Why does my dryer activate my washing machine but if I try to start the washing machine alone I get no response?

SOURCE: My Dryer will only work if I hold start button, when I release start button the dryer stops.

Anra, this is a classic symptom of a failed even heat board. I've seen a lot of these failures out there. Easy to change out. Check out this link. Catriver..post back http://www.repairclinic.com/0080.asp

SOURCE: My Dryer will only work if I hold start button, when start button is released the dryer stops working.

Anra, the problem is in the even heat board under the consol. This is a very easy job. Check out this link. Catriver, post back http://www.repairclinic.com/0080.asp

SOURCE: whirlpool electric dryer will not heat

check the thermal limit on the side of the heater housing and the blower thermal on the blower housing
the emement limit is at the top of the blower housing and will have 2 red wires going to it
the blower limit will have blue wires going to it
withe the power cord unpluged, remove the wires to these two limits and with a meter on rx 1 ect. read across each of these if you do not get a meter fluctuation , all the way to the right as you check the part os bad

SOURCE: How to remove the washer cycle selection/start-stop knob on a Whilpool Heavy Duty Thin Twin stacked washer dryer

I believe the selector knob on a Whirpool just has to be turned counter-clockwise with the selector pushed in. It will spin off the shaft and then the outer indicator dial will pull off. The shaft also has a keyed slot that will only allow the dial to be removed and installed one way, so there should be no question as to how it goes back on.

Was there a reason as to why you are removing the washer selector knob? If this is a simple matter of replacing a broken water temperature selector, you shouldn't have to remove any of the control knobs to gain access to the selector. The entire front panel comes off by removing the screws holding it in place. That way you can access the broken selector from behind the front panel much easier. Just remove the panel right above the washer top (under the dryer) and it should expose the front panel mounting screws. Remove these screws and the front panel comes off. Just make sure the unit is unplugged before you begin. I hope this helps you. Let me know if you need further assistance.

SOURCE: Whirlpool Thin Twin washer/dryer

Check the lid switch, the machine will not spin or drain without the lid switch being activated. You should be able to see if the switch actuator is broken or missing, look in the slot where the lid's plunger drops into, if you can see the gray plastic actuator, set the machine in the spin cycle and try to depress the switch with a flat screwdriver, if it runs, the switch is cracked and needs replaced, if the actuator looks fine, and you can hear a distinct "click" when you press down on it, it may be a problem in the timer, but check the lid switch first, that's most likely the problem.