GDE8500 Dryer - Instructions

first, I unplug the power supply of the dryer then I removed the two screws at the bottom of the dryer then pulled out the front part of the dryer,unplugged the blue & yellow wire for the on/off switch for the door,at the back of the dryer I unscrew the pannel for the belt,disconect the belt,and I unscrew the four screws on both side of the front pannel to remove the front cover of the drum. Once I removed the front cover of the drum I can now remove the drum itself to access the drum support roller. I unscrew the rollers then replace it with the new once. It was an easy job.
Thank you.

Removed the front cover (screws on bottom 0f face)...removed blower cover....spring pliers to remove and install blower fan. the rest of the time was spent cleaning the inside of the shell as well as the vent. Reassembled and dryer runs better than it has for many years.

1. Removed front of machine (2 screws at the bottom).
2. Removed 4 screws from inside the dryer, to take off the blower housing.
3. Removed 4 screws and took out the large metal piece which supports the drum at the front. Removed the drum.
4. Replaced the two rollers that support the drum in the rear. Cleaned the pins they run on, and oiled very lightly. Also replaced the idler roller. I was surpirsed to see that these rollers use plain bearings, not ball bearings.
5. On the front support piece, drilled out the rivets for the glides, and replaced the worn out glides with new parts. Applied a little glue (3M weatherstrip adhesive) to the cork pieces, to glue them to the metal. Attached the plastic pieces over the cork pieces, and riveted in place using rivets that came with the glide kits.
6. Replaced front and rear felt seals. This was not as tricky as I expected it to be. They were held in by metal tabs. Glued the ends where they came together.
7. Replaced the felt blower seal. Glued to the blower housing.
8. Reinstalled the drum, installed new belt, which came with good instructions (luckily).
9. Reassembled front support piece and the front of the cabinet.

I also cleaned the lint from the cabinet and from the vent hose.

In general, the job went without a hitch, and the machine probably has quite a few years left, despite the fact that it's 18 years old. This gives me a good feeling.

I'd say this would be challenging, though, for someone who is not pretty experienced with machinery repair. Also, the cost of the parts was significant enough that it would not have been unreasonable to have opted for a new machine.

I searched the internet and found my symptoms really seemed to indicate a problem with the blower wheel, which was very noisy. Feeling confident that was what I needed, I ordered the blower wheel, and also the tumbler belt (the belt was 12 years old). Both parts were genuine Maytag and arrived quickly. Before the order arrived, I went ahead and UNPLUGGED THE DRYER and disassembled the dryer using the partselect.com helpful parts diagrams and the repair notes of others. This allowed me to confirm the blower wheel was in fact loose on the motor shaft. I removed the old blower wheel and belt. Shop vac'd out the entire dryer cabinet. This way I was able to take my time with preparation, and when the new parts arrived, I was ready to just pop them into place. If you disassemble before you order, you can also determine if the tumbler front guide set and /or rear tumbler roller wheels also need to be replaced (mine did not), but this would have been the perfect time to replace those too. I saved a bunch of money and have the satisfaction of having done this job myself. Dryer works great now.

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

I have a 15 year old Maytag dryer that finally broke its belt.

First I unplugged the dryer from the outlet, and then I removed the access plate in the back of the dry by removing the four screws. Once I removed the plate, it was quickly obvious that the belt had broken, as bits of belt were all over the interior of the dryer.

I removed the front panel of the dryer (where the main door is located) by removing the two retaining screws at the bottom of the panel. After removing the screws, I was able to swing the entire front assembly up and remove the panel. The door sensor is attached to the front panel by two wires; I simply pulled the two wires from the door sensor, which allowed me to completely remove the front panel from the dryer.

I removed four screws on either side of the dryer which attached the front tumbler assembly to the dryer frame. The tumbler assembly also has the lint screen attached to it as well. Removal of the lint screen allowed me greater access to the internals of the dryer. I took the opportunity to use my Shopvac to clean out the accumulated 15 years of dirt and lint from inside the dryer.

Once the front tumbler assembly was removed, the main dryer tumbler came out easily. I removed the tumbler from the dryer and inspected it for damage. I also did more cleaning inside the dryer with my Shopvac. Removal of the tumbler is required for installing the new belt.

I wrapped the new belt around the tumbler and reinserted the tumbler back inside the drier. I reinstalled the front tumbler assembly, but I didn't tighten the four screws until I was sure the main tumbler was seated correctly on both the rear and front tumbler assemblies. Only then did I tighten the four screws.

I then went to the back access panel on the dryer and threaded the belt around the dryer motor rotor and belt tensioning roller. The new belt twisted a few times in the process, so I manually rolled the tumbler to straighten out the belt.

