MDE13PRACW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

Took off face of dryer (two lower screws below door in front) and then removed the drum which gave me access to the idler arm and idler pully. Vaccumed the interior to remove dust and lint. Replaced idler arm and idler pulley assembly. Replace old belt as drum was reinstalled. Opened rear access panel to complete final routing of the new belt over idler pulley and drive motor. Turned the machine on to check repairs and function. Closed rear access door. Pushed dryer back into place and re-leveled machine.

My 11 year old grandson and I did the repair together. He had a blast and I did too. First we removed a bunch of screws that got us no closer to getting the machine apart than when we started. Then I remembered from the last time I had the machine apart that there are two screws just below the door, angled as not to be visable unless you know where to look. Once we removed those the from came off. We removed the wires for the door light and heat sensor, remembering the order of the wires for later reinstallation. Then we undid the bolts holding down the top. Once the top was removed we took off the belt and removed the drum. We used the retainer pliers to remove the retainer ring from the first roller. We removed the roller and also the shaft as this roller was the noise maker and the shaft was not in reusable condition. We installed a new shaft, roller washer, roller, another roller washer and then the retainer ring. We repeated the same process on the other roller, although we did not replace the shaft as it was in good condition. It turned out I did not need to order the shaft washers as the rollers came with washers. Oh well, its not a good job unless you have parts left over when you are done. Once we replaced the rollers we commenced reinstallation. But first we had to google for diagram of the proper belt installation, which we found and that got the drum and belt installed properly. Thankd god for the internet. Once we had the drum installed we put the machine back together in the opposite order we took it apart. An operational test showed we did the job right, no more squeaking. The only injury was my grandson cut his thumb right after I gave him the speech about watching where your hand is going to end up when that bolt breaks free. It broke loose and into the metal bracket went his thumb. Oh well it was a good lesson and it was not a bad cut. All in all a good repair.

First I unplugged the machine; an essential to avoiding getting shocked during this repair. This is a must and should not be overlooked it could cost you your life.

Removed two screws from lower area of front panel, pulled bottom of front panel toward yourself so as to swing out and up, continue to swing panel up to your self until it comes free from top clips.

Once free set gently on floor and remove door switch wires, noting which wire goes to which contact is not essential but could be more convenient when putting it all back together.

Remove door switch wire from clasp at top inside from panel, set front panel aside in safe place.

Now look under the two top front corners on the inside and you will see a screw in each corner; these screws must be removed in order to raise top panel.

This is kind of tedious because sometimes these screws are long and difficult to turn and space is limited and tight in getting rachet or nut driver on the head of these screws.

Be patient , because they will come out with a little work. To make this process a little easier you might do the following step first but you cannot do this little trick when putting it back together.

Once these screws are out raise top panel and lean back against wall; be careful because the two enamel surfaces are slick and if leaned too far back the top will want to slide out at the bottom from being on a lean.

Remove four screws from tumbler front, lift slightly so as to come off side clips then pull straight out. Remove door wire from clasp and drop wire gently back inside so as to let it fall to the bottom of the machine and away from the tumbler, which is to be removed next.

Once this is done the tumbler will go down in the front due to pressure from belt. The belt could have been removed from pulley right from the start to relieve this tension but I just do it this way.

Once tumbler sags or leans down in the front gently work the belt off of the back of the tumbler; there will still be a little pressure on the belt and gentle force may be required in sliding it toward the back and then off; once belt is off gently lift tumbler up and out and put in a safe place.

Once this is done you will be able to easily see everything in the bottom of the dryer; motor, gas valves, thermal switches, vent pipe and pulley, pulley bracket and belt which by this time has fallen to the bottom of dryer; gently remove belt from pulley and set aside in safe place.

Make sure it is out of reach of children or it will be played with or used as a hangmans noose; it is long an flexible and children just seem to love playing with it.

At this point you can either continue to work from the front of the machine or the back; I f you choose to work from the back then lower the top panel so as to allow it to just sit back down on the sides of the machine, pull the machine away from the wall and work from the back; because I am experienced at this I continue to work from the front.

If you choose to work from the back then while standing in the back of the machine look to lower right corner and you will see an access panel with four screws in it; remove these screws and the panel will come free giving you a clear view of the belt pulley.

From either back or front view you will see a spring attached to pulley bracket which can easily be removed when pulley bracket is in relaxed position; remove this spring and put in a safe place if you have plans of reusing it. I installed a new spring on this repair.

Once this spring has been removed then look directly beneath bracket at what is easily seen to be its pivot point and you will see a mounting screw. Remove this screw with a nut driver and the bracket will then come completely free; slide through access hole and come out with it.

Once it is out the white spacer is easily seen on bracket; look at the bracket side of the spacer and you will see a mounting screw; remove this screw and spacer will come off.

When installing new space

We used previous installation instructions, which were quite good – we embellished the directions where we ran into some things that weren’t mentioned.

