Maytag Gas Dryer Troubleshooting Guide (9 Problems Solved!)

A Maytag gas dryer is undoubtedly a reliable dryer choice for domestic laundry drying. So, having Maytag gas dryer troubleshooting skills is imperative to guarantee their reliability.

At one point, a Maytag gas dryer won’t start, heat up, continue running, spin or dry (at all). In other cases, it may fail to dry all the way or in one cycle, have a longer drying time, or produce a burning smell.

Those are the common Maytag dryer issues that I’ll help you troubleshoot in this guide. We’ll look at the possible explanations for each of the nine problems and how you can fix them without making a service call.

We’ll also look at how you can reset your Maytag gas dryer, especially after doing a replacement. Here we go!

In a hurry? See below the nine commonest Maytag gas dryer problems and their fast fixes.

Quick Maytag Gas Dryer Troubleshooting Guide

–	Problems	What to Check (Possible Causes)	Suggested Fix
1.	Gas Dryer Won’t Start	Faulty start button, tripped breaker, blown-up thermal fuse, improperly latched door, or gas failure	Replace the start button if it’s faulty, reset the circuit breaker if it’s tripped, and replace a blown-up fuse. Latch the door well and ensure there’s an adequate gas supply
2.	Gas Dryer Won’t Heat Up	Blown fuse, burnt-out igniter or faulty solenoid, or flame sensor	Replace the thermal fuse, igniter, solenoid valve, or flame sensor if any is faulty
3.	Gas Dryer Won’t Stop Running	Vent blockage, clogged lint screen, or failed solenoid	Clean the dryer vent and lint screen to get rid of dirt clog and replace the solenoid valve if faulty
4.	Gas Dryer Won’t Spin	The wrong setting, improperly latched door or faulty drive belt, drum rollers or drive motor	Pick the correct setting, latch the dryer belt, drum rollers, or drive motor if any is faulty
5.	Gas Dryer Won’t Dry At All	Clogged lint screen, blocked or crushed vent, or wrong vent	Clean the lint screen if it’s dirty (plus the vent). If the vent is crushed, replace it and ensure the replacement is not narrower than 4 inches
6.	Gas Dryer Won’t Dry All The Way	An incorrect setting, excess load, or clothes are too wet	Choose the correct setting and avoid loading too many wet clothes, especially those soaking wet
7.	Gas Dryer Won’t Dry In One Cycle	Blocked dryer vent, dryer overload, or excessively wet laundry	Clean the dryer vent, avoid overloading the dryer or putting overly wet laundry
8.	Longer Drying Time	Dirty lint screen, crushed vent, large load, or failed solenoid	Clean the lint screen if filthy, replace a crushed vent or faulty solenoid and reduce the wet load (to ¾ full)
9.	Burning Smell	Excess lint build-up or damaged dryer belt	Clean the lint filter and dryer to get rid of lint, and replace the dryer belt if it is faulty

How to Troubleshoot 9 Common Maytag Gas Dryer Problems

Discussed are nine simple Maytag gas dryer troubleshooting problems you can fix DIY:

1. Maytag Gas Dryer Won’t Start

Your Maytag gas dryer won’t start for different reasons. The commonest ones, however, include the following:

Faulty start button – Ensure you firmly press the start switch (or the hold-to-start or push-to-start button). If the dryer won’t start, inspect the switch from fault using a multimeter and replace it if it has no continuity.
Tripped breaker – Reset the circuit breaker if it is tripped. Note that Maytag gas dryers only utilize one circuit breaker.
Blown fuse – A blown-up thermal fuse needs replacing as it prevents your gas dryer from starting. Like the circuit breaker, the gas dryer only employs one fuse.
Improperly latched door – If the dryer door is not well latched, the dryer may not start. So, check it and lock it properly.
Gas failure – If anything is blocking the gas supply or you’ve just run out of gas, the dryer won’t start. So, check the gas cylinder, refill if it’s empty, and clear any kinks on the gas pipe.

2. Maytag Gas Dryer Not Heating Up

While you expect a Maytag gas dryer to start heating up as soon as it starts, sometimes it won’t. Here are the reasons that can prevent it from heating up:

Blown fuse – Given that the thermal fuse protects the gas dryer from possible overheating, the dryer stops to heat when the fuse blows up. So, test it with a multimeter and replace it if it’s faulty.
Burnt out igniter – Unless the igniter works, gas won’t ignite, and the dryer won’t heat up. So, test the igniter for continuity (using a multimeter) and replace it if it’s faulty.
Faulty solenoids – Maytag gas dryers have at least two solenoid valves that allow gas to flow to the burner. If defective, the burner may not receive any gas to heat up, and so you should replace it. You can tell a faulty solenoid from the igniter (if it briefly glows and goes off).
Faulty flame sensor – The flame sensor’s role is to detect the flame’s heat. If it’s malfunctioning (if it fails, the continuity test), the dryer won’t heat up. In that case, replace it.

