I have a three prong ge model DBXR453EA 1WW dryer and need to connect to four prong wall plug. is the dryer 120 volts and is the correct assumption that the 4 prong wall plug is 240 volt?

DO NOT DO THIS.

A 3 prong plug is L1 L2 and ground, a 4 pong plug has a neutral.
If you are backfeeding a dryer outlet it is dangerous. Generator N and G should be isolated unless it is a seperately derived source

Go to a real hardware store and buy a new plug to fit the 4 prong that you can wire into your dryer.

Is it an electric dryer or gas dryer? If it's a 120 volt gas dryer, then no, you need to keep it on a 3 prong cord. If it's an electric dryer, then yes it is possible to install a four prong plug onto it. Although it isn't recommended.
The main thing you need to know is which wire is ground. From the machine, it should be the green wire. On the plug, there should be on prong that is slightly longer than the other 3. The ground has to be the first one in the wall receptacle and the last one out. So the slightly longer one is where the green ground wire needs to be wired in. The other two wires are both power so it doesn't really matter which prong you wire those wires at.
Once again I'll remind you that it isn't recommended to convert 3 to 4 prongs like that. Just be careful and make sure you aren't touching any live wires.

Do NOT try and change the receptacle please. It is dangerous and we do not want anyone getting hurt. In your case, it would be better to put a 3 prong cord on the dryer. Overall you could call an electrician to install the 4 prong receptacle, which will require new 4 conductor wire as well and run to the breaker box. Get a flat style 3 prong dryer cord and we'll tell you how to install it. Unless you call an electrician. ;-) If this helps you, please rate my answer. Thank you.

You should change the plug at the wall. From your description, your dryer plug has two hot wires and a ground.

Your existing plug probably has 4 wires to it - two hots (120 volts each), a neutral (white), and a ground (green). The two hots are probably black or black and some other color.

You will need to match the plug on your dryer cord with the plug at the wall. The type of plug required should be described in your owner's manual. If you don't have that, then take a digital picture of the plug on the cord of your dryer and bring it to your local hardware or home improvement store. They should be able to match the companion wall plug for you.

Make sure the power is off (important). Remove the existing wall plug. When you wire it back up - this time with only three wires, connect the two hots (black and some other color) to the two hot prongs (terminals) and the green wire to the ground prong. Put a wire nut on the end of the white wire and tuck it back into the connection box. That's it. Turn the power back on and test for proper voltage and wiring configuration at the wall plug before you plug the dryer back in.

If you aren't familiar or comfortable with working on electrical apparatus, you should have a licensed electrician do this work for you. This solution also assumes you are in the USA.

Hello Doris, You really don't want to get an adpater for this, (even if you could find one - they're not at all common) since the thickness of adding in an adapter would make the dryer stick out further from the wall, etc.

What you need to do is to get a new "pigtail" for the dryer that has the three (3) prong plug that matches your 220 Volt-AC wall outlet. These are available at most Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, or at any appliance or Hardware store. They don't cost all that much and will provide you with the correct plug and cord set for your house's electric dryer outlet.

The four (4) prong cord & plug has a separate ground wire in them, while the standard thre (3) prong plug uses the netural as the ground, or has a separate green wire running from the dryer cabinet to either a grounding screw on the wal plate, or to a ground ******** a water pipe (typically found in older homes)

Just be sure to unplug the dryer before changing the cordset out for the 3 prong one. Make sure the power is also off at the breaker panel too. Now at the rear of the dryer there is a small access panel where the cordset goes into the dryer. Remove that panle and you'll see three (3) connections on the panel along with a Green Grounding connection.

The connectors that get the power are the outside connectors, these are "HOT" and get 120 V-AC each (120 x 2 = 240 Volts AC) while the connector in the middle is the NEUTRAL connection point.

The wiring is straightforward and there should be a simple wiring diagram either on the access panel or the connection points should be labeled for each of the wiring fasteners (screws or nuts)

Just be sure to get the fasteners tight, and the new 3 prong cordset you buy should be long enough to reach from the dryer (when it's pulled away from the wall) to the house outlet. Typically they come in either a 3-4 foot length or the longer ones are 5-6 feet long. If in doubt, get the longer cordset. You can also check the wrapper of the new cordset, as they provide a simple wiring diagram also, to help you install it correctly.

http://z.about.com/d/electrical/1/0/r/0/-/-/DryerElectricalConnection.jpg

Just be sure to add the included strain relief, as instructed, onto the cordset and put the access panel back on when you're done and you'll be all set to use that "new" used dryer!

I hope you find this Very Helpful and best regards!

Ok here is how to hook up looking at dryer. Left brass screw is hot put red or black wire on. Center screw silver is neutral put white wire on. Right brass is also hot put the red or black wire on which one you have left. The green you ground to the dryer body or you can put with the white wire.

The reason why you have to hot wires is that it is a 240 volt dryer. Each hot wire caries 120 volts. The hot wires are the red and black. The white is a neutral witch is also a ground

I hope this helps. If you have any questions please ask before you rate.

Good Luck And Thank You for the post

First, replace the door switch. Second, check the wiring of the new cord. It should be as follows:
Dryers come with a wire or metal strap connecting the center "neutral" terminal to the frame of the dryer. When using a four wire power cord, take that wire or strap off the frame. (it can be discarded or better yet, in case this dryer needs to ever be converted back to a three wire cord) connect the frame end of the wire / strap to the center terminal of the power block. Now, Green (ground) wire goes to the dryer frame, White (neutral) goes to the center terminal, and the Red and Black (both "hot") wires go to either outside terminal. (one to each)
Third, if you still have no heat, make sure there is strong air flow out the vent outside the house when the dryer is running. If all that is good, check for 240 volts to dryer. (dryers can run the motor on 120, but need 240 to heat). Comment back (including model number) if you have further questions.

Is the receptacle in the wall a four prong or three prong. You will have to match the cord on the dryer to the wall recepticle. If the wall is four prong the dryer cord has to be a four prong. The green wire with the yellow line, that is on the end of the dryer cord, is a cabinet ground and should be attached to the cabinet of the dryer and making good contact. The other three wires on the end of the dyrer cord attach to the terminal block.