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Noisy Dryer
When I described the noise to a YouTube appliance diagnostician, I was directed to check the felt seals front and back of the rotating drum for wear, tears, or foreign objects. As it happens the felt seals looked find and there were foreign objects so, not wanting to disassemble and reassemble the dryer more than I had, I ended up replacing all the replaceable moving parts that I considered possible culprits: The idler tension spring, the idler tension bracket (which includes a nylon pulley wheel), the drum belt, the five rubber-tipped bearings that support the drum and keep it in place, and the foam seal on the blower housing which seemed a little brittle and old, as well as high-temperature adhesive for the latter. The instructional videos here and on YouTube were extremely helpful (I doubt that I would have attempted this job at all, had I not watched these ahead of time). The most time-consuming aspect was waiting for the arrival of the parts as I didn't order them all at the same time or all from the same place (I ordered from whomever could ship me a given part the fastest. Disassembly took less than an hour. Re-assembly with the new parts in place took about the same but was a little more awkward because this appliance sits in a very narrow closet and it's difficult to ensure that the 4" flexible duct stays in place when sliding the appliance back into the closet. No regrets. Now I know the basics if this dryer needs attention in future and I also know all the parts that I can eliminate as suspects in any future maintenance (the parts that I replaced)
Fixed it eventually with part PS470049 ('M' Series Ignition Coil Kit). See separate story.
The flame sensor did not fix it but read on for info on how to replace this part. Before replacing this part, I should have read another posting in a different web site about the ignition coils: if you see a red glow inside the burner unit but the flame does not come on, then the problem is likely to be with the coils, not the flame sensor. However since some users here had solved the problem by replacing the flame sensors, I figured I'd try it. The setting for "More dry, less dry" never worked either so maybe this would fix two problems at once.
This dryer is a stacked front loader sitting on top of our washing machine. Opening the little front door (lower left side) is easy once you figure out that a little screw below needs to be removed. I almost broke the door trying to pull it open. The sensor is attached to the side of the flame area cylinder. It was hard to remove both the screw and the part itself from the slots as it's very springy. In fact when I finally removed it, it dropped to the base of the unit and sparks went flying as one of the electrical clips touched the metal (ground). Tip: first disconnect the electrical lead coming from the back of the unit to the ingnition block and later I used rubber gloves just in case. (I could not access the plug/outlet in the back). I installed the new part easily, though I was confused by the electrical leads: the white wire connects to the lead that has a red plastic dot on the side, but I think that must be a mechanical part and not a (wrong) marking, while the red connects to the other lead. Anyway, I connected it the same way I found it and put it back. Reconnected the other electrical wires and closed the door.
This did not fix the problem which turned out to be with the gas valve coils: as they get old, they turn off the flame when they get hot, even though the dryer keeps on turning. To read how to replace that part, search for comments under part number PS470049 ('M' Series Ignition Coil Kit). I don't know whether replacing the flame sensor is going to fix the "more dry-less dry" function, will have to see. Still, this website is great. Our dryer is a Westinghouse bought in 1991 (almost 20 years old!) and with this fixes it's just like new.
Make Sure Dryer is off and disconnected from power! Also, beware of sharp edges on dryer parts and cabinet. 1) Popped-off top lid with flat-blade screw driver (Insert screw driver in joint between top and front of dryer above door) Spring clips are all that's holding top on in front 2) Unplugged plastic electrical connector located just along the top-right side of dryer 3) Removed one sheet metal screw located about 8" down from top on either side of dryer - total of two screws 4) Pull front of dryer back and pull up at bottom of dryer (Remember that when you replace front you will have to make sure plastic bearing surfaces on dryer tub are centered back in cut-out on front panel. Plastic tabs fit inside the cut-out or else you'll ge a swishing noise when tub rotates) 5) Set front panel to side 6) Flame sensor is located on the left side of the burn chamber sheet metal cover. It has a red and white wire with flat connectors that must be pulled off. Note which color goes to what terminal 7) Unscrew fastener. Note: this screw/fastener needs a non-standard driver to get it out. I have a variety of other drivers beyond phillips/flat types and non of them worked. 8) I ended up using a pair of pliers to just work it out from under the screw. I bent it, as it has a tab that slips in along left bottom edge of burn chamber cover. 9) Finish taking screw out by hand 10) Put new flame sensor in by inserting tab on bottom first. Then, screw in fastener to top of sensor bracket and reconnect wires. White on top and red on bottom terminal. 11) Replace front panel with door by placing in tabs on bottom front of dryer. Again, make sure plastic bearing surfaces are inside of circular flange on front panel 12) Make sure to reconnect plastic cable connector. Note: I added a tie-wrap because it looked like the connector might rub against drum. There are some holes through which you can run the tie-wrap 13) Replace the two sheet-metal screws 14) Push top down so spring clips re-engage with dryer body
unplugged the dryer, discontected the sensor and unscrewed the bracket, replaced the new one and put the connectors back on, screwed the bracket back on and that was it. Very easy fix for a female who does not do much of these sort of repairs but learning.
