Our GE electric dryer quit working during a drying cycle, tripped the circuit breaker, and generated a noticeable electrical burning smell. I took the cover off the terminal block, and found one side of the terminal block completely melted.
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Make sure that the dryer is disconnected from the wall outlet before doing any repairs on it. Electric dryer work on 240 volts AC and this could hurt or even kill you.
loose connection on the terminal block will cause the wires to get hot. and melt the terminal block and wires and the pig tail wires.
you will have to replace the terminal block and pig tail wires and make sure you use the correct bolts and make sure you tighen them. let me know if this helps.krazytech
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Frequently there's an obstruction in the vent duct from the dryer to the outside of the house. For the dryer to heat properly, the duct must be clean and clear of lint or any other substance.Your dryer has some internal ductwork. If it gets clogged, your dryer can't dry properly. In most dryers, to get to the internal ductwork to clear the clog, you have to substantially disassemble the dryer. A quick way to check for internal clogs is to remove the lint filter and use a flashlight to inspect the inside of the duct.
If the dryer is not drying the clothes then you would need to check for the following things— Electric Dryer--- 1.Inspect the fuses and circuit breakers they may have burned out or tripped. Usually, dryer will still tumble but not create heat if a fuse or a circuit breaker is not working. 2.Check for the amp reading at 240 V, it should have reading of 24, 21 and 3 amp (approx.) for 2 lines and neutral respectively. 3.Heating element may have turned or the connection to the element might be loose. Sometimes a shorted circuit element will keep on blowing the fuse or circuit breaker. 4.Motor wiring shorting to ground.
Check to see whether there's power getting to the dryer. Is it plugged in? Check for blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers--your dryer uses two fuses or circuit breakers. The dryer could tumble but not heat if only one of the two fuses is blown. If you have circuit breakers, one of the two circuit breakers can trip, even if the two for the dryer are connected.
Often a dryer heating element burns out, but doesn't trip the circuit breaker or blow a fuse. The heating element is simply a long coil of special wire. You can check it for continuity with an ohm meter. No continuity means the element is bad and you need to replace it--electric heating elements aren't repairable.
A common problem is for the main wiring connection from the house, at the dryer, to burn and break its connection. Because the dryer can still tumble with partial power, the connection may be only partially defective. You may need to replace both the power cord to the dryer and the terminal block inside the dryer that the wire is attached to.
HELLO THERE Electric dryers require the use of a 220 volt line. The dryer heating
elements run off of 220 volts. An excessive draw of electricity, or a
short in the wiring can blow a fuse or trip a breaker. This happens to
protect sensitive components from damage, and to help prevent fires.
Every other dryer component operates off of 110 volts, the timer,
motor, etc. Usually when a fuse blows or a circuit trips, it's because
there's to much draw on the power line.
It is very possible for one part of your dryer to work fine,
and yet
another to have a problem, such as a short circuit. A short circuit may
be caused by the heating element, internal wiring, or the main power
cord.
To troubleshoot this problem, unplug the dryer and check to
see if
the circuit breaker or fuse remains on when the dryer is unplugged. If
they stay on, it's more than likely the problem is somewhere in the
dryer.
If your fuse blows, or the circuit breaker trips when the dryer is
unplugged, it's likely the problem is with the circuit breaker, fuse
box, or house wiring; contact a professional electrician.
OK I hope this is very helpful for you Best regards Michael
Typically, a standard electric dryer is 30A 240V unless it is natural gas. If the wire is #10awg then you can put a 30A circuit breaker on it. If the wire is #12awg then you DO NOT want to put a larger circuit breaker on it or it over heat the wiring in the wall. If it was a short in the wiring the circuit breaker would trip immediately even with out the dryer plugged in. If it was a grounding problem the circuit breaker would not trip at all, it would just electrify the dryer chasis. It sounds like it is an over current problem, drawing more than 20 amps through the circuit breaker, or like the dryer has an internal problem that is causing the circuit breaker to trip.
Heating element or motor. Usually heating element. Replace limit switch (inside dryer) during repair. Limit switch should shut off before breaker if working correctly.
After repair clean or replace plug/wire. Inspect or replace receptacle in wall.
In order to trip a circuit breaker, there is almost for sure, a dead short to ground. Takes quite a bit to trip a breaker. The smell is most likely something electrical burning. Stop resetting the breaker and have it checked out. Continous resetting and tripping can cause more damage. The breaker is doing it's job.
It's rather unusual for any internal failure to cause the dryer to just stop in cycle. Check the circuit breaker that supplies the dryer. It should be a double-pole breaker of at least 30 amps. Turn the breaker off and back on to ensure it is reset. Internal causes could be the motor, door switch, thermal safety switch, timer, or a broken wire.
The problem may not be with your dryer but with the circuit breaker...
Locate the circuit breaker for the dryer. Run the dryer for awhile and with the back of your finger pressed against each of the two switches (it will be a double breaker), see if the breaker is getting warm or wait until the dryer quits then check the breaker for any noticeable increase in temperature. With properly rated breakers, they should not get warm. If getting warm, it is a sign the breaker is bad and should be replaced.
For a detailed Dryer illustration, click below. 
Gas Whirlpool Style Version 1
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