The short answer
On the FDG line, a dryer that does nothing when start is pressed is usually being stopped by an interlock or a protective device rather than by a failed motor. On this page the door switch is first, since a machine with power that refuses to run is usually being told not to. A dryer that hums without turning is a different fault again — that is the drive, not the start circuit.
What an owner actually observes on the FDG line
- It hums when start is pressed but the drum does not move — The motor is energised and something is stopping it — a broken belt or a seized part.
- It runs only while the start button is held — The start circuit is not latching, which points at the switch or the motor circuit.
- NEAR MISS — it starts, runs and never heats — That is a heating fault, not a start fault: the motor circuit is fine and the heat circuit is not.
The ranking for the FDG line, likeliest first
- The door switch is open or marginal — Ranked first because no dryer runs with the door circuit open, and because a switch that has worn will work when the door is slammed and fail when it is closed gently.
- A control lock or delayed start is set — Child locks and delay timers are the most common non-fault on any modern machine. Check the display before checking anything else.
- No supply at the machine — Dryers draw heavily, so breakers do trip. Reset it fully off and on rather than nudging it back.
- The belt has broken and the motor is stalling — Last on this ordering, and it takes seconds to check by hand with the power off.
The diagnostic order, and the reason for it
- First — open and close the door firmly and listen for the switch — Press the door in while pressing start. A machine that runs only under pressure has a worn switch and it will fail completely.
- Then — check the display for a lock symbol or a countdown — Hold the lock button for a few seconds to clear it. A delayed start looks exactly like a refusal to run.
- Only then — reset the breaker fully and check the plug — Switch the breaker right off and back on rather than nudging it. A dead panel with a healthy breaker means the outlet or the cord.
- STOP here if the next check needs a panel off or a meter on live terminals — Everything above can be done with nothing dismantled; past it the checks need test equipment.
Read this before any panel comes off
Safety
Unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker before any panel comes off — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and the heater terminals stay live whenever the machine is connected. If yours is a gas model and you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or emergency services from outside; do not look for the leak yourself. Never run the machine with the vent disconnected into the room, and never bypass a thermal cut-out to get a load finished.
When it stops being an owner job
Call when the supply is proven, the door latches and the panel is unlocked and the machine still does nothing, because the next steps are a meter on the thermal fuse, the door switch and the start circuit. On the FDG line, call rather than continue if the console or the rear panel has to come off. Call immediately if the machine trips its breaker on start, or if there is any burning smell: both mean stop, not retry.
Other faults covered for the FDG line
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
