How to Replace Vented Bosch Dryer Heating Element

Confirm the element failed#

The tells are a running drum with no heat, damp clothes after a full cycle, or an E64 on the display. Pull the rear panel, find the element housing in the exhaust path, and read across its two terminals: about 15 to 25 ohms is healthy, and an open circuit means it has burned through. While you are in there, test the thermal fuses on or near the housing for continuity — an open fuse is blown, and a blown fuse almost always means the vent was restricted, so the vent has to be fixed too.

Safety warning: Unplug the dryer completely. The heating element operates at 240V. Verify zero voltage with multimeter before touching terminals. Note: thermal fuses near the element should also be checked.

What you need#

Step by step#

1 - Test the element and fuses. Remove the rear panel, six to eight Torx T20 screws, and reach the element housing in the exhaust path. Disconnect both element terminals and confirm the 15 to 25 ohm reading, or an open on a failed element. Check each thermal fuse for continuity at essentially zero ohms.

2 - Remove the old element. Back out the two to four mounting screws holding the housing, disconnect the two element leads, the ground and the thermal-fuse wires — photograph them first — and slide the element assembly out of the duct.

3 - Fit the new element. Set the new element in the same orientation, secure the screws, and reconnect every wire to its original terminal. Make sure no wire rests against the element coils, since that clearance stops the insulation melting.

4 - Clear the vent before you test. This is what keeps the new element alive: clean the entire exhaust run from the dryer to the wall cap so airflow is restored, then confirm the exterior flap opens.

5 - Reassemble and run a heat test. Refit the rear panel, restore power, and run a timed dry with a few damp towels. After several minutes the exhaust should feel warm, and the load should finish dry. No heat means rechecking the thermal-fuse continuity and the wiring, since a single loose spade terminal will read as a dead element. Let the timed cycle run its course and confirm the heat holds steady rather than fading out partway, which would point back at airflow.

If it still will not heat#

• New element and good fuses but no heat: test the cycling thermostat that switches the element, and confirm 240V reaches the element connector during the heat phase.
• The element blows a thermal fuse again fast: the vent is still restricted — clean the whole path before running once more.
• Heat starts then quits mid-cycle: a cycling thermostat is opening early on marginal airflow, so reclean the vent even though the element now glows.
• E64 lingers: power-cycle the dryer for a minute to clear it; if it returns, the board relay may be stuck.

When to call a professional#

Get help for sealed heat-pump system work, for a compressor fault on a WTW model, or whenever working around a 240V circuit is outside your comfort zone.

Need professional help?#

• Dryer repair service
• Bosch appliance repair
• Dryer repair cost guide