MDE12PSBDW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

How to disassemble the dryer has been covered in past repair stories. I will add a make shift repair that will get you up and running until you get your replacement blower wheel. We repair gas dryers for a living and this repair works and some machines are still running for two years. Remove the blower wheel. Cut a piece of plumber strap of similar sized metal to about 3/16" x 1/2". Hold it with vise grips and then heat it with a torch. When it is hot melt it into the hole in the blower wheel. This will give you a flat spot in the shaft hole that will keep the blower from spinning on the motor shaft. Some trial and error fitting is involved. If you do it carefully the blower wheel will fit very nicely and will not vibrate or make noise.

The repair was very simple. I took off the two screws on the fron of the dryer to remove the front panel which gained me access to the drum. I used a nut driver to remove the two screws that held the orignal short baffle and screwed in the new short baffle. Very simple very quick. The amazing thing with this problem is that I ordered the part on Thursday and recieved it on the very next day!!!!!!

I set the dryer on its back to make alignment of the front drum guide cover easy to reinstall in the seal after completion. I removed the 2 screws at the bottom front then removed the white and yellow wires to the interlock switch and set the front cover aside. I then removed the 4 nut screws holding the front drum cover and removed. On the back side there are two teflon and cork "bearings". I had ordered two even though only one was worn down to metal. On each one I then removed the two rivets by drilling them out. Then I placed the corks into the bearing slots with a little glue then inserted the teflon into the slots and riveted them into place with the rivets that came with the kit. I replaced the drum cover, connected the switch and screwed the dryer front cover back on. I set the dryer back up. Connected the vent hose and turned the dryer on. Beautiful sweet smooth and quiet operation. I had replaced the front and back drum seals a few months ago and saw the teflon was missing but did not have the kits at that time. With a complete job I would recommend replacing the front and rear drum seals and the two teflon/cork bearing kits at the same time.

This was pretty much as easy as most other folks had described on this site.
1. Removed the two screws at the front bottom that are holding on the fromt panel, and then lift up and remove the panel.
2. Disconnect the door-open-safety-switch, remembering which color of wire goes on which connection.
3. Remove the four screws (two on each side) on the front bracket that supports the drum and tthat contains the front glides.
4. Remove support bracket and lint trap, letting the drum rest gently on the stuff underneath.
5. Remove the screws holding the lint trap to the support bracket. (My model had five screws.) Remove lint trap from support bracket.
6. Drill out the two pop rivets on each of the two glides, noting the orientation of the teflon pad and mounting strip.
7. Secure - and here is where I had a little problem - new glides in place with pop rivets. (I hadn't use a rivet gun in a while, so I messed up the first pop rivet and had to go to the hardware store to get a replacement. I didn't hold the pop rivet in all the way while I was accuating the gun!)
8. Reverse the process for assembly, and you are all done.

It's simple.

ordered new filter,,,,

I inserted the clip

Followed advice from here; unplugged machine from power source, removed two phillips head screws located just out of sight below the little indentaion on the front panel, removed front panel & set aside the machine. Unclipping the door switch wires allowed for enough slack so that they didn't need to be disconnected. Unscrewed (or un-hooked, don't remember) the lint box, pulled the drum out slightly, removed the belt, pulled drum out all the way & set aside. Removed the snap rings & wahsers from the idler wheels, removed wheels, put a light coating ot synthetic grease on the shafts & in the idler bushings, re-installed idlers, washers, & snap rings. Re-assembled in reverse order of assembly with alittle difficulty iin getting the new belt in the proper configuration. Removed small access panel in rear of machine to assist in installng the belt finally realizing that the belt DOES NOT go in the indented area of the drum, but on the larger diameter of the drum itself. Tested by rotating by hand, re-assembled front cover, plugged it in & dried the laundry......QUIETLY!

Shut off or unplugged dryer for safety.

Slipped thin blade putty knife up under bezel of switch to unlatch from the panel and pulled forward to remove the swwitch from the dryer. Unplugged the quick connect terminals (3) from the old switch and plugged them onto the new switch. one of the terminals had gotten quite hot and darkened the insulation so it was replaced with one that was supplied with the switch. that was a cut, strip, crimp process. Placed the new switch into the panel and snapped into place.

remove bottom section under door 2 screws remove door 2 screws remove switch by squeezing tabs install 2 new female ends on wires supplied with switch . put switch back in plug in wires .

Took off door, then removed front of dryer to access the internal controls. Project went pretty darn well

Dryer stopped heating after a few days of it being an intermintant problem. I ohmed the heating coil and it was fine @ 12-15 ohms and the 2 sensors were open so I knew they were not the problem. The only item left was the Heater Relay. As soon as it was changed, dryer operated as it should.

I had to remove the drum. 1. remove lower panel. 2.remove the vent duct. 3.Remove the door (be sure to mark the door switch electrical wire with tape NO, NC, COM). the switch is marked. 4 Slacken the drive belt by removing from its idler pulley. 5.Pull the drum forward & out, by lifting the top without removing it (may have to struggle a bit by bending the sides of the dryer outward). 6.Large 3/4" socket remove the squrrel cage fan counter clock-wise. 7.Unplug the wire harness to the motor and with a large flat bladded screw driver push the spring clamps down & out-ward to remove them.
I always take pictures with my digital camera before removing a part so when I reinstall the part if a question of position or what went were I have it documented in my camera to view.
I install the belt and use scotch tape to hold it in place before I reinstall the drum.
The best part was being able to access the interior of the dryer to clean the lint out.
I hope this helps!

Knowing most mfgs. put prints under the conturo panal we started there.
Diagonstics required a multi meter.
The part was removed and the internet serched.
My local parts center was more expensive and would have to order the part. I called Partselect
found exactly what i needed. placed the order with 3 to 5 day ground. Fedex arived the next day. The new part was installed and the dryer smoke tested. The dryer works great.

I observed that the top of the dryer was affixed by two screws at each front corner. With these removed the top of the dryer could be easily lifted and with the front support panel removed the drum, drive motor and idler pulley could be accessed. This allowed the installation of a new drum belt in a short period of time. Installing the belt from the front lower left hand side proved very difficult for me but with the top raised and coming in from the top it was accomplished in short order. Thank you, Wesley Harmon

I pulled the face of the dry off by removing the two screws on the lower face below the door. I pulled the drum out by removing the two bolts holding the drum mounts to the frame. I put the new belt around the drum and remounted it. The access hole on the lower right corner on the back of the appliance allowed me to turn the drum to align the belt (and turn it right side up) with the pulley. It took a moment to figure out how to re-thread the pulley but was able to do it after only a couple of tries. All in all it was quite easy!