My thermal fuse keeps blowing in Amana dryer despite best efforts

Hi @haynco

There are 3 temperature controls in the dryer.

The cycling thermostat should regulate the temperature by turning the heater on and off so that the temperature remains fairly constant throughout the drying cycle (not the cool down time though)

The hi-limit thermostat is as it name implies there to stop the temperature from going too high.

Lastly the thermal fuse is in case neither of the first 2 thermostats are functioning correctly and is a safety feature designed to prevent fires from occurring. I agree with you that bypassing this fuse is not a good idea

You could have a faulty heater element i.e. sagging or broken and is touching the frame somewhere so that the thermostats can't perform their function but the thermal fuse will due to the extra current flow through the fuse

Disconnect the power to the dryer and then disconnect the heater element and use a DMM (digital multimeter) to check if it is OK or not. Not really sure but you should measure somewhere between 10-25 Ohms for the heater coil. Also measure between each connector on the heater coil and the frame. You should measure OL or infinite Ohms i.e. open circuit.

It could also be an air leak in the dryer e.g. blown seal. The cycling thermostat is on the blower wheel and if there's a blown seal then any air that is sucked in through the leak is detected as cooler air allowing the heater to run hot.

I realize that you said that you're broke but here's a parts list mainly to help you to identify or locate any parts and which has their part number. If you do decide a part has to be replaced search online using the part number only, to find suppliers that suit you best as prices can vary a lot between different suppliers.