We moved to a new place where the dryer connection is 3-prong instead of 4-prong. The dryer was originally 4-prong, so we bought a 3-prong cord and installed it. It works fine, except I am not entirely sure if I installed the ground wire correctly.
Originally, there was a green wire on the cord itself, and that was connected to the screw on the top of the first picture. This is, I assume, used to ground the case and prevent shocks when touching the exterior of the dryer.
Now with the 3-pronged plug, there is no ground wire on the cord. So where does the existing green wire in the case go? Do I leave it where it originally was like in the first picture or do I connect it to the central terminal like in the second picture?
There's no bonding strap running from the case to any terminal. I can't tell where the green wire is connected to.
Best Answer
DO NOT connect the ground wire to the grounded (neutral) conductor, as this could lead to current flowing through the body of the dryer (and potentially through you).
The installation guide for the dryer will have wiring instructions for both 3, and 4 wire configurations. Check the manufacturers documentation for proper wiring, but I would say the first image is likely correct.
Instructions from random Maytag Installation Instructions (PDF)
3 Wire Cord
4 Wire Cord
Update:
After doing some research, and looking at dryer wiring diagrams. It turns out that the green/yellow wire is not a ground wire, it is a neutral to case bonding wire. When this wire is not in use (in a 4-wire installation for example), it is simply connected to the neutral terminal and is unused.