The short answer, at family level
On the Criterion CLTG dryer family a cycle that misbehaves is usually the machine reading its own air and moisture correctly and acting on bad conditions, not a broken timer, because one blower pulls air through the burner tube, through the drum and out to the vent, and the burner itself will cycle off on restricted airflow long before anything else complains. Fix what the machine is sensing before replacing what does the sensing. One model in the roster, so the notes below apply exactly.
What you observe on these models
- It stops part way through and will not restart for a while — A thermal device opening and resetting as it cools. The machine is protecting itself from a restriction, and it will keep doing it.
- The cycle runs and runs and never finishes — The opposite reading: the machine cannot reach its end condition because the moisture is not leaving, which is the vent rather than the timer.
- The cycle ends after a few minutes with the load still wet — An automatic cycle ends on what the sensor reads. Poor airflow, or a small load touching the sensor bars early, both end it prematurely.
- NEAR MISS: the drum does not turn at all — That is a start or drive fault with its own list. Read the page for a dryer that will not start.
Ranked causes for this family
- A restricted vent is distorting everything the machine senses — First, and by a wide margin: one blower pulls air through the burner tube, through the drum and out to the vent, and the burner itself will cycle off on restricted airflow long before anything else complains. A machine that cannot exhaust reads wrong, heats wrong and trips its own protection, which produces early ends, endless cycles and mid-cycle stops all from one cause.
- The moisture sensor bars are coated or being bridged — Second: dryer sheets and fabric softener leave a film on the sensor bars, and a filmed sensor reads dry clothes as dry immediately. Cleaning them takes a minute.
- The load size or mix is wrong for an automatic cycle — A very small load rarely touches the sensor, and a mixed load of heavy and light items never finishes evenly. Both look like a faulty cycle and neither is.
- A thermal device is opening on temperature — Mid-cycle stops that clear after the machine cools are this, every time. It is a symptom of the restriction above rather than a fault in itself.
Where to start, and why here
- Clean the lint filter and check the outside vent hood — Run the machine and feel the flow at the hood outside. Weak flow explains early ends, endless cycles and mid-cycle stops at once. Work down in order rather than jumping to the likeliest cause.
- Wipe the moisture sensor bars inside the drum — Two metal strips just inside the drum opening. Clean them with a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth; a film from fabric softener makes them read dry immediately.
- Run a timed cycle and compare — If a timed cycle dries the load properly, the heat and drive are fine and the fault is in sensing or in the airflow the sensor reads.
Before any panel comes off
Safety
If you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. Do not look for the leak yourself. Unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not keep restarting a machine that stops on its own protection: it is telling you the air is restricted, and forcing it is how lint in a hot duct catches fire. Never run the machine with the duct discharging into the room beyond a brief test.
Models in the CLTG family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CLTG70N2BG | criterion:dryer:cltg |
When this stops being owner work
The split on these models is not subtle. Filter, vent, sensor bars, load size and a timed-cycle comparison are all owner work and account for most of these complaints. Call when the machine still misbehaves with a clear vent and clean bars, or when it keeps stopping on a thermal device, because that combination means something is still restricting it. On this platform any work at the burner, the valve or the gas connection is licensed work, and it is not a place to learn.
Other problems covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
