861- General Electric Dryer - Overview

i removed the scews just above thr opened dryer door, i was then able to swing the dryer top cover back. i then removed the lower front panel screws ,the the screws securing the front of the dryer ( where the door is ) and removed it. there are just 2 wires to disconnect. after the front is removed you gain full access for drum removal, r ... Read more emove the belt make sure the wires are not in the way and remove the drum.i also used a vacuume to clean the inside of the dryer. the front drum slides are very easy to replace only 2 screws each.remove old parts install new parts then just put the dryer back together in the reverse order i took it apart. after re-assembly i turned the dryer on it was so quiet running my wife and dogs were very happy. ps. i just want to thank the people at partselect for having all my parts in stock and for the speed in which i received them. other than having to repair my dryer it was a very pleasant experiance.

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 ... Read more 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 initially opened the front of the dryer and noticed that the drum slides that the drum rides on in the front of the dryer were excessively worn. I then removed the drum and noticed that the plastic bearing that supported the drum in the rear was cracked and the washer(?) appered to be disintigrating. I ordered and replaced the drum sl ... Read more ides and rear bearing. The dryer was still making too much noise. I ran the motor with the drum removed and realized that they motor was the remaining source of the excessive noise. I then ordered and replaced the motor with a new one and this solved the problem. Total cost was around $140. Note that when ordering a new motor, the instructions on the web site indicate that you need to order the motor pulley if your existing motor has a pressed on pulley. The new motor was a kit that came with the pulley included, and therefore the additional part was not needed, and had to be returned. The instructional videos and parts schematics on the web site were very helpful.