KEYW778BAL2 KitchenAid Dryer - Instructions

1. Shut off gas and disconnected dryer.
2. Opened cabinet. Easy sheet metal screws and fairly obvious how everything goes together. NB: You'll need a block (or a helper to hold things while you run to look for one) to hold the drum while removing the front.
3. The motor is connected with a single harness, so wiring is a snap.
4. Removing the blower wheel from the back was hard. I braced the motor shaft and turned with all the leverage I could muster, but it was stuck. Plan B: Recip saw to cut the shaft. Motor comes out one side and the fan comes out the other.
5. The fan, of course, was unusable because there was still a piece of motor shaft stuck in the thread. This is why I had to spring for a new wheel.
6. Put everything back together and receive wife's adoring praise...

I opened up the dryer as per the instructions I had received from PartSelect tech support. It was very easy to do. The only unexpected thing was that the original belt had snapped and in doing so the idler pulley was actually laying on the floor of the dryer's bottom. I had to figure out how it went, but that only took a minute and I popped it back into place. I held the drum by hand while pulling the dryer face away so it wouldn't fall and then I slipped the belt over the drum and quickly closed the front up again. I aligned the belt on the spot where the old one had been, pulled it through the idler pulley and over the motor and voila. Done. I closed up the dryer and was on to another "Honey Do" project within 20 minutes.

I lifted the top of the dryer cabinet, like the hood of a car using a screwdriver to pry it open. I removed the two screws in the upper right corner of the cabinet front. I disconnected the safty switch on the front door. The front of the cabinet can then be removed by lifting up the front off the pins in the base. With the drum exposed you can place the belt on and thread it through the two pulleys on the motor. Consult the diagrams provided on the PartsSelect website for the proper positioning of the belt on the pulleys. After the belt is installed spin the drum by hand one turn to make sure that it is seated properly on the drum and pulleys. Reassemble the dryer in the reverve order.

I used a screwdriver to remove the old part and pushed the new part in with my fingers, it was very easy. If I could do it, anyone can. I was a lot cheaper then having a repair man come to house. I am very glad I found your site online, I will definitely be using your company again.

I looked up the procedure to remove the switch in a repair book, removed the broken switch. Then I reconnected the wire leads, put the part in and closed everything up. The part arrived so quickly and there were even instructions with the part which made the repair go so easily.

When the problem first came up, I took the dryer apart without first looking up any instructions. This wasn't difficult, but didn't realize when removing the fan from the motor, there is a square lug as part of the fan hidden by the rear clamp securing the motor. I was able to remove the fan by holding the motor shaft with a crescent wrench and removing the fan by hand, but was difficult and gloves were necessary in case the fan loosened quickly and my hand came in contact with the sheet metal (very sharp).

I took the motor out and attempted to clean it as it was loaded with dust as was the dryer internals. I tried to lube the motor bearings and appeared to free up, but the sight of metal shavings on the rear bearing seal had me concerned. This ultimely did not work and was trying to buy some time until the new motor arrived.

This is when I looked up the motor part number and found that Parts Select had the part number in stock. I ordered the motor on a Saturday afternoon and got a quick response acknowledging my order. The motor shipped that following Monday from Fresno and arrived on my Southern California doorstep Tuesday. These guys have their act together and are helpful in making the repairs. In my case I did not have to make any adjustments to the wiring or the pulley for my model and replaced the motor the following weekend in about 45 minutes. Since I had the unit apart several times before replacing the motor, the installation went quickly.

The dryer is again working fine for a unit 12 years old and my wife is once again happy that we didn't have to purchase a new dryer.

Used this resource and others' advice -thank you . Make sure to disconnect power first. I had replaced the rollers and tensioner a week earlier due to squeaking, but mine was the rare one where squeaking meant motor failure, so I had to place another parts order. The dryer was 19 years old, and my blower wheel did not simply 'unscrew with reverse threads'. During removal the blower wheel's plastic deformed, so had to do like someone else did and cut the rear shaft with a reciprocating saw. Just be careful not to damage the bulkhead's built-in bracket that anchors the rear of the motor. I think it was a 13/16" wrench that fit the blower wheel and I forget the size for the pulley nut on the front of the motor, but I suggest a deep socket since it held well. My best advice when dealing with a motor replacement is to ensure the blower wheel wheel will separate successfully from the motor before placing your parts order should it be a stubborn removal. Good luck.

pressed clip into hole on top of front panel. first remove two philip screws that hold filter so you can lift top up.

