Hello, maybe someone here can help me.
I have a Simpson 5kg tumble dryer with a very interesting problem it is suppose to tumble in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction (3 minutes in each direction) to stop sheets tangling thing is it only goes in one direction now It was functioning perfectly in forward/reverse then 24 hours ago it started struggling to go in reverse it would shudder for 3-4 seconds the go as time progressed it got worse until it would completely stall when reversing so it would be on for 3 minutes then off for 10-12 minutes because the heater remained on without airflow and trip the two thermal fuses on the heater assembly then when the fuses reset it would go again.
First I mapped out the wiring
Checked all the thermal fuses they were all good
Checked the door safety switch it functions as normal
Next I went to the dual direction timer and opened it up
I initially thought I found the problem, the neutral contactor was not reaching the reverse contact in its resting position because the reversing contact melted its support and moved further away fixed that with a bit of material to push the reverse contact forward. I also cleaned up all the surfaces just incase.
Everything was put back together but the same problem still persists.
So next I checked that the motor bearings are free in both directions and they were remarkably smooth for a 15 year old machine resistance through both windings were nearly equal
the only thing I can think of is the motor run cap it is connected across the motor windings and bolted to the motor frame but would the motor not fail to run in both direction if it were the cap. I also tried reversing the cables on the timer and same problem turns clockwise but not anti-clockwise.
Any input would be greatly appreciated maybe im missing something obvious, thanks in advance.