DE8600 Dryer - Instructions

I am writing this story in the hope it will save time and trouble for others. I have used PartSelect with great success after our washing maching burned through a belt last year, so after our old Maytag dryer stopped heating, I looked on your website. I found it was probably the heater element so I ordered it and also printed off the blueprints and repair steps of my dryer since I no longer had the book. When the part finally arrived (5 days on a 2 day shipping charge-- I wasn't happy with the 5 days), it had different instructions on the heater element package than the PartSelect website offered. This is where things got difficult; what should have been a 20 minute job took 2 hours because I followed the directions on the package and took the dryer apart from the back instead of from the front panel side. By the time I figured it out, I decided to keep going anyway and ended up taking virtually everything apart (body shell, top, motors, wiring harnesses- anything I could disassemble) cleaned everything, and put it back together. So I believe that it all worked out for the best anyway since I will get many more years out the dryer for doing that. If you don't want to take the whole machine apart (and I am sure most people do not), just take off the front panel. There are two screws located near the bottom of the front panel; take these out and lift the front panel up halfway by tilting, then pull out. The heater element is right there on the lower right side. Make sure to follow the directions on the PartsSelect website and you will be fine. The most important tool for me was a 1/4" socket. Make sure you have this before you start. Having one that attached to a straight driver (like a screw driver) instead of a ratchet worked best. The dryer works like new now.

I used my screw driver to pry the old female end of the latch from the dryer unit. I forced the new female part of the latch into the hole and bang...45 seconds later the door closed securely --like new!

Safety first, so unplug the dryer. Next remove the two phillips head screws @ lower left and right front corners and take the front panel off. You will have to disconnect the door switch sensor wires which are yellow and white, marking the sensor so you can replace correctly. Next remove the front tumbler assembly with 4 screws, two on each side. Be sure to remove the automatic dry sensor wires. Then remove the belt by either reaching un under the tumbler and releasing the tension or taking the back access panel off w/ 4 screws and releasing the tension. Then once the belt is loose you can remove the tumbler. Then remove 2 screws and take the thermostat cover off. I removed the multi-temp thermostat w/ 2 screws rather than unhooking the wires and I did the same with the thermal fuse. Next remove 1 screw out of the blower housing cover and the 2 screws from the motor support. Once loose you can pull the motor out a little and unhook the wiring. Once out you will need to remove the pulley, blower housing and fan, and replace on new motor and put the new motor on the motor housing. Replace in reverse order and you should be done.

took the front off by removing two screws took two screws out of element housing undon the wire and romeve element housing then romove the remaing parts that was needed on the new element then reinstall the element housing whith the new element in ti reinstall front of dryer and starting drying clothes project was complete

1) Removed Top Dryer Cover (pushed 2 compression clips on front side 1" from top and 2" in from each side) to gain access to terminal block in rear.
2) Removed 2 screws over terminal block cover and 2 screws holding bad terminal block in place. Removed 3 screws holding bad power cord,
3) Removed good terminal connectors from bad terminal block and reinstalled them in the new terminal block.
4) Cut dryer wire from bad terminal block connector and soldered (optional) them to the new terminal block connector. Installed this connector into the new terminal block.
5) Installed new terminal block in dryer with 2 screws.
6) Installed new power cord on new terminal block ensuring contacts were tight and cord had pull guard properly installed. Reinstalled terminal block cover with 2 screws.
7) Reinstalled Dryer Top Cover.

I removed front cover of dryer and found heating unit. I needed the detailed drawings from the PartSelect web site to help me find how to get the front cover off. It was easy after that changing out the sensors and reinstalling the heating unit.

