Kenmore dryer
showing Ex52
Ex52 means the drive motor got hot enough to trip its thermal cutout.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- Drive motor and belt
- Motor and blower repair
- Source: Kenmore
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or call (844) 314-5837
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What Ex52
actually means.
Ex52 means the drive motor got hot enough to trip its thermal cutout. Sears names an oversized or heavy load first, then friction somewhere in the drive system.
Kenmore dryer display
What to do when Ex52 shows on the dryerKind of codeDrive motor and belt
The control expected the drum to turn and it did not — a snapped belt, a seized idler pulley or a motor that hums without starting. The belt and pulley are checked before the motor.
Usually leads toMotor and blower repair
A humming dryer that will not start, a rattle behind the drum, or weak airflow, traced to the drive motor or the blower wheel.
Shows up asDryer Not Spinning
The dryer runs and may heat, but the drum stays still or turns only in fits.
MakeKenmore
Store-brand dryers in electric and gas versions, built for Kenmore by other manufacturers over the years.
SourceSears PartsDirect: Kenmore compact condensing dryer error codes (Wayback 19.11.2019)
Kenmore compact condensing dryer (Sears chart).
Before you book,
in this order.
Each step comes from Kenmore's own guidance for Ex52 on its dryers. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.
Remove part of the load if it is large or heavy.
Let the motor cool, then restart the dryer.
If it trips again with a normal load, unplug it and book a visit to check the drum and drive parts.
What not to do
Ex52 is a motor protection code, not a heating code. The heat in question is the motor's own.
What you may
notice with it.
The dryer problems Ex52 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the dryer before anyone is booked.
All problems
Dryer Not Spinning
5 causes, cheapest first
Where Ex52 usually leads
Motor and blower repair.
Kenmore
dryers.
Store-brand dryers in electric and gas versions, built for Kenmore by other manufacturers over the years.
Kenmore dryer repairMore Kenmore codes
Drive motor and belt on other makes
Electric dryer
The most common dryer in US homes: a 240-volt heating coil, a belt-driven drum and a vent to the outside.
Gas dryer
Heat from a burner on natural gas or propane, lit by an igniter and watched over by a flame sensor, with the motor on 120 volts.
Stackable dryer
The dryer half of a stacked pair or a single-frame laundry center, where the height and the closet decide how the repair is done.
In Kenmore's own words
The thermal cutout trips when the drive motor overheats. Overloading the dryer can cause the motor to overheat.
Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Kenmore compact condensing dryer (Sears chart).
Kenmore Ex52 dryer repair,
where we come out.
The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions
about Ex52.
Can I clear Ex52 myself?
Why does Ex52 happen with bedding on my Kenmore compact dryer?
How long should my Kenmore compact dryer cool before a restart after Ex52?
Back to your everyday
Still showing Ex52?
Book with the code exactly as displayed, the whole model number, and whether you smell burning or gas — for a code, that is where the diagnosis starts.