DDC4400SMMWH General Electric Dryer - Instructions

First of all, unplug the dryer. I removed the two screws on the front of the cabinet to remove the top. I then took out the screws to remove the dial panel. Release the belt for the drum through the access hole in the rear of the dryer. Remove the front cover and pull the drum assembly out.

Remove the element disc from the rear of the housing, take note of the the wireing placement. Replace disc and reverse order of disassembly.

This job was easy for me as I am a tinkerer by nature. The hardest part of the whole job was waiting on the part, which by the way was ordered on a Sunday evening and I had the replacement in my hands and back in the dryer running by 1:00 PM on the following Tuesday!

I book marked this website and WILL refer it to others who simply need a repair, not a costly new appliance!

first I took the dryer apart 1st thing i did was unplug the power supply (safety first) then I removed the top of the unit then removed the front cleaned all the lint from the inside of the cabinet I found the proper belt size on part select.com the next day I had my dryer belt delivered (which cost 1/3 the price of the local repair shop price)
then I placed the belt over the dryer drum and made sure it was in the general location it should be I then replaced the front cover and the top. then I removed the rear cover which was held on by six 5/16 sheet metal screws which gave me access to the drive pulley and belt tensioner the belt goes on by going under the tensioner then around the drive pulley
Then i rotated the drum by hand to make sure everything had clearance I then buttend everything up plugged it and started it up it workd fine and I figure Ill get another 8 years out of it
Thank you partselect.com

Dear PartSelect.com,

My repair went off without a hitch.

2 screws removed to remove top.
4 screws removed from inside to remove front panel w/ door.
4 screws removed from top of control panel, loosed and popped top right off.
Flathead screwdriver to pop off old plastic panel.
Removed old wire chase (plastic, approx 3” long).
Removed built-up lint, wiped down area for new duct.
Snapped new duct on.
Dryer works like new!!
Took about 35 minutes, most of time spent cleaning up inside of dryer from lint due to broken duct.

One problem was that salesperson sold me on a new felt strip to go with new duct. That felt comes already installed on the new duct so I did not need it. Cost me a few extra dollars I did not need to spend.

Other than that, easy ordering, fast shipment, and parts are as close to original as possible.

Thanks for all your help!

First I really had to hunt for the proper way to get my dryer drum accessible for the repair. With my model it was as simple as removing two screws to take off the top panel (located by opening the dryer door), and then removing two other screws inside the front panel at the top. The front will then be able to swing to the left side (the door switch wires are on this side for this model). Simply remove the drum bearing by gently pulling it off. My slides were in such poor shape for less than 4 years old!! One of them had completely disintegrated! These slides have a small whole on one end which attaches to a small nub at the edge of a slot while the other side just slid into a slot at the other end. No need to even take out the drum!!
The hardest part of the job was to get into the dryer!

I pried out the remaining pieces of the handle out of the door with a screwdriver. When the new part arrived, I snapped it into place and it was done. It fit perfectly.

The end repair was very simple and took minimal effort. The time and difficulty was all in the testing. I disassembled the dryer and removed the drum and then hard wired each thermo-fuse to determine where the fault was. After test all of those I was stumped. When I opened the door the light would not come on so I assumed it was a power fault closer to the source. However after all of my testing I couldn't find anything wrong. I then removed the light bulb and realized it was burned out which led me to the door switch being the fault. I removed the switch and soldered the three wire together and the dryer started right up! All I had to do was order a new $15 part, unsolder the wires and plug them in. Would have been so much simpler if that light bulb hadn't of been burned out causing me to over think my diagnosis. This was my first major appliance repair and I did it with only the help of the parts diagram provided on the website.

pulled out door striker anddoor latch out with pliers and just pushed in new parts. works like new in under a min.

Removed 4 screws from top of control panel , remove 2 from back to lossen top of dryer. Removed rear lower access cover,6 screws on back of dryer exposing pulley and tensioner, remove broken belt and vaccuumed out a ton of lint , removed pulley and tensioner and replaced. From the front remove 4 screws and take off front of dryer, disconnecting several wires, again vaccumed out lint, lifter drum evough to replace belt. Reassembled

Easy repair. Removed top of dryer and removed two screws to front panel and door assembly. Old front air duct assembly was worn and broken, so it literally fell off the panel. I cleaned the front panel and door assembly of all the lint and dirt, and snapped the new parts into place. The new parts came with the gasket and felt drum seal already installed, to all that had to be done was to snap it into place. Installing the drum slides was a breeze. I simply had to slide one end in the slot, position the hole over the pin, and slide the other end in. I put everything back together, and ran a full cycle for test. Dryer works like new, and run quiet.

1. removed two screws to take off top.
2. removed two screws to take off front.
3. Took belt off pulley and removed drum.
4. inspected old heating element at back of dryer - saw broken wire
5. replaced heating element (round w/ heating coil)
6. Re-assembled dryer

Helpful hints:
1. mark down or take pictures of all wires before removal - easy to mix them up
2. when you re-attach drum-belt, it should be taught. Comes straight down wall around metal pulley and then forms an "S" as it wraps around plastic pulley on way up. To re-attach, stick both arms into dryer - one to pull plastic-pulley and other to attach belt.

