DDC4500SBM General Electric Dryer - Instructions

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

First I found and watched three videos on how to open the dryer and replace the igniter.
Then I opened the dryer, but I did not remove the belt as suggested in the video, and then I removed the ignitor and flame detecter as the videos had shown.
I got on-line and ordered the new parts from PartsSelect in the afternoon and had them in my hands the next morning by 9:30 am.
I installed the new parts and everything worked fine again. You must be very careful with the igniter to not touch it with hands or anything else. I practiced puting in the old parts first.

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

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.

Removed lower front panel and then front including door (need to remove the top to access screws.) Replaced both the ingiter and heat detector. The tricky part was getting access to the long tunnel-like bracket that houses the igniter. Washer and Dryer are in a tight cutout space in very small laundry room.

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.

Everything is cleaned as it is removed.

Remove the two screws holding the top down.
Disconnect two wires from door switch.
Remove the two hex screws holding the front on.
Remove the 4 screws holding the access panel on the back and disengage idler pulley to loosen the belt.
Remove the drum.
Label the wires then remove the heating element.
Check orientation of ground strap before disassembling rear bearing.
Remove four screws holding rear bearing to back of heating element.
Install rear bearing and ground strap on to heating element.
Reinstall heating element.
Reconnect wires.

Most Important : Get help putting parts back on drum! I didn't and that's why it took over 2 hours.
I will describe how I did it.

Unscrew bearing from inside of drum.
Wrap screwdriver with tape to a little larger than the screw hole.
Use small screwdriver to line up the drum, shim and deflector.
Don't forget the brass shim. It wasn't on the parts diagram.
Start two screws don't tighten them yet.
Remove Screwdriver and start third screw. Tighten all three down.
Put belt on drum.
Install drum and belt.
Reverse disassembly.
When putting the front on make sure drum rests in the felt.

I rated this a bit difficult because I did it myself. With help this is a fairly easy repair.

I inherited a dryer with a weekend lake house purchased 4 years ago. The previous owners had a nice washer/dryer set that was old but worked well. However the dryer looked quite sad because the handle had broken and they had duct- taped the handle back onto the dryer door. What a designer look that was! With so many other things that needed attention around the place, I ignored the dryer handle because the washer and dryer were tucked away in a small closet and only visible when in use. When we decided to do a small remodel last month, the washer and dryer were given a new space that was part of a backdoor entry way. Now the dryer handle was an eyesore that greeted us every time we entered the house. That's when I decided to see if it was possible to replace a part on such an old appliance. That turned out to be a breeze with PartSelect! I went on their web site, entered the model number of the dryer and bingo! A dryer handle was in stock, I ordered it, and it was on my doorstep within 3 days! I pulled off the old dryer handle, used some goop to remove the sticky residue from the duct tape and snapped the new handle in place. Instantly the dryer went from sadsack to smiley face! Thank you, PartSelect!

Opened door, removed screw holding down metal plate that presses against interlock switch when door is closed. Removed plastic cover thingy that is over interlock switches. Removed the interlock switch by pressing the plastic lock thingy away from switch. Pulled the wires off each end of the interlock switch. Removed new interlock switch from plastic bag and reversed above procedure. Done, shut door and the dishwasher works.

I followed the directions that were listed on this site by other Do It Yourself individuals...by the way I'm a lady and more mechanically inclined than my husband, but he was a great help in lifting the drum up and out. (I unplugged the dryer before starting repairs)
1. I removed the two screws located at the top of the dryer inside the door.
2. Top of dryer cabinet lifted up after screws were removed.
3. Located and removed front panel retension screws and removed front panel and set aside
4. slipped belt off motor by reducing tension on idler pully
5. Removed screws inside drum that secured drum to bearing assembly
6. Husband and I lifted drum up and out of cabinet (this went very smoothly and took less than 15 minutes time.
7. Followed supplied bearing drum instructions and removed old bearing and installed new assembly.
8. Thoroughly cleaned out internal cabinet, blower, and motor areas
9. Reset the idler pully into proper position.
10. Tipped dryer on 'back' to reseat the drum With A NEW DRYER BELT (taped temporarily around the drum) into the bearing shaft (I may not be using the proper terms)
11. tipped dryer upright and while Hubby balanced the drum, the front panel was resecured to the rest of the cabinet.
12. Removed temporarily applied tape that held the drum belt in the general position, then using the rear access panel, I slipped the belt over the motor into the proper posisiton.
13. Top cabinet was reapplied and screwed into
place.
14 Plugged in and tested the dryer...NO SQUEAKS and it works beautifully and quietly!!

The job is not terribly difficult, but I am only 5 feet tall and the drum is bulky to work with and balance. Reaching into the cabinet to slip the belt onto the motor stretched my arm to the limit.
I found the cabinet reassembly and realignment of the screw holes quite annoying. But the total job proved satisfying upon completion.

I removed the door and "flipped" it to open right to left. Rather than remove the existing door latch I added the purchased latch on the right side to enable opening the door right to left or left to right.

Pulled out the remnants of the old latch out with the pliers and then popped the new one in...less than 2 minutes. Oh, and the part was delivered in less than 2 days. Great job, Partselect !

To perform this repair (please see numerous descriptions on the web for generic belt replacement) I had to rivet two loose parts to the drum in order to reinstall the drum. Specifically, the loose metal disk and hot air shroud at the rear of the drum (near the rear berrings) made it impossible to realign the parts to reinstall the three torx bolts at the rear of the drum during reassembly. These two loose parts are positioned behind the drum (when looking inside the drum) i.e. between the drum and the rear berrings.

It was necessary to align the mounting holes in the drum, disk, and air shroud outside of the dryer itself and then to rivet them in place (making sure the smooth rivet head was INSIDE the drum as to avoid providing a rough edge where the clothes could catch during tumbling). Just press the 3 torx bolts through the holes to establish correct alignment. Be sure to install the rivets ouside of the contact area between the heat shroud and mounting plate. You should see an indented pattern on the heat shroud that you can use as a guide.

It was also helpful to make a black mark on one of the drum mounting holes (inside the drum) and its mate on the berring attachment plate - to help orient you when installing the drum with the 3 torx bolts. It only aligns one way - and making the marks will save you aggravation while your head is in the drum during reassembly. Loud swearing at this point only punishes your ears because, after all, your head is in an acoustically punishing echo chamber - and the echoes make it seem as if the dryer is actually cussing YOU and your incompetence out...

I hope this helps someone else save some time in reinstalling the drum.

One additional pointer: you must remove the lower plate on the rear side of the dryer to wrap the belt around the tensioner pulley and motor drive. The belt wraps, from right to left, first around the motor pulley and then up and to the left around the tensioner pulley. Just place the belt around the motor pulley, and then pull the tensioner pulley toward you and leftward until it clears the belt, then push toward the front of the dryer - and let the tensioner contact the belt on the right side of the tensioner pulley.

And finally, the ribbed side of the belt makes contact with the drum and the motor pulley. The smooth side of the belt is in contact with the tensioner pulley. Good luck, and may the choice words I used during the process be unnecessary for you... for you... for you!