The first thing I did was cheked the electrical panel and breaker, then I checked the electrical cord, then I did check the motor on the bottom of the machine (that may be is the blower motor) looking for any indication of burned parts or broken, then I checked the on-off switch with a voltmeter looking for continuity and it was fine. Then I checked the timer switch and it was fine as well. Finally, I took the lid off the top of the dryer machine to check the thermostat and themal limiter fuse. The thermostat was fine but the thermal fuse was open. So after doing some research to understand how the fuse work I decided to place an order to get a new fuse. I installed it and the dryer started working again. After replacing the fuse I monitored the dryer machine while operating it and worked fine. Why the fuse was open or was damaged? It is the first time I have problems w/ the dryer. I checked the end of the conduct line that guide the air out and I noticed and have to clean the end of it because it was dirt. Because it was not completly clean, the dryer got overheated. It took me sometime to figure out the problem but I learned, save me money and the best part was that I do it myself : )

After much coercement from my wife, I listened to the squealing noise she kept telling me about. Then it quit working completely and I had no choice. Probably the motor. Not being one to want to do this more than once and figuring after 16 years all of it could be bad, I ordered all moving parts, as well as new front and rears felt seals for the drum and the blower seal. Everything in taking the dryer apart was straight forward and obvious. The tricky part was getting the belt back on the tensioner. Working from the front of the dryer, I did this one-handed via the lower left side around the motor while my wife held the drum in place.

The repair itself was pretty easy. Though I had figured out what needed to be done on my own while I waited for the belt to arrive via Fed Ex, the belt arrived with instructions that described the plan I had already figured and if I hadn't known what I was doing, the instructions would have been a great help.

STEP ONE, UNPLUG THE UNIT (and/or shut off the gas supply), CAREFULLY. Then, I took the front of the unit off by removing the 2 screws on the front panel near the bottom of the unit and disconnected the wiring that shuts the unit off when the door is opened. Set the front door panel aside. Then I removed the front of the tumbler retainer along with the exhaust duct and lint screen assembly by removing 4 screws that affixed the reatiner frame to the rest of the outer cabinet. Set this aside as well. Remove the entire tumbler unit. Set aside. Remove 4 screws on the back of the unit that hold the tensioner and motor access panel and remove it. Set it aside. At this point, I vacuumed every bit of lint and debris from the snapped belt out of the enitre unit, lubricated/greased all moving parts, cleaned off the friction bearing surfaces, and collected loose change ($1.35).

When the belt arrived, I unwrapped it, and placed the smooth side to the tumbler and rubber banded the slack off to the bottom right side (sort of the 4:30 position as you put the tumbler back into the unit). I carefully jimmied the tumbler back into the unit BEING CAREFUL not to pinch the groved belt between the tumbler and any other parts inside the cabinet. I replaced the tumbler retainer and screwed the 4 bolts back into place. I spun the tumbler over near the tensioner assembly (so I could see the slack through the access panel hole in the back) and removed the rubber band. I threaded the belt through the tensioner and over the drive pulley and rotated the tumbler clockwise to align the drive train of the belt. I plugged the 2 wires back into the switch on the inside of the door panel and then I replaced it on the front of the unit and screwed the 2 screws back in at the bottom front of the panel. I plugged the unit back in and tested opperation. It worked great! I unplugged the unit again (I'm not finished yet). I then replaced the access panel on the back of the unit and screwed the 4 screws back in. I moved the unit back against the wall and plugged it back in. Done! The dryer is less noisey now and more efficient most likely b/c I cleaned all the lint out of the thing! Thanks for the prompt shipment of the belt!! I'll get a few more years out of this dryer before spending $700 on a new one!!! Thanks again!

I removed the broken door latch & strike with pliers. Then I pushed the new parts into place

First I unplugged the dryer! Then unscrewed the two screws at the bottom of the front door. To remove the front door, swing the bottom up about 30 degrees until the two triangular hooks at the top of the door release. Then release the two wires going to the door switch from their harness so as to gain more slack to move the door out of the way. The switch was secured by 2 hex head sheet metal screws1/4inch in diameter. I used a small right angle socket wrench to get these loose. I only had to remove the front screw completely to be able to take the switch out for exchange purposes. Once this was done, reverse the process and plug it in! (BTW, the electrical schematic for this dryer is up under the top console)

Remove top two front cover screws. Disconnect wiring. Set aside front cover - door assembly.

