3HLER5437JQ1 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

I noticed my dryer was heating, but not tumbling. I"m a 53 year old single female, and my dryer I bought used 3 years ago. I had no clue what the problem was. I texted my brother and said, "it heats but doesn't tumble - is it shot?" He texted back "probably the drive belt - pop the top and see." So I popped the top, and sure enough, the belt was broken. So I googled "diy + dryer + drive belt" and watched a You Tube video. I then drove all over town looking for a belt, and the only place that carried it had closed at noon (saturday). So I googled " appliance parts + dryer and came to this site, ordered the part and it was delivered in two days.
I borrowed a nut driver from my brother, removed the front of the dryer, used a plastic cup to prop up the drum. I put the belt on the drum, being sure to place the ribbed side down, looped through the pulley and onto the motor, removed the cup, put the front back on, dropped the top, replaced the lint trap and the two screws holding that in place, turned the dryer on and voila! All done.

Took a bit to first figure out how to get the front of the dryer off in order to access the motor, wheels, and belt, but found a "how-to" online. Once I had that, the rest was easy.

Lubricated motor and guide wheels but squealing still there. Then noticed the "idler pulley assembly" (the part that keeps the belt tight against the drum) looked a bit old and worn. Ordered a replacement part on this site because it was much much cheaper than a service call, installed it.... and NO SQUEAL!!!

Two screws hold the top control panel in place. Once removed the panel could be tipped forward. The Push to Start switch had 2 wires which were removed and swapped to the new starter switch. The old one rotated 90 degrees to remove and the new one installed. Panel was resecured to the top of the dryer and tested. Worked first time. Finding the part on the website, ordering it, receiving it quickly and the install couldn't have been easier or more pleasant or efficient.

remove the front panel, belt [notice the way the belt is fasten] remove the tub, support bracket to the drum roller, and slide the new drum roller on and place the tre ring in the slot. then re-install everything in reverse

Very easy to replace.

Numbet one - unplugged the dryer. Then disassembled dryer (front panel, loosened vent from top panel and removed drum). Removed motor after carefully documenting wires and their corresponding numbers, along with pictures. Read directions several times to assure we understood process. Followed instructions for replacing connectors. Used pliers and screwdriver to install motor clips. This took numerous, patient attempts. We also had to partially remove the vent in order to reinstall the motor. Then replaced drum, front cover, reattached vent to top cover. Reattached outside vent hose. Plugged dryer in and tested it. Motor replacement worked fine and fixed the problem (squealing).

Took back cover off. Cleaned out the lint that had built up inside the dryer. Replaced the lint trap housing and lint chute seals. Also replaced the drying vent hose. Works great now.

The repair was really easy and I loved the DIY videos they were great, not many tools needed to do these repairs that was great. The only thing is this didn't solve my issue.

Unplugged unit and removed top and front of dryer. Removed drum and belt. noting how belt ran through the belt tension-er. Removed old felt seal from rear of drum. Replaced broken baffle, replaced rear seal. reinstalled belt. Put unit back together and test ran.

Take out 2 philips screws in lint trap holder on top. Use flat screwdriver to pry up front left and right of dryer top near outside edges and tilt up out of the way. Remove 2 push-on AC connectors on door switch and remove plastic clip holding wires to dryer's front top metal edge. Remove (2) 5/16" sheet metal screw on inside top left and right edges to free up front panel. Lift front panel about an inch and it'll then pull off. It helps to have a second person to help hold or remove the drum at this point. It took 3 times for me to guess right on the squeak. First time I replaced the belt, second time I replaced these rollers, third and final time I replaced the idler pulley, the shaft of which had worn completely off so clearly i can't figure out how we didn't see (or hear) it the first two times! Dri-Slide lube helped stop the squeaking the first two times, but it always returned until this time, now I have a thoroughly rebuilt dryer for the next generation! (PS vacuum out the bottom of the dryer while it's open to remove both lint and greasy roller shavings - do this FIRST and you'll have cleaner hands & clothes!)

I did what any novice would have done. I took the entire thing apart to get to the gas jet. I did not know about the thermal fuse until I got to the schematic behind the timer and controls. I was a tech back in the 70's and 80's and only worked on electric dryers. Back then I would remove the heater core and twist the coils together to save money. So I had no idea how a gas dryer heating unit worked. So now any one that reads this. You do not have to take the dryer completely apart, I did that for all of you. Just replace the thermal fuse on the back of the unit by unplugging that wires and removing the screws! It looks like a long white piece of plastic with 2 wires to it. You will find this under the full metal shield on the back of the unit. This should be about a 1 hour repair at the most!

The dryer stopped heating, it would only blow cold air. I removed the back panel and tested the thermal fuse with a dmm. The fuse was open, so it was bad and I needed a new one. I tested the thermostat and the dmm measured continuity across the terminals, so I thought it was good, bad assumption. I ordered a thermal fuse from partsselect and it came with a thermostat. Like a dummy, I only installed the fuse. The 1st time I ran the dryer the fuse blew again, because the thermostat was bad. So, moral of the story, install both parts.

I simply removed the rear panal of the dryer. Removed the two wires from the fuse at the rear of the dryer. Attached an OEM meter across the two fuse connections and had no continuity. Ordered a new fuse and recieved it in 2.5 days.Replaced the fuse,reconnected the wires and replaced the rear panal. Started dryer and it now blows hot air and runs like new. I can't say enough about PartSelect. Great diagnosis using their website, the delivery was fast and I recieved the correct part at a good price. Very satisfied, Thanks PartSelect. Fred F

Raised the top of the dryer then took the front of the dryer off. Took the drum off. Replaced the pulley and support rollers. Then, put the new belt on and put it back together.

I removed the top panel, then the front panel.
Removed the belt and the drum.
Saw what I needed to replace. Ordered the parts then put back together. It was a really easy job.