3. Maytag Gas Dryer Won’t Stop

Sometimes, the Maytag gas dryer may start but won’t stop running. The possible explanations for that include the following:

Vent blockage – A blocked vent cuts off good airflow and prolongs the drying time. So, the dryer runs longer than it should. If so, clean the vent properly to get rid of the blockage.
Clogged lint screen – A clogged lint screen also prolongs the drying time. Thus, clean it.
Failed solenoid – Since the solenoid opens up to allow gas flow to the burner, its failure enables the burner to run intermittently. You’ll need to replace it if that’s the case.

4. Maytag Gas Dryer Won’t Spin

Watch out for these issues if your Maytag gas dryer won’t spin:

Wrong setting – Set your dryer on Time, Time-Dry, Accu-Dry, or Automatic Dry and not Wrinkle shield or control lock as the latter prevents it from spinning.
Improperly latched door – The dryer may not run if the door is not latched. So, check for any obstructions and press the door firmly to lock it properly.
Faulty drive belt, drum rollers, or drive motor – A defective dryer belt prevents the drum from spinning; the same goes for the drum rollers and the drive motor. So, inspect the three and replace the faulty or worn-out components.

5. Maytag Gas Dryer Won’t Dry at All

Check out these issues if your Maytag gas dryer won’t dry at all:

Clogged lint screen – A dirt-clogged lint screen will prevent the dryer from drying by blocking the heat. If so, clean it with hot soapy water and rinse and dry it well.
Blocked or crushed vent – Check the dryer vent for dirt clogging and clean it. And if it’s crushed, opt for heavy/rigid metal vent replacement instead of aluminum foil or plastic.
Wrong vent type – If the vent is narrower than 4 inches, it’ll restrict air flow, preventing drying. So, you’ll need to replace it.

6. Dryer Leaves Wet Clothes (Won’t Dry All the Way)

While you expect your dryer to dry clothes properly at the end of the cycle, sometimes it won’t due to any of these reasons:

Incorrect setting – if your gas dryer is automated to stop at a specific moisture level, it may leave some clothes wet. So, you need to check its settings and adjust them accordingly.
Excess load – Avoid putting too many wet clothes into the dryer as they won’t spin properly. So, you’ll most likely end with damp clothes.
Clothes are too wet – While you expect the garments to be wet, they shouldn’t be too wet. If they are, you’ll have damp clothes at the end of the drying cycle. Thus, remove the excess water beforehand.

7. Maytag Gas Dryer Won’t Dry in One Cycle.

At times, it takes several cycles to dry clothes properly with a Maytag gas dryer. That’s often the case due to these issues:

Blocked dryer vent – A dirt-blocked vent reduces gas flow, preventing the dryer from drying in one cycle. That’s why you should clean the vent at least once annually.
Dryer overload – Don’t put too many wet clothes into the dryer, as that prevents the dryer from drying in one cycle.
Excessively wet laundry – Remove excess water from the clothes or spin dry them before loading them into the dryer.

8. Maytag Gas Dryer Has Longer Drying Time

Different issues could delay the drying time. They include:

Dirty lint screen – A dirt-clogged lint screen lengthens the drying time. So, it’s essential to clean it, preferably with hot soapy water, and rinse it.
Crushed vent – Replace the dryer vent if it’s crushed, which interferes with the drying time. As mentioned, go for heavy/rigid metal vents.
Larger load – Consider reducing the wet laundry load to hasten the drying. Keep the loading not more than ¾ full.
Failed solenoid – A defective solenoid prevents enough gas from reaching the burner, prolonging the drying time. If so, replace it.

9. Maytag Gas Dryer is Producing a Burning Smell

Lastly, if your Maytag gas dryer is producing a burning smell, check out the following two issues:

Excess lint build-up – Excess lint accumulation on the lint filter is a fire hazard. It can catch fire, causing the dryer to produce a burning smell. Therefore, learn to clean the lint filter and dryer at least once annually.
Damaged dryer belt – A worn out or loose dryer belt will slip off and produce a burning smell. So, consider a Maytag gas dryer belt replacement in such a case.

Maytag Gas Dryer Reset

Here’s how to reset a Maytag gas dryer:

Unplug the gas dryer for 30 minutes
Alternatively, flip off its circuit breaker for the same amount of time
Restore power and try restarting the gas dryer