SDG5401AWQ Maytag Dryer - Instructions

This was much easier than I expected. I pulled the front covers, released the belt (just move tentioner pulley with fingers to release belt), removed the drum to access the motor. The motor was easy to remove. I loosened then nut in the fan assy using my channel locks (because I did not have a socket that big and then removed the wire harness clip to prepare the motor for removal. The two mounting clips were the tricky part as the fit over a metal ear on each side locked by the spring tension of the clips. It looks like a special tool my be available but I simply used my big straitslot and heavy downward pressure to remove and install. This repair can be completed by anyone with very basic mechanical skills and impress the spouse.

First unplugged unit .2nd took off front cover and removed bottom screws and that allows it to open up and lean back.3rd pryed the motor lock down springs by applying pressure down and out . forth used vise grips to hold motor shaft, while using the 7/8 socket to loosen the blower fan.Last go through steps to put back together.

Unplug the power cord from the unit. Remove the lower front panel; then the upper front panel including the door (unplug wire to door switch). Then remove the cover on the fan housing. Need to block the motor from turning; I used a stick to jamb the front of the motor; then unscrew the old blower fan and screw on the new one. Then replace the cover and put front panels back on.

To make working on the dryer easier we tipped the dryer back, about 45 degrees, removed the bottom panel, the door panel, note: make sure to mark the inside chassis or case with a sharpie where the wires go by color, etc… note: this makes it easy to place every thing back in order. I removed three screws on the bottom left side, to allow the more room for me to remove the drum. You can not remove the drum just yet but until the rubber belt is removed. I went below where the tension wheel is… it’s back behind the motor… incidental the tension wheel and the arm was the problem, it had warn to one side. Now release the rubber belt around drum. I pulled the drum out. The motor assembly is all one piece so it’s easy to remove. Don’t forget to unplug the plastic Molex plug and mark where you wires go. Two screws in front on the motor assemble and the whole assemble comes out. From here I could do a good job of cleaning the motor assemble and replacing the parts without any difficulty. Re-assembly was really easy, just one issue with placing the rubber belt took some time, and I need some help. I was finished in less than two hours. Bingo fixed!!

I removed the two screws on the front of the dryer and pulled out the bottom of the dryer front until the clips on the top came loose. Next I removed the two screws that hold the thermostat in place and then switched the wires from the old one to the new one. I did them one at a time to ensure that they didn't get mixed up. After that I reinstalled the thermostat and then replaced the front of the dryer. The timer now advances when it is in auto mode.

Because the wheel had stopped and the shaft kept turning (junk from child's pocket got in there), the nut stripped itself away from the wheel causing low RPM and low air movement (lazy flame, vibration and clothes not drying)

I had to use a screwdriver to break the wheel away from the center nut and remove the fan. I then removed the air fan housing (3 bolt behind the fan wheel). I used a small pair of vise grips to hold the motor shaft staionary while I used a pair of channel lock pliers to remove the nut that was molded into the fan from the motor shaft. It was harder to get the nut started then I would have thought.

Once complete, I put the fan housing back on and threaded the new wheel on easily. The motor has external fins on it which turn with the shaft-I held one lightly while I threaded the fan on to keep the shaft from turning. Tighten just slightly more than hand tight-don't go crazy-it's threaded to stay tight with rotation. Works great and very quiet now.

The pully wheel was completely worn down as the belt had cut into it over time. I'm not sure if the lever and shaft needed replacing but since the part was inexpensive I decided to replace it as well as the wheel. The easiest way to access the parts was to turn the dryer on its side and remove the bottom panel of the dryer. This eliminated the need to remove the drum. It was then easy to reach in with a wrench and remove nut and bolt that held on the pulley lever. I also had to remove the spring which was attached to the lever. Next I put the new pully wheel on the shaft of the new pulley lever. The most difficult part of the job was installing retainer clip which holds the wheel on the shaft. This took a little persistance. After this was done it was simple to put the assembly back in place, reattach the spring and tighten the nut and bolt. I then replaced the bottom panel of he dryer, turned it upright and plugged it in. The whole job took just over an hour. One tip: Before removing the old assembly, I took a picture of it with my cell phone camera so I would remember how it went back together.

Dryer drum stopped but all other elements seemed functional; couldn't afford new dryer. Unplugged appliance & moved it to my garage (more room to move about). Undid base plate w/tools and found belt slack - identified broken idler pully wheel as part to fix. Went online & found part-select, located part & was way happy: $7.00 part + $7.00 shipping; got part 3 days later. Removed broken pully wheel (take off lock-washer, put wheel on, reinstall lock washer). Cleaned out venting elements (huge lint-ball & some sand in blower intake area). Re-attahced base. Back on-line to see "replace dryer belt" instruction sequence; opened lid of machine (while verticle) and positioned belt properly. Located access port (sealed) at base, knocked out the circular metal plate so I could reach in & thread the dryer belt back around motor & idler pulley wheel. Did test spin (manually) to make sure belt properly threaded, in place. Move appliance back to proper location, plugged in & hooked up venting to outside; ran test & SUCCESS!!!! It even seemed to dry better because of the now cleaned venting area. Labor cost = $0, Part cost < $15.00, Time (actual work) bit over 3 hours total.

