The short answer
Sound is the diagnosis here. Complete silence points at an open circuit, which on this cabinet means the door switch, the start circuit or the belt switch. A hum with no movement means the motor has power and something mechanical is holding it. Press start once in a quiet room and you have already halved the search.
What you hear and see
- Nothing at all happens when start is pressed — No hum, no click, no light change. The circuit is open ahead of the motor.
- The machine hums and the drum stays still — Power is reaching the motor and something is stopping it turning.
- The drum turns freely by hand with no resistance at all — A drum that spins loosely usually means the belt is no longer wrapped around it.
- A single click on pressing start, then silence — Something closed and the motor did not follow, which is a narrower fault than total silence.
- NEAR MISS: it runs and tumbles but stays cold — That is a heating complaint and it has its own page and its own order.
Ranked for this cabinet
- A broken drive belt releasing its switch — First, because the switch exists precisely so a broken belt produces silence, and because owners almost never suspect a belt when nothing moves. Reaching in and turning the drum by hand settles it.
- The door switch or its actuator — Second. Operated on every load, in a lint-rich space, and it stops the machine with no other symptom.
- The start switch itself — Third. Its failure gives the single-click or the runs-only-while-held signature, which is distinctive.
- A thermal fuse opened by a restricted vent — Last on this cabinet, but never ignored: if the machine had been drying slowly before it went silent, this moves to the front.
Sound first, then the drum
- Press start once in a quiet room and classify the sound — Silence, click or hum. Each sends you to a different cause, and the test is free.
- Open the door and turn the drum by hand — A drum that spins with no drag at all has lost its belt, which is the top cause here.
- Push the door firmly shut and try start again — Second cause, and a worn actuator often works when the door is held in.
- Ask whether drying had been getting slower — If it had, the vent and the fuse move up the list and the belt moves down.
What an owner can check
- Press start in silence and write down what you heard — Silence, click or hum. This one word decides which half of the page applies to you.
About 5 min
- Reach into the drum and rotate it a full turn by hand — A healthy belt gives steady resistance. Free spinning with a faint slap is a broken belt.
About 5 min
- Hold the door firmly closed while pressing start — Running while held and stopping when released points squarely at the door switch.
About 5 min
- Clean the lint screen and its slot, and check the outside hood — Worth doing regardless, and essential if slow drying preceded the silence.
Tools: vacuum, narrow nozzleAbout 15 min
- STOP before any panel comes off to reach a switch or a belt — Both sit beside live terminals, and both need the cabinet opened, which is the boundary.
Before the cabinet is opened
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, and note that a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Leave the door switch wired as the factory fitted it, because it is what stops the drum turning with the door open. On a gas cabinet, if you smell gas, do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or your local emergency number from outside.
Where to hand it over
Call once you can say which sound the machine makes and whether the drum spins freely, because those two answers usually decide the part before the visit begins. Call before doing anything else if the machine smells of burnt rubber or burnt lint, since a belt that failed while rubbing leaves evidence a technician needs to see. A belt and a switch are inexpensive repairs and are almost always worth doing.
Nearest pages of this class
Scope
Written for the Maytag dryer class rather than one family. Belt routing, switch positions and panel removal differ between cabinets and belong on the family page for your machine, which is the more specific answer where it exists. This page is written from the sound the machine makes, which is the same on all of them.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
