MDE11CSAGW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

I removed the front panel (two screws at bottom, then lifted bottom toward me until the top holders slid out). Then I unscrewed the front assembly that holds the dryer drum (four screws), first propping the drum from below so it would stay in place. I removed the blower housing (seven screws) and could see that the blower wheel was loose on the spindle. The 'D' shaped fitting had rounded out. A pair of snap ring pliers made removing the retaining ring and the wheel clamp a cinch and saved a good deal of teeth gnashing. I slid on the new blower wheel and then did everything in reverse. One caution: be sure the drum is pushed firmly up and back when reattaching the front assembly. (It can be done successfully with two hands). I had to re-do this part of the reassembly because the bottom of the drum was rubbing against the blower assembly. Once that was corrected, the dryer ran noiselessly. Thank goodness for PartSelect's diagrams. They're invaluable.

Removed the two lower screws holding front of dryer assembly in place and "unhinged" it and stood it up on floor. Then I unclipped the two wire leads on inside of dryer door assembly and moved assembly completely out of work area. Next I removed the four screws holding the tumbler frame in place and removed that frame from the work area. Now you can access the blower wheel "frame" and remove 5 or 6 hex screws to get that off and out of your way. You DO NOT have to remove the dryer drum and/or drum belt to complete this repair, so save yourself some work and leave it in place!! Once the blower wheel frame is off, use pliers and a flatheaded screwdriver to get the small outer retaining clip off, and then just pliers to get the wheel retaining ring off the wheel shaft. Put on the new blower wheel, use pliers to replace the aforementioned wheel retaining ring, and then the small outer retaining clip...VIOLA! You're finished! Dryer will run like new with a smooth purr instead of that dreaded rumbling sound.

Unplug the dryer. Remove two screws to remove the front drum housing. Remove 4 screws to remove the front drum housing. The front panel and front drum housing do not need to be unwired to work on the blower. Loosen wire harnesses and move panel and housing out of the way. Remove 2 spring clips holding the blower assembly to the motor shaft. Remove blower. Install new blower and re-assemble in the reverse order. The other stories written on the subject were spot on. This repair also made the clothes dry more quickly. I did not realize that long before the ryer made noise, there was a reduction in air flow. A simple vacuum switch to monitor air flow would tell you when there is a problem or that the filter/duct needs to be cleaned.

Because of the nature of the noise, and knowing nothing of appliance repair, I assumed that there was a loose belt. I figured that the belt would be accessible from the rear of the machine. After much disassembly, I discovered that the belt was in fine shape and not the problem. But every time I spun the drum, I could still hear the rumbling sound. Eventually, I discovered that the from paned of the dryer is the easiest to remove. Once I removed that, I discovered the blower fan housing. A few screws later and I could see that the plastic fan center was worn out. I had a part number so I simply did a quick internet search and found several sites that stocked it. PartSelect had the best price and the best shipping prices as well. I placed the order on Saturday afternoon. I got the confirmation immediately, and the shipping information on Monday. On Wednesday the part was waiting at my door! It took about 15 minutes to re-assemble the dryer and now, about 18 loads later, it's perfect!
Thank you PartSelect!!!!
Joe G

I took off the front of the dryer with the screws at the bottom. I removed what wires would easily come off and took a picture to remember where they go. Then I took of the front panel and had to take off the cover for the blower wheel. Some screws were difficult to reach because they were in a very tight space. I used a combination of needle nose pliers and a hex screw bit to loose hared to reach hex screws.
For the felt seal on the front panel, I used a flathead screwdriver to remove the old seal and replace the new seal. The most tricky thing was making sure the seal was laying right along the drum when putting the front panel back on. Once back together, the skidding sound disappeared.
Replacing the blower wheel is pretty easy once I got past the difficult screws holding the cover down. I used snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring then put the new blower wheel on and put it all back together. I found that the tip diameter of the snap ring pliers needed to be less than 0.05'' to fit into the snap ring holes of both the snap rings for the roller wheels and the blower wheel.

The video was excellent and made for an easy repair. Would highly recommend.

This should have been a simple repair, but turned out to be time consuming and moderately difficult. I hope these instructions will help anyone who encounters the problems described here.

After a period of the dryer not being used, the idler pulley wheel froze on the shaft of the idler pulley arm, so I needed to replace both parts. After mounting the new wheel and two washers on the new arm and securing with a retaining ring, I went to install this assembly by going in through the small access panel at the rear of the dryer. I slid the belt off the old idler pulley wheel and unhooked the spring from the idler pulley arm; the arm was mounted on a sleeve fastened to the motor bracket by one screw. All that should have been necessary was to back out that screw and replace the old idler pulley assembly with the new one.

That is where the trouble started. Backing out the screw with a socket driver, I found it would go a few turns, then start to bind. I tried turning it in and out to get the threads to engage, but it kept binding. Eventually I gave the screw a hard turn, and then it would turn freely but not move in or out.