Once I was confident the belt was seated properly around the tumbler and motor rotor, I replaced the front dryer panel loosely. I also reconnected the two wire door sensor and then plugged in the dryer. I purposely left the back access panel off, so I could observe the motor and belt while the dry was running. I turned the dryer to a non-heat setting (i.e. air fluff) and started the dryer. I observed the rotation of the belt for about 2 minutes to insure it was rolling properly. Next, I set the dryer to a heated setting and ran it again for 2 minutes to be sure all the heating elements were working. It is good to check both the rotation of the belt and the heat elements prior reinstalling the back access panel. There is nothing worse than putting the dryer back together only to discover the belt is improperly tensioned/seated or the dryer heater elements are no longer working.

I secured the dryer front panel using the two screws. I reattached the back access panel with the four screws. Finally, I reconnected the dryer hose.

Dryer is running like new and haven't had any further problems.

I noticed a rattling noise coming from the dryer. I disassembled the dryer to troubleshoot. I assumed the rollers were bad, but I discovered that the blower wheel was loose on the motor shaft. The rollers were fine. I also discovered the belt was worn.

I ordered a new blower wheel and belt. Replacement was as described elsewhere.

I couldn't get to the screws on the front panel because my screwdriver was too long. So I put a pressure treated 2x4 under the front dryer legs to elevate it. I used pressure treated lumber because that's what was in the garage. Untreated wood would also work.

After removing the front panel screws, the bottom of the front panel needs to be tilted away from the dryer. At about 20-30 degrees of tilt, the front panel will suddenly drop away from the top.

Rotate the front panel to your left so that the wires don't get stretched. It isn't necessary to unplug the wires. But after touching the wires and getting shocked, now is a good time to unplug the dryer. In fact, it would have been better to unplug the dryer before you start any work on it.

Remove the front bulkhead and lint filter housing as a unit. 4 screws hold it to the dryer.

Remove the screws holding the faceplate of the wheel assembly, and remove the faceplate.

Next remove the spring clip from the blower wheel shaft. Then remove the circlip using a circlip plier. The wheel will now slip off the motor shaft.

Put the new wheel on the shaft, making sure to align the flat part of the shaft with the flat part on the wheel. Install the circlip and spring clip.

Replace the faceplate, Note that the perimeter of the face plate goes inside a groove. Install the screws.

Replacing the belt has been covered before, so I'll leave it at that. Just make sure that the belt goes on the proper side of the belt guard.

Install the front bulkhead-lint filter housing. Make sure the lint filter housing lines up with the blower wheel housing and goes inside the felt.

Install the front panel. Make sure the felt doesn't get pinched by the drum.

The first time I disassembled the dryer, it took about 1.5 hours. The second time was only about 45 minutes. The third and subsequent times were even quicker. Practice makes perfect.

I told my wife, "it's working fine. Let's just wait until it breaks, and I'll fix it." She said the noise is intolerable and if I didn't fix it, she'd "call someone to come and look at it."

The forums all suggested that noise during operation is due to worn out components that are involved with turning the tumbler. So I ordered a bunch of parts from Partselect.com and set to work. I replaced the belt, the belt idler wheel, and both of the tumbler support wheels.

I reinstalled the tumbler, plugged the dryer in, and started it up. Damn, the same noise as before. Wait! The tumbler isn't turning. In my haste to see if the noise was gone, I'd forgotten to rethread the belt. Analysis: noise unchanged but tumbler not rotating. Conclusion: the hateful noise has nothing to do with any of the components involved in turning the tumbler.

Looking and listening more closely, I determined that the noise was coming from the blower, the plastic squirrel-cage like assembly attached to the other end of the motor shaft. It seems to be rattling on the shaft, causing the noise. I remove it, clean off a couple decades of matted-on lint, and reinstall it. No change.

I do not have a replacement blower, so I remove the blower from the shaft, clean up the shaft with alcohol, then put a piece of plastic electrical tape part way around the shaft, effectively increasing its OD by a few thousandths of an inch. I reinstall the blower, put everything back together again, and start it up. No noise -- nothing but a low purring hum! Good enough for me, for as long as it lasts. When my improvised patch fails, I'll order a new blower and install that.

It's good that I was so stupid as to forget to reinstall the belt before I started the dryer the first time. Since the noise was still there, I was forced to re-examine my assumption that the noise was being caused by a worn-out tumbler-turning component. If i HAD installed the belt the first time, I'm sure I would have continued with the incorrect assumption that the noise problem was related to the tumbler.

My time and money weren't wasted, I don't think. The various wheels and the belt were over 16 years old and due for replacement anyhow.

