DLB3900SAM Hotpoint Dryer - Instructions

I first unplugged the unit, opened the top, disconnected and took off the control panel, took off the front panel to determine the source of the squeaking noise coming from the Dryer. I saw that 3 of the 4 Front Drum Glides were gone and the drum had worn away significant amounts of plastic from the Top Bearing Assembly. I purchased the Top Bearing Assembly and a set of 4 Front Drum Glides. Disassembled the damaged parts and reassembled with the new replacement parts. The reassembly took less than 20 minutes. I plugged in the Dryer and viola! It works as good as new.

With my hands, a 2 yr old could of done it. But I was amazed how quickly I received the part. Thanks

Removed the 2 hex head scres holding the front panel assembly to the main unit. Then removed the screws holding the back sheet metal panel to the control panel. Pull back on the control panel to disengage the slotted flanges from the main dryer body. Rotate the control panel forward to expose the wiring and guts of the panel. Remove the holding screw for the timer assembly and place it out of the way. DO NOT remove any of the wire connectors from the old timer assembly yet. Rmove the control knob from the old timer assembly using a flat head screwdriver to pry it from the control rod. Place the knob on te new timer assembly and screw the completed assembly to the control panel. Now remove the bridging wire terminal and attach to the new timer in the same position as the old one. Now one at a time remove the wire connectors from the old timer and attach to the corresponding terminals on the new assembly. Reattach the sheet metal back cover with the screws and then replace the entire panel assembly back into the main body slots. Replace the hex head scews and reattach the power which you disconnected prior to doing anything else. Clean up the dust bunnies as long as you are back there. Tell the wife that this was a very complicated repair and worthy of a beer and some golf course time.

Pulled the unit all apart to replace the rear drum bearing. Also replaced the front bearing. Works like brand new. Easier then I thought

My son in law installed the new part, I didn't watch him so not sure how he did it, think he removed 6 screws, took the front panel off, installed the new part , took less than 15 minutes, now, dryer working again! Sure saved me money, of course, the dryer might die tomorrow from old age but today, working like a charm.

I had never tried to fix a dryer before, but I checked your site and found detailed troubleshooting instructions. I found several parts diagrams that made me think it would not be too difficult. I found the GE Repair manual for my dryer and ordered it. I was able to determine that the sqeaking was in the front, and probably the slides were worn, as opposed to the drum roller. Whew! My daughter and I removed the front and checked them. They were totally worn away and the felt was crimped. We cleaned it up and ordered the replacement parts from you. When they arrived we made the repairs. One of the drum slide holders was too worn to hold the new slide so we applied a bit of super glue to hold it in place. My dryer is running quietly again. I am so glad for your online information. This was an fairly easy fix!

first I removed the screws with the nutdriver at the bottom of the dryer at the back..then I could see the belt was broken...next I took off the 2 nuts at the back that hold the top on ..then opened the dryer front door and unscrewd the 4 screws holding the top on....then I lifted the top up and to the side...then all I had to do was take out 2 screws one on each side of dryer front and the the front was open enough that I could slide the new belt on dryer..then screwed the front back on...then placed the top on and went to the back of dryer and put belt on pulley using the diagram I found in the instructions inside the dryer top...really a lot easier than it sounds...easy fix saved me from buying another dryer

Unplugged the machine.
Removed four screws from the top of the machine to uncover the top of the machine.
Pulled the leads off the broken switch.
In the future I will make a note of which lead goes where. There are only two ways.
Went to PartSelect.com and found the part in less than a minute by using their part finder.
Placed the switch through the original opening in the machine and reattached the leads.
Reattached the cover. Plugged the machine back in. Turned the switch and it started right up.

Opened dryer door and removed two screws that held front of top panel on. Lifted top panel off and removed two screws that held front panel to side panels. Tipped front panel forward and replaced all four slides. Cleaned everything off and put back together. Works great again. Thanks for this site and for others that have done these repairs before and posted their stories.

Pull the two scews to release the top of the cabinet. Pull the two screws to release the face of the cabinet and tilt out.
Take the old slide out and install the new ones.
Put it back together.
No more squeeks
My wife thinks I'm a genius...

I replaced the drum bearing slides and also the main front drum bearing. First, disconnect the electric. Then I removed the two screws inside the door that attach the top cover, removed the top cover, removed two screws that attach the front cover, lift up the front cover and pivot it to the left leaving the wiring attached, removed the front bearing assembly by pulling it out at the top and then up, installed the new front bearing ring and snap it into place, installed the drum bearing slides, reinstalled the front cover, reinstalled the top cover, and tested the drum by turning it by hand first and then under power. The whole operation took less than 15 minutes....

