KEYS850JQ1 KitchenAid Dryer - Instructions

Very easy once I figured out how to open it up to see what was the matter.
1 Remove power.
2 Open the lint filter cover and remove the 2 Phillip screws.
3 Pry the front of the top cover up to separate the cover from the plastic clips that secure to the top front panel.
4 Remove the 2 nut screws securing the top of the front panel to each side cover.
5 Pull front panel out slightly to detach wiring from the cover switch.
6 Pull front panel straight up and set aside.
7 Remove drum belt from tensioner and motor pulley under the drum.
8 Remove drum by pulling it toward the front between the 2 sides.
9 Locate the 2 support rollers and their mounting shafts. Change the shafts at this point if they are worn. (Mine were OK)
10 Remove the support bracket from the shaft if present.
11 Remove the plastic triangular retainer from the shaft and slide the old wheel off of the shaft.
12 Clean the shaft from any bearing debris.
13 Replace the rollers and retainers.
14 Insert drum through the front side panels making sure the seal on the rear of the drum is centered around the opening and not folded inside the opening.
15 Place the belt on the drum and thread the belt through the tensioner and around the motor pulley.
16 Position the front cover on the lower clips on each of the sides.
17 Re-attach the 2 wires for the cover switch.
18 Pull the drum up so the opening on the drum and front cover align.
19 Screw together the side panels to the front panel using the 2 hex headed screws.
20 Check for binds by rotating the drum several times by hand.
21 Press the front of the top panel down toward the front panel to engage the plastic clips attaching the top to the front. Watch for the lint filter housing alignment as you push the top panel down.
22 Replace the 2 screws to attach the lint filter to the top cover.
23 Plug in machine and test.

Good luck, It s not as bad as it sounds.

The (front) bearing and seal are not metal parts but a fabric and and mesh like material. It is somewhat like a fabric belt made to hold up a pair of trousers. The belt sits in a channel that goes around the door on the inside of the front panel. To get to the combination bearing/seal you remove two screws that are located under the cover of the lint trap. These have to be removed to lift the top. Then using a putty knife or screw driver you must pop the top (which snaps down on plastic clips) at the front corners. The top lifts up and folds back on hinges. The front is attached to the sides by one screw on each side near the top. A nut driver will remove then easily. Once the 2 screws are removed lift the front panel about 2 inches to disengage the front panel from the clips that hold the front attached to the sides near the bottom. When you remove the front panel the dryer drum will literally fall out so you want to get hold of it before pulling the front panel away so it isn't damaged and and doesn't damage the gas burner assembly which is under the drum to the left side. The drum is very light. I supported it with an empty shoe box while the front was off.
Once the front is off you'll see the bearing/seal on the inside of the front panel and it will be obvious how to remove the old one and place the new one. There are three pegs on the front panel that receive the three holes in the fabric bearing/seal. The seal will stay in place while you remove the shoe box and put the front cover back on. The drum fits over the seal like a lid on a jar and just slides on the fabric when the drum rotates. Low tech but the drums slides easily on the bearing material and seems to last a long time.

I also did the rear dryer seal. This is similar to the front. To do this you follow the procedure above but to get to the real seal you will have to remove the drum. It will fall out on its own if the front panel is removed. The drive belt goes around the drum. It is about 3/8th of and wide and just wraps around the drum without any teeth or channels or anything. Let the belt fall to the bottom as you lift the drum forward and out of the cabinet. The drum is light. Just put it on the floor and strip off the old rear seal which is glued on. It too is fabric. Clean up the drum a little and fit the new seal on the drum. Once the seal is on the drum you can lift the edge of the fabric seal and glue the fabric flange to the drum. This becomes pretty obvious once you have the seal on the drum. If you put the glue on the drum first you will make a mess. Put the seal on properly and the lift the edge to apply the adhesive all the way around. The adhesive sets enough in a hour or so. Put the drum back in and replace the front panel. Don't forget the drive belt. It goes around the drive motor that is located on the bottom of the dryer on the right, around or over an idler pulley (my older model does not have a idler wheel but rather a bracket with a "slide" that the belt runs over that keeps sufficient tension on the belt to drive the drum. If your belt falls off the motor and the idler pulley falls out it may be confusing how the belt goes in. My idler bracket is held in slots on the bottom of the cabinet merely by the tension of the belt - no screws or anything. I suggest that you put the belt around the drum first, then the drive motor. You will have slack in the belt and it becomes a little more obvious how the idler pulley (which is mounted on spring steel) goes in and takes up that slack and keeps modest tension on the belt. The rubber side of the belt goes against the drum, the leathery side is the outside.

Removed the back of the dryer taking off the screws. Found the disposable thermal fuse. Unplugged the 2 blue wires connected to it. Removed the screws holding the part in. Replaced the old part. Reattached the blue wires. Put the back on the dryer. And voila! That simple!
I'm a 39 year old woman with absolutely no patience for tedious jobs, but this was so easy I felt good about doing it. And felt even better for saving lots of money by doing the repair myself.

