Hello everyone! This is my first post but I have been reading the threads on this forum for about a week.

I just bought a house that includes a Whirlpool Duet Sport Clothes Washer and Dryer. A few evenings ago I placed the dryer on the automatic "normal" cycle before I went to bed around 9:30pm and woke up at 12:30am to find that the dryer was still running. I opened the dryer and the clothes were dry... the time left on the cycle said 10 minutes and read "damp". This has happened a few more times after that, the cycle just seemed to run long. Every now and then the cycle seems to work normally, but this is becoming less frequent. I pulled the machine out and detached the vent pipe and found that there was no blockage. I also looked outside when the machine was on and found a nice strong flow of exhaust air. I decided to run a timed cycle and found that the machine stops when the time runs out.

Any ideas? I've read that it could be a failing Main Board or moisture sensor. Thank you for your time and help.

Dan

Thank you for the service documents! I'll try cleaning the sensor and get back to you with an update. There very well may be some fabric softener residue on the sensor if the condition of the lint screen is any indication. The lint does not come off easily from the lint screen leading me to believe that the previous owners used liquid fabric softener that left a gummy residue on the screen. Since the lint screen and the sensor are in close proximity, I guess it is probable that residue is on the sensor as well... I hope.

Should I remove the sensor for cleaning?

I cleaned the sensor while the unit was in place with a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol. The dryer is still not functioning correctly. I'll try taking the sensor out and cleaning the back this component as well?

If this doesn't work I'm going to try to find a OHM meter and see if the sensor is faulty. According to the documents that you linked to me, the test is pretty complicated, especially for a novice like myself. I'll let you know what happens.

Could you please elaborate a little bit more on how running the dryer with the sensor unplugged can help diagnose a possible problem? Thanks.

Ok, but how can the unit run normally on an automatic setting when there isn't a sensor telling the dryer to turn off? The unit runs fine on the manual setting, it just doesn't turn off during an automatic cycle. Please clarify. Thanks, once again.