Pulled to old out inserted the new. I would like to say your turn around from date part was ordered until I recieved it was three days, I find that amazing. I'm still waiting for a part I ordered from another company 1 month ago. The price was right shipping cost was very reasonable and your web site extremly easy to use. Thanks very much, Al

removed the catch and the pin and replaced it. We were sent a couple different sizes so we tested the one that looked like the closest match. I think the pin was made with different thicknesses of metal. Worked great and saved us from having to get a new dryer!

I disassembled the dryer once to clean the motor and compartment. After reasembly, the problem persistes. I ordered the motor and the second diasasssembly was accomplished in 10 minutes and the entire job took 45 minutes and the dryer was running like new. Tip- Leave the motor secured while removing the blower fan.

This was so much easier than I though it was going to be. Pulled up on the top part of the dryer and folded it over to the back. Removed 2 screws for the front panel and disconnected some wires. Laying down I fed the new belt on and made sure the tensioner was put back into the right spot, because when the belt broke the tensioner sprung to the other end of its travel. Put everything back together. This was made super easy because you guys had the parts and the shipping was super fast. Alot of the local shops in the area didnt even carry the belt or were not helpful..

Repair went well, but my switch only had one contact on the non common end. The new switch had two contacts. One is for operation with lid open and one for lid closed. Make sure to connect to the lid closed contact and the common on the other end and leave the lid open contact unused.

Prop up the hood of the dryer with flat bar. Take out 2 screws holding dryer front end and 2 switch screws for dryer light inside dryer door. Secure dryer drum with bungee cord. Lift front end and remove. Remove broken belt. Route new belt over drum and pass underneatch idler pulley at botttom of dryer. Apply pressure to idler pulley w/one hand while securing belt around motor with the other. Make sure drum seals are snug between front and back of dryer while putting everything back together.
Have confidence. This is a very easy fix.

I first disconnected the power cord and the vent hose. I removed the screws on the top of the back side to raise the top of the unit. There are also 2 screws holding the lint filter shoot which were also removed to allow the top to be lifted up. Its not necessary to remove the top since this would require disconnecting the wiring harness etc.

Next I removed the 2 screws located on the top-inside surface, which connect the front panel to the unit. After these were removed, the front panel lifts up and off--there are two clips which slid free on the bottom of the unit. The shut off switch on the door has to be disconnected to remove the panel.

With the front panel removed, the drum can be removed. I vacuumed out the interior and retrieved the idle pulley which had popped loose when the belt broke.

I removed the old rear drum seal and cleaned the edge with some brake cleaner solvent and steel wool. I then wiped the edge with paper towel and more brake cleaner to remove any oily residues. Before applying the glue, I test fit the seal which turned out to be a bit tight, so I stretched it a bit around the drum until it would fit on easily.

I used a disposible glue brush to spread a thin layer of the contact cement along the edge of the drum. By the time I finished one round, the glue was dry where I had started and so I did a second thin coat.

I then oriented the seal as per the directions and began fitting onto the edge trying to keep the free felt surface from getting into the glue. By the time I had reach the opposite side, the belt was pretty tight and so I had to stretch it a bit to get it to go on. I then worked my way around the edge a final time insuring that the seal was positioned correctly all the way around and the glue was pressed tight. I let the glue set for several hours before reassembling.

After the glue was dry, I put the drum back into the unit and worked the seal up onto the circular back panel until the groove on the drum was correctly positioned on the rear rollers. I propped the front edge of the drum on two 2 in rolls of duck tape so that I could rotate the drum freely several times. I checked the outside and inside to be sure that the seal was not turned under any place.

Finally, I slipped the new belt over the drum and past my 2 rolls of tape and positioned it groove side in over the drum. I then reinserted the tensioning pulling back into the slot just in front of the motor. The pulley goes just to the left of the motor pulley, the end of the tap on the base inserts in a slot and then 2 pins rest in a second slot to the right of the first. A loop of the belt then passes through underneath the pulley and then over the motor pulley. This requires pulling the tensioning pulling pulley towards the motor to get enough slack. I then rotated the drum several times and made sure that the belt was not twisted and the groove side was towards the drum.

To help hold the drum up while I was fitting the front panel. I supported the drum with a piece of 2 in tape run from the top/front edge of the drum to the back panel of the unit. I removed my two rolls of tape from under the unit, slipped the front panel back onto the two bottom clips, and then worked the front open of the drum over the front seal by opening the door and pushing from the inside and rotating the drum. I replugged the door switch and made sure the wire clips were secure.

I then replaced the 2 screws to hold the front panel. I put the top back down and resecured the screws on the back before reattaching the hose and replugging the unit. I test ran the unit for several minutes empty, listening for weird noises that would indicate something didn't go together correctly.