I removed the dryer front and the drum, then disconnected the wires from the dryer motor and removed it from the motor mount, after installing the new motor in the motor mount the rest was just putting the dryer back together the same way I took it apart, the best way to do this is to print out the diagram from partsselect.com and follow it step by step, this was so easy everybody can do this and save alot of money for the labor and the parts mark-up, try it you all can do it (SO EASY)

Removed the two sheet metall screws on the front foot panel, removed the four screws holding the door assembly, wrote down the wiring placement for the front door, removed the blower bulkhead assembly by removing one screw in the bottom of the dryer. Removed two screws and propped the dryer top panel up at a 45 degree angle to gain additional clearance. Removed the drum and belt from the front and back seals by applying simple outward pressure. Removed the screw in the bottom of the motor assembly allowing me to reposition the assembly for easy access. Removed bolt holding old Idler arm assembly. Assembled new Idler pulley referring to old assembly. Reversed the process to complete the repair. Note: I found it easier to simply hang the dryer belt over the dryer drum when replacing the drum in the dryer. First you need to place and align the drum then route the belt back to the moter pulley and then over the idler pulley. if you try to put the belt over the motor and then align the drum, it is difficult to keep the belt on the pulley. It might help to draw a diagram of the belt route or obtain the belt route diagram from the website for reference. Very easy job.

Replaced the recommended drum rollers, belt and tensioner, light bulb. Found repair manual online (bit of a hunt)made job easier still took 2.5 hrs. Then turned drum by hand no squeak. Turned it on and still squeaked. Isolated to motor. Replaced it (had to take dryer completely apart again but went quicker due to experience also had to disassemble the motor assy and rebuild. Took 1.5 hrs works like new now. The design of the dryer is not bad remove bottom front panel first, screws at very bottom of panel then two more screws are uncovered to remove front. It just lifts up and pulls out. then remove four bolts which hold front frame on (supports drum) all this has to be done to reach the replacement parts. drum wheels are held on by snap rings not the screws (real fun if you take them out) reverse to reassemble.

This is a gas dryer. I was able to access the thermostat through the small front access panel. Not easy to see but with a short nut driver I could take out the two screws. I was able to pull the thermostat to the front panel hole and switch the wires. Putting it back in was a challange since I had to do it by feel since I could not look and get my arm in at the same time. Suggest anyone that does this put a small piece of paper around the screw to hold it in the driver

First I unplugged the dryer, then I removed the bottom front panel. Then the door I marked the wires to the shut off switch on the door and removed the switch from the door. Next was the lint screen housing and duct work that goes to it. Then I had to reach under the drum and take the belt off of the motor pully and tensioner so I could remove the drum. I removed the drum. I then marked all the wires I had to disconnect. I took the fan housing front panel off. I held the belt drive end of the motor shaft with the pipe wrench, i could have used an open end or an adjustable wrench also. I used a 7/8 six sided socket on the plastic fan nut on the front of the shaft so that if it was hard to loosen I would have a better chance of not rounding the nut. I removed the fan and the back of the housing, unplugged the motor, and removed it. The clips that hold the motor to the motor bracket are a little tricky, I used a screw driver to remove them. I then replaced the motor and put everything back together. One hint you should know is to make sure you mark the drum front so when you put it back in you get it right the first time. I fits in both ways and will go back together but it won't turn free and you'll have to take it all apart again. I tried it by hand both ways and was able to catch the mistake before I put it all back together, but I could have put it together wrong.

This was my first time repairing a dryer. If I knew when I started the project what I know now, it would have been an easy repair. First, you should know that the series number (used for selecting a wiring diagram) is the last two digits of the unit's serial number (not model number). In my case, the series number was 11. The hardest part for me was figuring out how to take the dryer apart. I made the mistake of starting with the top instead of the front. In fact, I removed the control panel and disconnected all the wires, labeling them carefully, and creating a diagram, so i could put it all back together later. I now realize I could have left that all together and just lifted the top up in the front without removing it. That knowledge would have saved hours of work, so I hope it helps someone (prop up the front a few inches and start by removing the panel on the lower front, then remove the screws on the main front panel, and then pull out the bottom of that panel toward you until the top of that front panel disengages from the top of the dryer - the rest is obvious). So it turns out there were two separate problems: 1) the blower wheel had broken completely off of the motor so it wasn't spinning - this is why hot air wasn't being pulled through from the heater in the back of the dryer; 2) the pulley on the spring-loaded lever arm attached to the motor was squeaking due to lack of lubricant. So the solution was to replace the blower wheel and spray WD-40 in the pulley (and also, for good measure in the roller bearings that support the drum in the back of the dryer). Most of the time spent on the repair was just due to my own mistakes. In particular, once I got everything back together after the repair, it stopped squeaking and there was good airflow, but it wasn't heating. I spent an entire day trying to troubleshoot the lack of heat. I tested and bypassed all of the thermostats and heater fuses and the heating element still wouldn't come on. I even managed to accidentally ground one of the leads from the fuse and had to replace a melted wire connector (trip to the Shack). In the end, it turned out that a wire which had been accidentally disconnected from the main power cord to the dryer, I had put back in the wrong spot. There is L1, L2, and neutral going into the dryer. I had the heater on the same circuit as the motor and other stuff. Once I traced the wiring diagram back, I realized this and corrected it by putting the heating circuit back onto L2. Now it "hums like a Singer". If everything had gone smoothly, instead of being a 2-day repair, it would have been a 2 hour repair. 2 hours instead of 1 because to get the leverage I needed to remove the old blower nut, I had to actually pull the motor assembly out of the dryer and move it to my workbench. Someone who is strong or more limber or has better tools might be able to skip that step, reducing the time by about 45 minutes. Good luck!

Firts replaced a thermostate - did not fix the proble. ( had a glow from the starter but no flame.)

checked igniter sensor OK (got no resistance) so replaced the two coils that sit on top of the gas burner. With new coils noticed a much brighter glow from the igniter and the gas line opened up to produce a flame

Dryer has workd successfully for the last 5 loads.

Able to run dryer with the front removed by holding in the microswitch activated when door is closed.