MDE3000AYW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

Unplugged dryer and removed screws that hold door in place. removed screws that hold front panel. removed front panel. took drum belt off idler pulley. pulled drum out of dryer cabinet. unhooked wiring harness and removed motor. replaced motor and reversed steps to put back together. Thanks to partselect for getting me the parts so quickly. I ordered the motor on line on Friday and it was at my house on Saturday.

Pull off the nob/ timer dial skirt . Pop off the cap. Used pliers to pinch the catches together to release the knob from the timer dial skirt.
Ordered new skirt from Part Select after confirming part from great diagrams and pictures.
Received the timer dial skirt in a few days. Snap pieces back together and replace knob onto dryer.
Super Easy.

Removed Dryer Door and front face of dryer, total of 4 screws, turn dryer drum to position broken baffle screws, remove screws, install new baffle, attach front face of dryer and reattach dryer door. Time 15-30 min. total. Real easy. Thank You PartSelect. Maytag told me my part was no longer available, but I fold it at PartSelect.com.

Removed the control panel disconnect the wires on the bad part and replaced with new. Extremely quick and easy less than 10 minutes. Part ordered on line and received within one day.

Took the old one off, put the new one on

my son did the installation according to your excellent video instructions

By watching a video I disassembled the front and took the dryer tub out and replace the two rollers and it took about 60 minute.

I watched Steve the repairman on u tube then opened up the front of the dryer and noticed the part in my dryer was a little different than the one on the video. So I called in and I was reassured it was what I wanted. When I got the replacement part and before I removed the old part I took pictures of the wiring noticing the wires where changed from left to right I had to make up one of the 12 gauge wires and connectors with parts from the hardware store and the new part was shorter than the old part, but the machine all ready had screw holes where I needed them. I looked at my photos and wired the new part the same way I took the wires off the old part and put it back together and it works like new! saved money! the local guy is $150 to show up and start the clock. I also fixed the blower,EASY!

Followed instruction video

unplug dryer; remove dryer door; remove front cover; thermal fuse located on heater underneath and beside drum; remove two electrical leads on fuse; remove two screws holding fuse in place; install new fuse and do the above in reverse; clean lint from duct; plug dryer into

reassembled dial skirt with other two parts and pressed them on to timer shaft. Skirt was approximately one half inch too deep for my model. It works fine but has a gap between the skirt and the dryer.

I removed the front of the dryer and the drum support plate. I drilled out the old rivets and installed the Glides with the enclose rivets. The Glides came loose in a few days! The holes in the glides are larger than in the old Glides. I disassembled the dryer again and reassembled with my rivets. This time I held the rivet gun inside the perimeter of the dryer so that the head of the rivet is opposite the initial installation. So far, so good, except the dryer still squeaks. The idler pulley is now the culprit. White grease burned up. I reassembled with high temperature grease. If that does not work, I will need another idler pulley. The journal looks very worn. the dryer is 30+ years old.

This is the dryer of a 28 year old Maytag laundry pair. I had replaced the glide kit 8-10 years before. Did them again because they were worn in half again but this time I added the 2 roller kits and the belt, really just guessing. I was surprised how full of dust and lint the inside was, especially the blower fan blades. I ordered the screw because the belt idler pulley assembly was very wobbly and I hoped that was the screw anchoring it to the motor housing was the problem but it wasn't. Turns out the threaded hole in the housing was stripped, due I guess to years of vibration. It was too tight to get a tap and dye in there so I drilled the hole out and replaced the screw with a bolt and nut and lock washer. Before drilling it out I tried a few strands of wire and JB Weld, like the trick with stripped wood holes where you break off toothpicks in the hole and fill with wood glue. But that stripped out too so I drilled and used the bolt. Turned out I didn't need that $7 screw. Probably should have known comparing it to the old one which looked the same after I cleaned it. Anyway, it sounds fine again.

I ordered the timer base knob, timer knob insert cap and the timer dial skirt. We put all three pieces together and put it on the D metal timer post. Good as new!

This should have been a simple repair, but turned out to be time consuming and moderately difficult. I hope these instructions will help anyone who encounters the problems described here.

After a period of the dryer not being used, the idler pulley wheel froze on the shaft of the idler pulley arm, so I needed to replace both parts. After mounting the new wheel and two washers on the new arm and securing with a retaining ring, I went to install this assembly by going in through the small access panel at the rear of the dryer. I slid the belt off the old idler pulley wheel and unhooked the spring from the idler pulley arm; the arm was mounted on a sleeve fastened to the motor bracket by one screw. All that should have been necessary was to back out that screw and replace the old idler pulley assembly with the new one.

That is where the trouble started. Backing out the screw with a socket driver, I found it would go a few turns, then start to bind. I tried turning it in and out to get the threads to engage, but it kept binding. Eventually I gave the screw a hard turn, and then it would turn freely but not move in or out.

Looking on the internet for advice, I found a video that asserts for another model Maytag dryer using the same type of mounting for the idler arm, that there is a design flaw. You can find the video by searching for “Maytag dryer idler pulley defect”. According to the video, the sheet metal screw used to mount the idler pulley arm can gradually loosen due to the pressure and vibration, and begins to “waggle” which eventually damages the threads. I believe this is what happened to my dryer. The video suggests replacing the sheet metal screw with a machine screw and nut for a more durable union.

So now I understood how the screw could be stripped just sitting in the dryer, but that didn’t help me get the screw out. Working through the rear access panel, I tried pulling on the screw head with several types of pliers, pushing the point from behind with a piece of wood while turning the head with a socket driver; eventually I was able to use a pry bar under the screw head and sleeve to apply pressure while turning the head, and with that method the screw backed out. With the screw removed, it could be seen that the threads in the middle part of the thread length were almost completely worn away.

The screw sleeve got somewhat deformed in this process so I ordered a new one, along with an exact replacement sheet metal screw, hoping the threads in the hole were still intact. With the old idler pulley arm now removed, I could transfer the old idler bracket spacer to the new idler pulley arm. When the ordered parts arrived and I tried to mount the idler pulley arm, the new screw would go in only a couple of turns before binding. Rather than risk winding up in the same situation by forcing the screw, I decided to use a machine screw and nut instead.

The original sheet metal screw was a #10. A machine screw the same size would not fit through the hole, and I could not fit my drill into the dryer cabinet in a position to enlarge the hole, so I used a #8 machine screw with a nut and lock washer. First I put some grease on the contact areas of the screw sleeve and idler bracket spacer, then inserted the machine screw through the hole and put the lock washer and nut on the other side of the mounting. The space around the nut is very limited, and most of my tools were too large to hold the nut while the screw was tightened. It was too small for a socket or adjustable wrench, and the clearance from the exhaust duct was too small for the handles of most tools. Eventually, I found a needle nose pliers with short handles that did the job. A thin open end wrench might also work. Then I reconnected the spring and belt to the idler pulley assembly, and closed the access panel. So far the dryer works, but if the #8 screw turns out to be not strong enough, I could get an extension for my drill and enlarge the hole to fit a #10 machine screw and nut.

Looking back on the job, the most difficult part of this repair was removing the damaged screw. This and several other steps might have been a lot easier if I had removed the motor bracket (where the idler pulley arm is mounted) from the dryer and worked outside the cabinet. Part Select has an excellent video “Replacing the Drive Motor” that shows how to do this. It would be a lot of disassembly work, but for someone with good assembly skills could be easier in the long run.

Hopefully most folks out there who replace the idler pulley arm on a dryer will find an easier situation than I did. But for any who have to deal with a stripped mounting screw, I hope this summary will help you resolve it.