SDE3606AYW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

Early in the life of my dryer, the Cylinder Seal came out. For the past two years I put off buying the part. When it came in, I p[opped the top of the dryer, removed the two screws holding on the front panel, and pulled the Cylinder of the back wall of the dryer. I then placed the seal in the right spot, glued it down and reassembled. About Fifteen minutes of work and a cheap part, and now my dryer dries a l;oad of clothes in an hour instead of three.

watched video for Each Part

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.

Remove bottom panel from dryer. disconnect wires off of Limit switch. Unscrew 2 screws, remove old switch. Reverse to install. Important, if limit goes bad you need to replace cycling thermostat or chances are the limit will go out again. (Limit on back wall of dryer). The cycling thermostat is right under the lint screen. Remove 3 wires. Remove 2 screws, remove switch. Reverse to install new cycling thermostat. Toatl cost of 2 parts used 16 dollars and change. Thanks

After removing the lower access panel, I observed the drum and belt and saw it turning freely. The support rollers in the back turned freely and were in good condition as well. At odd intervals the unit made a humming or grinding noise, and i decided to check the blower wheel (the other rotating part in the system). I found that the central hub of the wheel (which is made of a nylon like plastic) had sheared off from the wheel itself. I ordered a new part and started to remove the old wheel. **NOTE** many of the stories I read described how this part would have a reverse thread, it did not and that cost me an extra 30 minutes to figure out (the new part had arrows showing the correct direction to put on and remove - the original didn't). Once everything was cleaned and reassembled, I started the dryer again, but got no heat. I had previously replaced the heating element, so I thought my wiring was wrong. That wasn't the problem, but a hint from this site about checking the incoming wiring was the solution, my ground wire had come off the terminal in the back of the dryer and I wasn't getting the volatge across the element that it required. With the ground wire back in place, everything worked fine.

Remove screws to top of appliance lid and control panel paying close attention to location and type of screws. Lift back of top panel and lift off front top lid until it snaps up. Slide top panel to side and remove upper front panel screws from the inside of dryer one on left and one on right. Be careful to not let front door fall outward. Slide door panel up off of hooks at base of panel. Remove duct assembly by removing three screws located on the inside of the dryer at the front. Slide out and remove air duct assembly.

Removing the High Limit Thermal Fuse was straight forward. Didn't really understand the online instructions but performed a continuity test across terminals and there was no continuity, so I replaced.

Repare took 1-2 hours, next time will probably cut in half now that I know where to remove screws to access motors & fuses and dryer assemblies at base of dryer.

I asked the Gas Co. if they can come out and relight the pilot to my dryer... (which is common for gas dryers) He tested the equipment and told me that the thermostat was the problem. Most places was looking for around $160 for parts and labor. Well, I saved around 130, as I just simply replaced the thermostat. DONE DEAL!

Propped the machine up in the front, removed the front panel, the door assembly, and the front drum support. Use a Sharpie to mark wire positions. This will help during re-assembly. To get the drum out, you first have to remove the belt from the motor pulley. Drum slides right out. You will need snap-ring pliers to remove the pulley from the idler arm. I also replaced the drive belt because it was cheap, and always a good idea to replace it when you are this far into the machine if it is a few years old. Re-assemble in the reverse order of disassembly. An easy fix for the average do-it-yourself person.

Removed the lower front cover. Unplugged two wires and removed two screws in element, slid element out, removed two contacts and attached them to th new element, slid element back in place, inserted two screws re-attached two wires.
Very easy!

I used a large flat head screwdriver to lift top up, then located 2 screws in the top right and left hand side to remove front. Remove the three Phillip Head Screws that holds the assy in place slide out. Mine had 2 metal pieces with wires. I simply unplugged and took metal pieces and installed in the new assy. Remove excess lint put front back on lowered lid and done! 15-20 minutes

I took out 6 screws and replaced the heating element, changed wires and reinstalled

removed the front panel and the drum panel cover.replaced the guides and the felt pads and re-assembled.

took one out - put new one in

Unable to find a repair manual or accurate diagram, I forged ahead and removed the top and front panels of the dryer. It took two tries to figure out how to thread the belt (nine of my ten thumbs kept getting in the way!), but after a coffee break, the job came together, and I've taken the clothesline down!

Per instructions I printed off online: took off door, then the front panel. Pulled out the old switch/button, connected the new switch/button, made sure the new button was working; put the panel back on then the door and DONE!