The clip broke off our sensor making it disconnect, thus we had in inoperable 'new' machine.
By undoing the single screw which holds the sensor in place, the old one falls off. To replace: simply pop the two wires on their connections (small metal studs on the back), slide clip/wire end of sensor in place and replace the screw. You are back in business! Very simple repair that a DIY can save a ton!
Internal vent inside the drum was coated in black (plastics from use)
1. Loosened the 3 screws inside of the drum 2. Removed the entire back of the dryer (lots of screws) 3. Removed the old vent (there are 2 screws at the bottom that hold it in) 4. Install new vent (put the screws back in) 5. Close up back and proceed to put all of the screws back
Removed the back panel and the exhaust hose.removed the heater element and changed the thermostat wire was melted cut damaged part of wire soldered and rapped with black electrical tap
Main problem was the bearing, replaced the belt and felt seal as well The video instruction was very helpful Was easy with basic mechanical aptitude Dryer running great now All parts from Partselect.com Have ordered from them before and would order from them again
I used utube on how to dismantle the dryer. In fact I use a video created by Parts select. The hardest part was getting a spring that holds the tensioner on the drum belt.
dryer stopped in middle of cycle and would not restart
followed the repair video and replaced thermal fuse and thermostat(recommend replacing both due to the problem could of resulted in either part being the cause),Repair went relatively easy.I also recommend to clean and vacuum the dryer while you have it all apart due to a lot of lint buildup and don't forget to unplug before servicing!Stay Safe!!!
The igniter glowed red and the gas did not come on !
Read your article on possible repairs for different symptoms and after dis assembling and cleaning certain parts took a chance on the flame sensor, which turned out to be the culprit. Your help was a valuable tool in the repair process ! What would be the bee's knee's would be the resistance reading on the sensors that monitor the system for a more accurate diagnostic approach. But none the less you definitely aided in the repair of my propane gas dryer. Thank you very much ! And by the way the 3-4 day wait for the part was well worth the half price I paid versus our small town repair facility, Thanx again
Once we got the dryer out of the cramped where we could work on it, the project went a little quicker. I'd recommend using paper plates/bowls, that you label, to hold all the screws for each piece you remove off the back. It doesn't seem like it will be a lot, but we had at least 20-30 screws in 4-5 different sizes. Unlike someone else's install, we had to completely pull the white back panel off, as well as the main back cover, due to one screw holding the air duct from the inside of the dryer compartment (meaning we couldn't reach everything from the back). Getting this screw out was a challenge and seemed like a huge design flaw, but if you can't get to that screw, the old air duct isn't coming out. There are 2 other screws holding the air duct but they're easy to reach once the back panel is off. Once that was taken out the process was straightforward, we just took our time reattaching everything step-by-step. Now our dryer works like new.
You must disconnect appliance from the gas, water and vent to access the back. Remove the top of the dryer which then allows you to remove the rear panel by removing all screws, You may also have to remove 2 electrical connections to get this panel off. Now you have access to the air duct. To remove the air duct there are 3 screws inside the dryer and 2 screws on the lower part of the air duct. One of the lower screws is facing toward the inside of the dryer and you will need a 12"+ screwdriver to be able to remove. Once you do all that install the new part and repeat steps in reverse.