Parts used:
W10177428

Difficulty level:
Kinda Difficult 3/5

Time of repair:
1 - 2 hours

Tools:
Phillips Screwdriver, two adjustable wrenches.

Customer:
Thomas, WI

Dryer was thumping and squeaking.

My Repair & Advice:

Our dryer was thumping loudly, so I took it apart to find the cause. I found a Maytag service manual for this dryer online to do the take-apart - I think I paid $3.95 for it. There are some free generic online guides available as well to help with the take apart - a lot of these dryers are made by Whirlpool (I think there are about 10-15 brands and models that use this same identical part). To get at the drum rollers, make sure you have the dryer unplugged and the dryer vent disconnected. You have to remove the top cover, front door and panel, control panel and support, blower fan cover and lint chute, front and rear bulkheads, and finally the actual drum and belt. There were approx. 30 phillips screws in all, so it helps to keep them together with each part removed so that you get them back in the right place. Be careful not to over tighten when reassembling as you can strip out the holes in the sheet metal. There are a few electrical connectors that you have to pull apart as you go - use tape to identify what goes where or take photos if you can. It's helpful to remove the small panel on the back where the dryer vent exits - you can reach inside there to get at the back of the drum motor to release the tension on the belt. You have to push the spring pulley down to get the belt off the pulley and the motor drive shaft. Once you do that, you can use the now-freed belt as a handle to lift the drum out the front. Important: Take note of the belt path/orientation through the pulleys before you remove it (make yourself a diagram, or if you can take a photo first, all the better), as I found it confusing to replace the same way. Upon initial examination of the rollers, I found that they were quite worn and no longer round. There were large deposits of black rubber dust around the most worn ones. To remove the rollers, you need two wrenches, and the large nuts holding them on were TIGHT. It was then that I discovered a small 1" crack in the edge of the front of of the drum, which when turning, would flex and gouge the rubber wheels. I ended up having to replace the drum as well (around $200) as it was only going to get worse over time and can not be repaired easily. Once I did that, everything is working again and the dryer no longer thumps. It takes a bit of time but is simple enough in its procedure, the most awkward things were getting the belt off and on and the drum in and out. All together I spent about $300 in parts and a couple hours of time. When looking at new dryers at $1000-$1500, it was well worth it.

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