Maytag dryer error codes

Maytag dryer codes: what the display is telling you

Before you read the code, check the three things that cause most dryer complaints. Clean the lint screen and look inside its housing; disconnect the vent hose and look for lint blocking it or the outside hood; and check that both breakers of the dryer's double-pole circuit are on, because an electric dryer will tumble on one leg and not heat. A dryer that runs hot and takes twice as long is usually a vent, and the fix costs nothing.

The model number is on a label inside the door opening or on the door frame, and it tells a technician which control platform you have. Several of the sensor codes mean different things on a front-load Maytag than on a top-load, so write the model number down with the code. Power the dryer down at the breaker for a minute to clear a transient code.

A code that returns usually names a thermistor, a heating element, a thermal fuse, a motor or the control. Stop for a burning smell, scorching on the lint or anything that needs line-voltage work, which belongs with a technician.

Most Maytag dryer codes come down to heat and air. F4 E3, F30, AF and LF mean the exhaust is restricted or the secondary lint filter is missing, and the cure is the vent. F4 E4, L2 and F31 mean one leg of the 240-volt supply is missing or low, so the heater cannot turn on; check both breakers and the terminal block, and have an electrician look at the supply. F4 E1 and F4 E2 are the heater relay circuit, and the sign is a damp, cold load. F3 E1 and its relatives name a temperature sensor reading open or shorted, and the dryer will run unusually hot or cool. Always clean the lint screen and the vent before spending money on a sensor.

Maytag has made dryers for a long time, and two kinds are still in homes: older machines with a dial and a few lights, and newer ones with a digital display that shows codes. On the older kind, a flashing light or a pattern of lights takes the place of a code, and the manual gives the pattern. If your dryer shows no code at all but heats poorly, treat it as an airflow problem first and clean the vent from the back of the dryer to the outside wall, since a clogged duct is the most common cause of poor drying and of the heating element switching off to protect itself.