Removed and replaced terminal block, power cord and black wire to timer.

I bought a belt from a store in my area- What a mistake...I found this site and read all the stories on how easy it was and how PartSelect.com had the parts in stock and had easy instructions...I put the idler pulley in place, put the belt in place (all from instructions included) and put the dryer back together (which was easy). I actually did it alone. I would recommend this company to anyone in need of their parts and help!

Remove back cover
Raise top
Remove filter assembly
Remove front cover and drum

Tip: Use an end wrench on the fan and another on the pully shaft of the motor to remove fan from motor prior to removing motor from cradle.

Vacuum everything while disassembled

Remember to take your time and not force anything and this will go smooth.

super fast shipping, got the part in two days, and had it done in 15-20 min, remove the front pannel, remove the belt and tenssioner,took the drum out , took the old rollers , lubed the shafts,replaced the old rollers with the new ones, intalled the drum back, the tenssioner and the new belt, reinstalled the front pannel, and done...easy and fast job, like new dryer, works nice...save some money...the new one will do the same..just dry the clothes.

First of all, you go in from the front. There a clip on each side that I just pried up to pop the front of the dryer up. A screw also needs to be removed in the lint catcher area. Also, two screws holding the door open switch must be removed as I never could get the electrical connectors to disconnect. No big deal. I had to figure out you must lift the front of the dryer up as the last two things holding it in are a prong on each side. Lift the front up and off and set it aside. As you do this the drum will either fall on your feet or you'll have it supported be another person or with something else. I used bungee cords and kept it in the laundry room. Cleaned out all the old lint, collected a few bucks in change. It took me awhile to figure out how the new belt routed through the removable pulley guide thing and around the wheel pulley. I don't remember right now as I'm not looking at it but remember pinching the belt and feeding it through the guide and around the wheel pulley which has a little slot and grooves matching the belt. Besides scrapping my wife's hand while she was helping me get the front of the dryer back on there were no casualties or further complications. Good luck!

I removed the discharge duct from the back of the dryer. Then, I removed the screws on the back of the dryer and the back itself. This exposed the cycling thermostat. I removed the screw holding the thermostat. I took the wires off the defective thermostat and reinstalled them on the new thermostat. Then, I reassembled in reverse order.

This product comes in a bottle with a brush like Liquid Paper. It goes on incredibly easy. A second coat might be needed. I wanted to prevent rust from setting in so I covered the scratches and dings. The paint is a little brighter since my washer is 10 years old but it still looks great.

I took a ¼ inch nut driver and removed the rear cover from the unit, and then used a continuity tester to determine which safety device was open. According to the schematic there was one non-resettable safety device in the heating circuit, and that was open. The kit that I ordered came with thermal cutoff and a thermostat. I replaced both parts and the unit now operates normally. While I had the dryer open I thoroughly cleaned the dust and lint from the unit and also the 4 inch vent pipe. I ordered this part on Friday morning and received it early Saturday afternoon.

Following the instructions that came with the parts, I removed the top off of the dryer, which was very easy, two more 5/16" screws and I had the drum out. I confess, this was my second time at this repair. 1st time I neglected to replace the rear drum seal which I strongly recommend you do while you have it open. I only replaced the 2 wheels last time and it failed very soon afterwards.
Lesson Learned: Always replace the rear drum seal when you replace the support wheels!!!

Pryed the top off the dryer, unplugged the door switch, took the screws out of the front panel, then lifted the drum out. Placed the new belt around the drum and while my wife held it in place and steadied it, I reached underneath and looped the belt through (as per instructions), reassembled and back in business! Reaching under the drum was not that easy....VERY tight space to work in and there was no way I could get both hands through, I almost gave up, but one last try and a couple of good grunts, and it popped into place. Getting the wires back on the door switch was a bit of an ordeal too. Took about 30 mins. but still worth it. I'm sure I saved at least a $100 repair.

Disconnected supply. Lifted top (hinges on rear). removed two 1/4 hex head screws retaining front panel. Disconnected door switch wires. Removed front panel, lifting off from bottom tabs. Lifted out drum and discarded broken belt. Spent 30 minutes+ cleaning interior, drum skid area, dryer exit tube, motor pulley, belt tensioner, etc, etc. Checked wiring harness for possible damage (no damage found). Repositioned drum skid pads, which had become dislodged from their intended position. Reinstalled the drum with new belt, ensuring both belt & tensioner were correctly positioned, and drum rollers and felt seals were also correctly positioned. Reinstalled front panel, tightening the two 1/4 hex head retaining screws. Reconnected power. Checked functionality. Closed top cover.

First, remove the back panel of dryer which is about 10 screws. Then remove the 2 thermal switches, one is above the heating element and the other is where the hot air comes out. They are both really easy to get to and the pictures on Part Select.com are identical, so you can order the part first and then just "match them up" if you are not sure what to replace. Oops, the first step is to unplug the dryer.