This part arrived at our house two days after I ordered it. I was stunned by how quickly it arrived.

Our dryer was making a very annoying squeaking/rubbing noise while drying and it became worse as the outside temps dropped (it's winter)...colder air cooling the exhaust line, causing metal in dryer to contract more.

I called an appliance repair service and they said, "Honestly, your money is going to be better spent to just buy a new dryer. The bearings on these are a pain to replace."

Yeah, right.

I've never taken apart a dryer, but it took me less than 45 minutes to complete this repair and our dryer is back to normal. Total cost was $18, including shipping. A $300 savings versus buying a new dryer.

There is another description of the process for this part so I won't repeat it all.

I did it a little differently than most, namely I did not remove the dryer drum. I simply pulled it out about six inches (make sure and slide belt back as you inch out the drum). But first, unplug the dryer, then remove the top, then the front.

A Philips screwdriver will quickly remove the top of the dryer (two screws on inside front, where door closes) and the front face (two screws at top of front, inside face). Lift the front up about an inch and it is free. I had to disconnect a couple wires, just make sure you mark before you disconnect them.

With that done, the drum will pull straight toward you (out). Make sure and support the weight of the drum as you slide it out. I found no need to remove the drum.

At the rear inside of our drum, there are three Torx screws that hold the bearing assembly on. I have a pretty long reach so I just removed two of the Torx screws, then reached around the back of the drum while removing the third screw, to keep the bearing assembly from falling onto the floor behind the back of the drum.

This plastic bearing is held to the bearing shaft by a little o-ring. Just pull the o-ring off, slide off the old bearing, slide the new bearing on and replace the o-ring (if yours is broken, any home store will have one that will work as a replacement in their faucet repair department).

Reattach the bearing housing to the drum with the Torx screws (get all three started before you tighten any of them), slide the drum back in - make sure you slide the belt as you move the drum back in and support the weight of the drum so you don't bash the bearing assembly into the back of the dryer.

You're doing this part blind, but in a few seconds, you can guide the bearing back into the hole in the back wall of the dryer. It just slides into the hole, nothing fancy.

Put the front of the dryer back on. Then replace the top (I had to remove the five screws on top of the dial panel to give it some flex so the top would pop back into place without stressing the dial panel), plug the dryer back in, and fire it up.

45 minutes after this part arrived at our home, our dryer problems were gone. Now that I've done one, I could probably do it in 20 minutes the next time (it's that simple/easy). And we didn't need a new dryer. Makes me think I should have the appliance guy who told me we needed a new dryer to direct all of these "pain in the fanny" bearing replacements to me because I could charge someone $50 total for the repair and make good money.

Hope all this babble helps someone else who doesn't need a new dryer.

Doing some simple troubleshooting with the volt-ohm meter I determined that the door switch was failed.

The replacement door switch restored the motor circuit keeping my dryer in action.

If you're dis-assembling the dryer panels to remove the drum to acess the bearing located at the rear of the drum,don't hesitate to buy a idler pulley kit and a belt.It's easier to change them now,while it's apart. besides,their all pretty much in the same state of wear! In lew of prying my son away from the computer,an extra set of hands is a help, I used a scrap piece of 4x4 with a 1 inch whole bored in one side to place the bearing end into to steady it to get the screws started. otherwise you need to have 6ft.arms! re-assembly wasn't bad, a magnetic tipped #3 screw driver eliminates the frustration of dropping panel screws down inside the partially assembled body.

First, I loosened the the top control panel and then loosened the top flat roof panel which allowed me access to the inside of the dryer. Then, I removed the front panel which allowed access to the drum. I was amazed at the amount of lint that was inside the dryer itself. Most of my time was spent in the disassembly and cleaning of the internal cavity around the drum. I reached below the drum and removed the belt from the pulley wheels and then unscrewed the drum (from the inside) from the back of the dryer and bearing kit. I removed the diffuser and cleaned it thoroughly. Then I replaced the entire drum bearing kit - the old one was almost completely dissentigrated. I probably should have applied some kind of non-flammable lubricant to the new bearing kit - the instructions did not include this step but after about 3 loads a slight squeak (different). I put everything back together - applying the new drum kit will require 2 sets of hands (my 9-year old daughter did great at this). I re-assembled the dryer and it works great, again except for the slight squeak that's still there. I may disassemble it again and apply some lubricant but I do not know what kind to get; I need to check that out.

First I removed the removed the screws that held the top on the dryer. Next I removed the screws that held the controls on from the back. I then removed screws that held the left side in place and removed the drum by first removing the drive belt.
The heating element unit was removed by removing four screws and the wiring harnes. I reversed the procedure to install the heating unit and put the machine back together.