Remove two screws at top of the vertical riser cover to expose entire dryer interior. Remove filter. Remove screws to blower cover plate. Remove 4 screws that fasten front drum guide assembly. Remove drum. remove and replace 2 drum support rollers . Replace one rusted drum roller shaft. Replace both drum rollers and non-metalic washers.

Drill out 4 rivets holding two front drum glides. Replace and rerivet new drum glides.

Pry back slighty the many retention points around the front drum assembly which hold the front drum felt seal. Refit the new front drum felt, pressing the retaining clips back in place with a screwdriver.

Replace tumbler motor belt.

Install Drum. Install front drum retention assembly. Install new blower seal with reassembly of blower cover.

Total time - about 1 hour

I took the new latch out of the package and snapped it into place. It took about 15 seconds, and that included the walk to the laundry room!

Although I ordered the heating element and thermal fuse in anticipation I really needed the Terminal Insulator kit for the heating element. The screw that the heating element is attached to on one side and the power supply on the other snapped (the weld joint came apart). First removed the front panel by unscrewing the two screws that hold it in place which are located about 4" from the floor. Next removed the front cover of the heater housing by undoing the two screws that hold it to the bottom plate and unscrewed the nuts that hold the heating element in place on the inside and the outside of the heater housing. Assembly was easy just follow the steps backwards.
! When the front is off it is a good time to use a vacuum cleaner to remove the lint that accumulates everywhere, especially in the air output !

I found that I replaced more parts than I needed to fix fhis problem. The source of the rumble was the blower wheel connection to the motor, allowing the wheel to wobble (plastic wheel flat spot worn off over time, no firm lock to the motor shaft). But the dryer should be good for another 10 years!

Disconnect dryer from electrical outlet and exhaust.

Remove the back access plate to release the belt from the pulley. Remove the two screws at the bottom front of the dryer, rotate the front to release it at the top. Remove the wires from the door status switch. Remove the 4 nuts holding the drum support frame and pull straight out. Remove the drum. Remove the two bolts holding the thermostat cover (silver odd shaped metal plate at the front of the dryer). Remove the dryer blower cover plate by removing the 6 bolts holding it to the blower housing. Remember to remove the bolt holding the plate to the bottom of the dryer. Release the door status wire from the clips on the left side of the dryer and set the blower housing plate to the right, out of your way without removing the wires. Remove the blower wheel by removing the Circlip at the front of the shaft and then removing the shaft compression clip. Pull out the blower wheel and then remove the rear Circlip from the motor shaft. The back of the blower housing can be removed by removing the 4 bolts holding it to the motor support frame to make access easier but this may not be necessary. Release the 5 wires attached to the motor. Release the front and back motor clips. I used a large straightblade scerwdriver to press down and out on the end of the clips. Lift out the motor. Remove the rear pulley from the motor using an allen wrench and transfer it to the new motor. Set the new motor in the support frame, ensuring the lips of the vibration isolation rings are pointed down to slip over the frame and are not facing up towards the clips ( makes clip instalaltion much easier). Hook up the wires, following the color coding on the motor controller you are attaching to. Reinstall the blower back housing if removed, rear circlip, blower wheel, front circlip, shaft compression clip, blower housing front cover (Including the bolt to the dryer bottom) , reroute the door switch wire up the left side, reinstall the thermostat cover, reinstall the drum and belt, reinstall the drum front support frame (ensure the felt seals for the drum and the blower cover are properly aligned and seated correctly), hook up the door status wire when your set the front cover and install the 2 screws, reinstall the belt through the pulley and idler wheel (make sure the belt smooth side is against the drum) through the back access panel and reinstall the panel.