FIRST unplug dryer from electrical source, CAUTION, the top of this dryer does not open with clips, do not pry on top to open! On the front of the dryer look under the lower panel, and find two screws, one on the left side, and one on the right, remove these screws, and pull slightly down on panel to remove. Behind this panel find two screws holding the door panel, one on the left, and one on the right, remove the left, and support the door panel while removing the right side. Gently pull the bottom of door panel outward, and the clips on top of door panel will unhinge from top, carefully rotate left side of door panel to floor, and note the wire connections on switch, and orientation of switch, then unplug wires, and move door panel to a comfortable working positon. Door must be open to remove switch, then depress the two plastic retaining keepers on each side of switch, and push switch through toward door. Replace with new switch, reconnect the wires, and reassymble in reverse order. Remember, door assymbly must be inserted in dryer top at an angle, and then bottom rotated downward, and bottom panel nylon guildes inserted into door panel bottom.

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.

I confirmed the dryer wasn't making any heat by running it for a few minutes, then opening the door. The air was cool, so I knew it wasn't making heat. I searched on Google and discovered that it could be the thermostat control or heating element. I began by unplugging the dryer from the 220 plug and moving it into the garage. I then unscrewed the top four Torx screws that hold the control panel in place. I immediately started to take lots of pictures of the wiring with my digital camera because I have no idea how to read a wiring diagram and knew I would never be able to remember which wire plugged into the appropriate control. Trust me, this is the smartest thing I've ever done. I unplugged all connections and draped the wires out of the way. Then removed the control panel completely and put it on my workbench. Then I unscrewed the top panel which exposes the drum. I was really surprised to learn how simple a dryer really is. I then unscrewed the front panel with the door. There are 3 or 4 wires that you will need to disconnect on the left side of the door. You can then remove the front door panel and set it up against a wall or whatever. At this point the front of the drum is NOT supported so it will rest on the small bottom panel in the front. Then you have to release the tension of the belt around the drum, which is easy enough to do. Just reach through the front, under the drum and pull the tension toward the right side of the dryer. This will release the tension and you should be able to slide the belt off of the roller. You may also have to unscrew the sides of the dryer panels in the front so that you can pull the drum out. It's fairly lightweight, just big and awkward. Once the drum was out, I could clearly see that both heating coils were burnt in two. There are some wires you'll need to disconnect on the element housing then there are 4 screws that hold the housing to the back of the dryer. Unscrew these and pull the element out. From there, I just followed the directions that came with the heating coil parts and reinstalled new coils. Once the coils are in place, just work backward putting things back together. Now, when you take the dryer apart, it's a GREAT idea use compressed air or a vacuum to blow or suck out all of the lint inside. I also blew out the electric motor and got everything all nice and clean inside. I also vented my dryer directly into my garage. It's an electric dryer so no dangerous fumes. Plus side to this is that I'll have heat in my garage during the winter months. Also, instead of the dryer venting 50+ feet out the side of the house, it now vents 3 feet to the garage. The dryer will now dry a full load of clothes on MEDIUM heat in 50 minutes. It used to take 80 minutes on high heat. This is a difficult fix, but if you take your time and lots of pictures, you can do it and save yourself a ton of money.

After removing more bolts and screws than I needed to, here's how to replace the blower wheel on the stacked washer/dryer Maytag SG1000.

Turn off the power.

Remove the two screws on the access panel, which is the canted panel just below the dryer door, and remove the panel.

Remove the two screws at the top of the dryer door. These screws are on top of the dryer facing downward, and unless you're Yao Ming, you won't see them without a stepstool. You can then lift up the door and swing it out from the bottom.

There are two wires attached to the door which you should disconnect. You can set the door aside without disconnecting any other wires.

Next, remove the lint filter and the housing assembly it fits into. First, disconnect the ground wire connected to the upper-left corner of the housing, then remove 4 hex-screws accessed from inside the dryer tumbler.

You should take this opportunity to thoroughly remove lint from inside the housing.

The blower housing is now accessible. Remove the screws on the periphery of the blower housing cover (a.k.a. faceplate), and remove the cover.

The blower wheel is held in place by an external retaining ring and by a blower clamp. The replacement blower wheel came with a new blower clamp, and that clamp can be manipulated with a regular pair of pliers. I went out and bought a pair of snap ring pliers to deal with the retaining ring.

After removing the retaining ring and then taking off the blower clamp, I removed the old wheel. The new wheel was a little tough to put on, but after reading the story of the people who used a hammer to break their wheel, I just pushed on it until it popped on. I used my pliers to install the new clamp, then re-installed the retaining ring and the blower housing cover.

Reinstall the lint duct housing, making sure housing duct centers into the blower seal (looks like a felt circle). Reconnect the ground wire.

While you're inside the tumbler, at the front end of the tumbler just below the door there is a black plastic sensor with two metal bars on it called an automatic dry sensor. Fabric softener can coat the metal bars and cause the sensor to not function. Lightly sand the metal bars to remove any buildup.

Reconnect the wires to the dryer door. Reinstall the door by tilting the bottom in first, guiding the clips on the bottom of the door into the slots they fit in, then push the top of the door into position. Reinstall the screws at the top.

Reinstall the access door.

Turn the power back on! Done!

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

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.