1. Remove the back access plate to release the belt from the pulley.
2. 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.
3. Remove the 4 nuts holding the drum support frame and pull straight out.
4. Putting one hand inside the drum and supporting it, gently pull the drum toward you until it clears the rollers. Reach in along both sides of the outside top of the drum and slide the belt off the back of the drum. With a hand inside supporting the weight of the drum tip the drum slightly forward and out the front. Set it out of the way.
5. Remove the two bolts holding the thermostat cover (silver odd shaped metal plate at the front of the dryer).
6. Remove the dryer blower cover plate by removing the 6 bolts holding it to the blower housing with a short ¼” nut driver. Remember to remove the bolt holding the plate to the bottom of the dryer.
7. 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.
8. Remove the blower wheel by removing the snap-ring at the front of the shaft and then removing the collar- compression clip.
9. Pull out the blower wheel (this was a bear as it was very tight on the shaft – the shaft-collar of the blower wheel has grooves in it. We used very small screw drivers to carefully pry the segment of the collar between the grooves away from the shaft and used a penetrating oil and with a very slight rocking force muscled the blower wheel off then removed the rear snap-ring from the motor shaft.
10. Release the 5 wires attached to the motor.
11. Remove the ground wire on the back of the motor by backing the screw out.
12. Release the front and back motor clips (Use a large straight-blade screw-driver to press down and out on the end of the clips.
13. Lift out the motor.
14. Remove the rear pulley from the motor using an Allen wrench and transfer it to the new motor (We used heavy duty thread locked on the Allen set screw. – When we removed the pulley it was necessary to heat the Allen set-screw area with a propane torch to soften the thread-locker cement. IF YOU NEED TO DO THIS MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE PLENTY OF TIME FOR THE PULLEY TO COOL BEFORE YOU HANDLE IT!
15. 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 installation much easier).
16. Hook up the wires, following the color coding on the motor controller you are attaching to.
17. Hook up the ground wire on the back of the motor.
18. Reinstall the rear snap-ring, blower wheel (went on a lot easier than it came off), front snap-ring, collar-compression clip, blower housing front cover (Including the bolt to the dryer bottom) ,
19. Re-route the door switch wire up the left side and secure with clips.
20. Reinstall the thermostat cover,
21. Reinstall the drum and belt (use scotch tape to temporarily secure belt) , the drum front support frame (ensure the felt seals for the drum and the blower cover are properly aligned and seated correctly),
22. Reinstall the belt through the back access panel over the pulley and idler wheel (make sure the belt smooth side is against the drum, the grooved side against the pulley and the belt is inside the belt guide on the idler wheel and remove the scotch tape from the belt). Make sure no tools are in the dryer cabinet.
23. Rotate the drum clockwise a few revolutions to align the belt and reinstall the rear panel.
24. Hook up the door status wire before you set the front cover and install the 2 screws,

We previously replaced the front drum felt seal and the tumbler glides, the belt and both drum rollers.

Frist I removed the front cover panel via removing 2 screws. Second I disconnected the door switch wires. Third I removed the 4 screws that hold the drum onto the rollers and guides that allows access to the blower wheel assembly cover. Fourth I remover the blower wheel assembly cover to gain access to the blower wheel. Fifth using the retaining removal tool removed the retaining ring from the shaft then removed the blower wheel using plyers. Then reassembled all of the parts and enjoy a quiet dryer again.

Thank you parts select!!!

First I unplugged the dryer. Then I removed the two phillips head sheet metal screws near the bottom of the front panel at either side, swung the panel out from the bottom until it unhinged at the top for removal. I disconnected the wire to the door switch and placed the front panel out of the way. Next I unbolted the top from the side panels by removing the single bolt at the front top of each side panel. This allows the Top panel of the dryer to be raised enough to remove the drum. I slipped the drive belt off the back of the drum, lifted the top a few inches and removed the drum. Next I removed the face plate of the blower channel to get at the squirrel cage blower and disconnect it from the motor by removing the outer snap ring from the motor shaft and then used pliers to remove the spring clip from the hub of the blower cage allowing it to slide off the shaft. There was a second snap ring to remove behind the hub. With the blower off the 3 screws holding the blower channel to the motor mount were accessable and able to be removed along with a couple of scews holding the air channel to the dryer base allowing the whole assembly to be moved out of the way to get at the motor. Two more screws at the motor base were removed to free the motor. Three color coded wires were unclipped from the motor and it was out after removing the drive belt from the pulley. Getting the pulley off the old motor after 29 years of service proved to be the most difficult part of the repair. Had to heat the pulley with a propane torch until the glue holding the allen head set screw decomposed enough to allow me to break the set screw loose. Releasing the spring clips holding motor to frame was easy using a large screwdriver to push down in the end recess of the clip while prying against the frame. Reassembly took less than an hour. The color coded dots on the electrical connector block were identical to the original motor making the electrical reconnection a snap (These dots were clearly seen in the photos of motor on the PartSelect website so I knew I had the right motor). The drive belt reinstallation was a little tricky as you have to spool the belt correctly around the pulley then put the drum back in 3/4 of the way and start the belt on the back of the drum and work it forward about 5 inches to its running position. Rest was easy, no parts left over and it works like new again.

I troubleshot the repair using the repair help section from Parts Select. It made finding the problem a snap. I then removed the four wires and two screws that held the heating element in place. Removed two screws that held thermal fuse in place and replaced. By accomplishing the repair myself I saved well over a hundred dollars.

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.

ordered new filter,,,,

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.

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!

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