Easy repair, but did take a little longer than anticipated due to the extra cleaning that I did while the dryer was disassembled (highly recommend). First, unplug the power cord. Then, open the door, and locate the two screws in the upper corners, and remove. This will allow you to remove the top cover. Be careful and work the top panel up and down to loosen the control panel tabs, and set aside top panel. Next, remove the two screws located near the top on the inside of the front panel. Removing these two screws will allow you to lean the front panel forward, lift up, releasing the tabs holding the bottom of the panel. Be careful when you pull the front panel from the dryer as you will need to lift the drum off of the front bearing which is attached to the front panel as it is removed. You will also need to use your needle nose pliers to remove the wires prior to setting the panel aside. The wires are straight forward and power the light at the top, and the safety door switch. I always take a picture with my phone's camera just to validate when I re-connect them. Reaching underneath the drum you will be able to feel the belt and belt tensioner pulley. With both hands under the drum, use one hand to push the pulley to the right, releasing tension on the belt. Move the belt out of the groove, and let it hang freely. Now from the top of the drum, bump the drum to loosen, and remove from the cabinet. It is a tight fit, so you will need to spread the sides slightly in order to remove the drum. Next, remove the 3 screws holding the heat diffuser in the rear of the drum in order to remove the rear drum bearing. (Tip: It would be nice to have a helper hold the new drum bearing in place when starting the screws, and it also helped to tighten each a little at a time to keep the new bearing flat as it was drawn up next to the drum.) Tighten the screws holding the new bearing in place. Next, remove the 4 small screws holding the heating element housing to the rear of the dryer. (Tip: Rather than disconnecting the wires, I used a bent coat hanger to hold the housing while I removed the bearing retainer and clip from the rear of the housing.) Remove the 4 screws holding the bearing retainer and clip, and replace with you new part, paying close attention to the clip's position, and tighten. Replace the housing to the rear of the dryer. (Tip: Now is a good time to familiarize yourself with the belt and tensioner pulley for reassembly. Also, it may be a good idea to look at your belt, and replace as needed.) Next, reinstall the drum and insert the new bearing shaft into the new bearing housing. Using both hands again, reach underneath the drum, locate the tensioner pulley, and belt. Push the tensioner pulley over to the right, and move belt over the pulley on the motor, and behind the tensioner pulley. The belt should be tight. If not, inspect to ensure that the belt is over the motor pulley, and the tensioner pulley. Next step is to reinstall the front panel. I also spent the extra money and replaced the front drum bearing, and slides. Please note that the green slides are on top, and the white slides are on the bottom. Lift the panel over the tabs, lean forward while lifting the tub, resting the tub on the front bearing. Reinstall two screws in the upper corners, and tighten the front panel back in place. Now is a good time to turn the drum to ensure that the belt is in place, and that the drum turns correctly. (Tip: If your dryer is equipped with a light, you may also want to replace the bulb in the front panel (if needed) prior to attaching the front panel.) Reinstall the top panel by aligning the tabs in the control panel with the top panel, being careful not to bend the tabs. Next, open the front door and use the 2 long screws to reattach the top panel to the front panel. Plug in power cord.

* Please note, if only the starter switch peg is broken you do not need to replace the starter knob if it isn't damaged. The peg is not attached to the starter knob. You must replace the entire starter unit because the peg isn't detachable.

Remove the starter knob by gently pulling it towards you.

Remove the two screws on the bottom left and right sides of the front panel using an Allen Wrench.

On the rear panel of the dryer remove bolts using pliers or an adjustable wrench. Remove the back panel and place it to the side.

** Important ** Before disconnecting the wires from the starter unit take a digital photo (I used my cell phone) of the starter so you will know how and where to reconnect the blue and brown wires to the unit. Now, remove the wires.

Unscrew the bolt attaching the starter unit to the dryer. There's a hook on the back of the starter unit attaching it to the dryer. Push the starter unit downward to remove it from the dryer.

Take the new starter unit out of the box and connect it to the blue and brown wires. Refer to your photo for proper connection.

Insert the starter unit into the dryer and push it upward so the hook on the back of the starter locks onto the dryer. Screw the bolt back onto the starter unit to secure it to the dryer.

Replace the rear dryer panel and tighten all bolts.

Replace and tighten the two screws on the front panel of the dryer.

Replace the starter knob by lining it up with the peg shape and gently pushing it onto the peg.

You're done!!!

I followed the very easy YouTube video and got the three tools I needed before beginning. I started with removing the parts of the dryer and that was extremely simple by following the steps in the video. Took the door off last, located the parts that need replaced that didn't require any tools at all. Then put all the parts of the dryer back on in the order I removed them. The entire process was about 25 minutes but I would say I spent more time really cleaning the dryer and lint build up than actually doing the repair. Video was super thorough and easy to follow, I've never attempted any kind of repair of an appliance and I'm extremely happy that I had the video and the parts that were recommended to fix my problem, were spot on. Saved me hundreds of dollars and time. Thank you so much!

I order the parts needed to replace the slides, the felt ,and the bearing on a Sunday afternoon. The parts arrived on Tuesday even though I used regular shipping. I followed the instructions posted by another customer. It was extremely easy and only took me about fifteen minutes. My only problem was that I needed 2 each of the front slide and the rear slide, and I unknowingly only ordered 1 of each. I order the other 2 on Tuesday via regular shipping and they arrived on Wed. AMAZING!!!!