Looking on the internet for advice, I found a video that asserts for another model Maytag dryer using the same type of mounting for the idler arm, that there is a design flaw. You can find the video by searching for “Maytag dryer idler pulley defect”. According to the video, the sheet metal screw used to mount the idler pulley arm can gradually loosen due to the pressure and vibration, and begins to “waggle” which eventually damages the threads. I believe this is what happened to my dryer. The video suggests replacing the sheet metal screw with a machine screw and nut for a more durable union.

So now I understood how the screw could be stripped just sitting in the dryer, but that didn’t help me get the screw out. Working through the rear access panel, I tried pulling on the screw head with several types of pliers, pushing the point from behind with a piece of wood while turning the head with a socket driver; eventually I was able to use a pry bar under the screw head and sleeve to apply pressure while turning the head, and with that method the screw backed out. With the screw removed, it could be seen that the threads in the middle part of the thread length were almost completely worn away.

The screw sleeve got somewhat deformed in this process so I ordered a new one, along with an exact replacement sheet metal screw, hoping the threads in the hole were still intact. With the old idler pulley arm now removed, I could transfer the old idler bracket spacer to the new idler pulley arm. When the ordered parts arrived and I tried to mount the idler pulley arm, the new screw would go in only a couple of turns before binding. Rather than risk winding up in the same situation by forcing the screw, I decided to use a machine screw and nut instead.

The original sheet metal screw was a #10. A machine screw the same size would not fit through the hole, and I could not fit my drill into the dryer cabinet in a position to enlarge the hole, so I used a #8 machine screw with a nut and lock washer. First I put some grease on the contact areas of the screw sleeve and idler bracket spacer, then inserted the machine screw through the hole and put the lock washer and nut on the other side of the mounting. The space around the nut is very limited, and most of my tools were too large to hold the nut while the screw was tightened. It was too small for a socket or adjustable wrench, and the clearance from the exhaust duct was too small for the handles of most tools. Eventually, I found a needle nose pliers with short handles that did the job. A thin open end wrench might also work. Then I reconnected the spring and belt to the idler pulley assembly, and closed the access panel. So far the dryer works, but if the #8 screw turns out to be not strong enough, I could get an extension for my drill and enlarge the hole to fit a #10 machine screw and nut.

Looking back on the job, the most difficult part of this repair was removing the damaged screw. This and several other steps might have been a lot easier if I had removed the motor bracket (where the idler pulley arm is mounted) from the dryer and worked outside the cabinet. Part Select has an excellent video “Replacing the Drive Motor” that shows how to do this. It would be a lot of disassembly work, but for someone with good assembly skills could be easier in the long run.

Hopefully most folks out there who replace the idler pulley arm on a dryer will find an easier situation than I did. But for any who have to deal with a stripped mounting screw, I hope this summary will help you resolve it.

After viewing repair video I used those instructions, after removing drum place new belt on drum, I used scotch tape to hold belt in place, tape belt with 2 inch strip about every foot around drum, leave extra belt that connects to drive motor folded down and taped to drum. After installing drum connect belt to drive motor and roll drum to remove tape. This will keep belt from sliding out of place on drum while installing.

Overall, the repair was pretty easy. I'm a 52 year old woman who has never done drier repair. I replaced both front glides, both drum support roller wheels, the idler pulley wheel and the tumbler and motor belt. Including vacuuming out the inside of dryer and washing down the inside and outside of dryer with cleaning wipes, the whole project took me 2 hours. (if done individually, time would have been 20-30 minutes). You must have correct tools, so I did have to purchase two tools that I didn't have. My only suggestion in replacing the idler pulley wheel and the tumbler/motor belt would be to take the small access panel off the back of the dryer for easier access to the parts.

Removed front cover.removed 4 screws holding drum in place. Cleaned out lint from everywhere. Placed new belt over drum looping it over idler arm & motor pulley. Pushed drum back ; rotated drum to see that belt was engaged. Put front drum bracket in place. Put front panel in place with 2 screws at the bottom. Tested motor & rotation of drum; then checked heat. All worked fine. Took 1 hr. but most time spent cleaning lint.

By watching a video I disassembled the front and took the dryer tub out and replace the two rollers and it took about 60 minute.

Opened your replacement part and found a broken fin on the blower wheel. no way I was going to return it and wait another week for another part. Perhaps you folks need to inspect what you send out. 1 blower wheel with a broken fin and 2 clamps. Replacement was easy and quickly accomplished. Having replaced drum rollers and the belt this dryer is almost new. Thanks

Removed the damaged legs, replaced with parts from this site and leveled the washer .

I followed the videos provided, the only think I would added is cleaning the riding surface of the drum. In my case the drum had gunk on it from the old pads, witch got on the new pads causing it to continued to make noise.

It would be wise to also get the felt and belt, to replace them all the first time.

I removed the front of the dryer and the drum support plate. I drilled out the old rivets and installed the Glides with the enclose rivets. The Glides came loose in a few days! The holes in the glides are larger than in the old Glides. I disassembled the dryer again and reassembled with my rivets. This time I held the rivet gun inside the perimeter of the dryer so that the head of the rivet is opposite the initial installation. So far, so good, except the dryer still squeaks. The idler pulley is now the culprit. White grease burned up. I reassembled with high temperature grease. If that does not work, I will need another idler pulley. The journal looks very worn. the dryer is 30+ years old.