MLE19PNAUW Maytag Washer Dryer Combo - Instructions

First I put the square female end iof the door catch kit nto the square hole as snug as I could. Then I gently pushed the door against the piece until I heard it click in to place. That's it!! Sooooo simple--

The replacement part just snapped into place. (The old part had fallen out) It took less than 30 seconds to do the repair.

Took off the four screws to get to the female clip and used pliers to squeeze it out. Next was using pliers to pinch out the male connector and place the new one in.

Watch the video. Very, very easy

This was fun! Kill the power!
Remove door, remove from panel, remove front drum support, remove drum and belt, remove blower cover, remove blower wheel, remove electrical connector from motor, take two clips off motor mount to remove motor. Put it all back in with new parts. 200 bucks and back in business. Go for it.
Bob

removed dryer door 4 screws
removed front panel
removed front tumbler bracket
removed blower cover
removed wires attached to heat and door sensors
removed top
removed drum and belt
removed side panel
removed clamp holding idler pulley
replaced pulley and clamp
reversed above steps

I took the door off, front panel, soap dispenser(to lift the top out of the way)and took off the cross braces on the front of the machine. I pealed the door bellows off and took the drain hose apart; there was much gunk and debris to clean out...maybe something here was clogged? Removed all the snap clips and took the front of the tub off;the tub seal seemed good, but lots of grime/gunk build up.I cleaned all surfaces, put the new tub seal on,and put it all back togther. The hardest part was working the snap clips back on; I worked a few on both sides, top and bottom, and then filled in the rest. The machine has been working fine for a month now, no leaks:)

I removed the 2 screws that hold the door and removed the door. I then removed all the screws that hold the front panel and removed the front panel. Then I was able to lift (on hinges) the top panel. I then removed the screws that hold the front drum housing, then removed the drum and belt. At that point you have plenty of room to access the idler pulley. I removed the Idler pulley spring. Then I removed the the screw holding the Idler arm and shaft. Reinstalled in reverse order.

Insure the double pole breaker in the breaker box is functioning properly.

popped up top of dryer -- With pliers squeezed clips on inside of latch - - with screw driver pryed latch out -- just pused new latch in.......... Thanks to parts select for sending part sooo fast.. wife was happy.. Thanks, Dale

Removed door and front and drum. Removed fan assembly. Be careful when working fan off of motor shaft. Unhooked wiring from motor. Removed clips. Replaced motor. Reverse procedure to put dryer back together. Now works like new. Very, very, happy. Part came in 2 days using standard shipping. Way better than buying a new dryer.

Door switch was very easy to replace as it simply snaps in for the outside and you just clip on the two control wires that already have clips on them.

All you need for a Maytag is a snub nose Philips screw driver. The screws on the front panel are at the bottom angled down, so a regular length Phillip's won't work. Just unscrew the 2 screws, then lift the panel up and out. Careful not to pull out too far, there are 2 wires attached to the switch. The replacement switch is NOT an exact copy of the old one. My Maytag is over 30 years old and it only had 2 prongs on the switch. The new one has 3. Don't let that throw you. It is the same size. Just attach, 1 wire to the bronze connector & the other to the silver. Push the switch into the door opening, re-attach the door. Total time 20 minutes. Saved well over $100 in a service call. Anyone with an IQ above freezing can do it.

Received 2 seals with seal kit and didn't know which seal went where and online it was stated in a video the kit included a "revised" seal but couldn't find anymore information than that. Installed what I thought was the seal to be installed on the inner seal. Did not have any information on the depth of the bearings installation on outer or inner bearing set depth. Tried to call help line but never got through. I think it is installed right? Guess I will wait and see how the drum holds up and hope the bearings and seal are installed correctly.

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.