, a defective thermal fuse is the cause of a dryer aborting mid-cycle. In such a case, the dryer doesn’t complete its drying cycle, leaving the clothes soaking wet.
Fix
Using the multimeter, you can tell if the Maytag Centennial Dryer Thermal Fuse is defective. The lack of continuity by the fuse shows it’s faulty, so you should replace it.
Maytag Dryer Troubleshooting No Heat
Consider these tips when trying to troubleshoot a Maytag dryer that won’t get hot:
- Ensure the dryer has power – it should turn on
- Choose a medium/high-heat setting
- Don’t overload the dryer
- Avoid loading clothes that are too wet
- Replace a blown-up thermal fuse or burnt-out heating element
- Clean a clogged lint screen and dryer vent
How Do I Reset My Maytag Centennial Dryer?
You can reset a Maytag Centennial dryer by plugging it out of the power for at least 1 minute. Alternatively, turn off the breaker for at least 1 minute and flip it back on. If you want to return to the dryer’s default setting, consider using the Restore Factory setting on your dryer.
Closing Remarks
Above is a simple-to-use Maytag Centennial Dryer Troubleshooting guide. Consider it when your Centennial dryer won’t start, spin, heat, or dry – at least before calling a dryer expert or Maytag customer support. Once you master how to do it, you’ll save time and money and even avoid such an issue.