Whirlpool Gas Dryer Igniter Replacement

The sequence, because the diagnosis lives in it#

1. The control board sends power to the igniter.
2. The igniter glows — visible orange through the viewing window at the bottom front.
3. As it reaches operating temperature, its resistance drops.
4. The lower resistance lets enough current through the circuit to energise the gas valve coils.
5. The valve opens and gas reaches the burner.
6. The glowing igniter lights it.
7. The flame sensor sees flame and de-energises the igniter — it starts the fire, it does not maintain it.

Step 3 is where a tired igniter fails. It still glows at step 2, which is why people acquit it, but it never gets hot enough for step 4.

Symptoms#

• Glows, but gas never lights. The classic gradual failure described above.
• Heats on the first cycle of the day, not afterwards. Cold, the igniter draws slightly more current initially; once everything is warm the resistance shifts and it falls short.
• No glow at all. Complete failure, open circuit, no ignition attempt.
• Runs with no heat on a gas model. Check the igniter before the gas valve, the thermostat or the board.

Testing#

Unplug the dryer and close the gas supply valve — know where yours is before you start. Take the lower front panel off (2 screws). The igniter is on the burner tube assembly at the bottom.

Disconnect the igniter wire connector and measure across its terminals. 50-400 ohms means the igniter is intact, though intact is not the same as strong. An open circuit means it is broken.

The more definitive test is visual. Reconnect the igniter, leave the gas off, plug the dryer in and start a cycle. Watch through the front access opening. A strong igniter reaches bright orange-white within 60 seconds. A weak one glows dim orange and takes longer — that is an igniter that will never open the gas valve despite looking alive.

Parts#

If the igniter has failed from age, the coils have been aging on the same timeline. Replacing both together is standard practice among technicians for exactly that reason — it prevents a second visit a few months later.

Replacing it#

Tools: a 1/4-inch nut driver and a 5/16-inch nut driver.

With the dryer unplugged and the gas off, remove the lower front access panel. The igniter mounts on a bracket beside the burner tube with one or two screws. Unplug the wire connector, take out the mounting screws, and slide the igniter out.

Handle it by the ceramic body or the metal bracket only. The silicon carbide glow bar cracks if you bump or flex it, and even skin oils create hot spots that shorten its life. Most igniters ship in protective foam — leave the foam on until the part is in position and you are ready to mount it.

Slide the new one into the bracket, secure the screws, reconnect the wire, and reinstall the panel. Turn the gas back on, plug in, and run a test cycle. Watching through the access opening you should see the igniter glow, gas light within 60-90 seconds, and a steady blue flame with orange tips.

Why they wear out#

Igniters last 3-7 years, shorter than almost anything else in the machine, because the glow bar heats past 2500 degrees F and cools again on every single ignition. That thermal cycling gradually weakens the silicon carbide. Gas valve coils go a little longer at 5-10 years and degrade along the same curve.

Gas off, panel back on, and still no heat? Book a repair — that is when the valve, thermostat and board come into it.