Rear Drum Bearing Kit

First thought the problem was a stretched drum belt or bad idler pulley. Ordered a new belt and idler assy plus spring. Replaced those items with relative ease following suggestions obtained at this site.However, problem persisted and I now suspected a bad drum bearing. Odered the bearing kit and replaced same using the following procedure.
1. Removed the cover from the back of the dryer (held in place via two phillip head screws)
2. Pushed down on the idler assy and removed the idler spring to release the drum belt.
3. Inserted flat tip screwdriver between the top panel and the dryer main body in the front of the dryer to pry the top loose from the two retaining clips.
4. used phillips screwdriver to remove the two retaining screws (one left, one right) that hold the front panel to the main body of the dryer. (about a foot down from the top of the dryer).
5. disconnected the wiring plug on the top right hand side at the top of the dryer.
6. lifted the front panel slightly removing it from the main body and placed it to the side.
7. lifted the rear of the drum to release it from the bearing bracket and removed the drum belt.
8. Pulled the drum through the front of the dryer body and moved it to an open work area.
9. Reached into the Dryer and loosened the two
bearing bracket screws with a nut driver. Here's where another pair of hands would have come in handy. Holding the ground bar on the back of the drum with on hand, reached into the dryer and finished removing the bracket screws somehow managing not to drop the tiny grounding ball (size of a BB) Removed the badly damaged plastic bracket, grounding bar, and grounding ball and set
them aside to be discarded later.
10. Used impact driver with phillips attachment to remove two of the three screws that hold the bearing to the back of the drum (these are on the inside) The third screw's head stripped out and I had a very difficult time removing it. Had it not been for that, the job would have taken less than an hour.
11. I had my wife hold the bearing in place while I started the three retaining screws.
12. My wife also got behing the dryer and held the grounding bar in place while I installed the new bearing bracket . (this kept me from loosing the grounding ball)
I just reversed the rest of the procedures to install the drum belt, drum, front panel, etc.
The dryer works like new now, doesn't squeal.
Also replaced the on/off switch knob (just pulled the old one from the stem and slid the new one on.

1. Unplug dryer from outlet
2. Using Lg. flat screwdriver, pry under the front edge of the top and release two spring tabs
3. Lift up top and tilt back out of your way
4. Unscrew two phillips scews on inside of front panel
5. Lift up and out the front panel. Two spring clips at bottom.
6. Rlease tension on drum belt at the motor. Access panel at rear of dryer.
7.Unscrew 3 screws from inside, center rear of drum.
8. Remove drum through the front of the dryer. You may have to spread the sides apart a little bit for it to fit
9. Lift up on the rear drum bearing to remove it from the bearing retainer. ( U shaped plastic socket)
10. unsrew 2 screws and remove the bearing retainer, ground ball. Ball retainer is on outside of dryer.
11. Vacuum everything--duct, blower, lint trap, ect.
12. Intall new bearing retainer and grounding ball, an assistant is helpful at this time, one to hold ball retainer on rear of dryer, one to screw it in from the inside
13. reassemble remainder of parts in reverse order.

I felt ,if I was going to replace the top drum glide and lower basket seal, I might as well replace the belt ,bearing assembly and the idle pulley assembly and avoid having to replace these sooner than later. All of the parts showed alot of wear and the belt like all drive belts, should be changed every 5-6 years.
DISCONNECT ELECTRICITY and GAS LINES
1.popped top by pushing and prying at front /top clips about 2-3in. in from side edges. lifted it off
2. removed the front panel by removing the 2 top front screws from the inside, then the two lower screws from the front after removing the small white plastic hole covers. disconnected the multiplug electric connector top right. set panel aside.
3.remove small back panel.and loosened belt.(observe belt path and idle pulley assy.
4. lifted drum and slid it out the front.
5. using socket, removed rear plastic bearing housing and replaced the same. be careful of observing the small ball bearing and the small piece on outside back panel. replace the same. you wil probably need a second set of hands to hold the piece on the outside when screwing in the screws from the inside.
6. unscew the "bearing" from the rear of the drum and replace with new one.(the screws are self-tapping and go in HARD!!)
7. apply lubricant liberally to plastic bearing holder
8. place new belt around drum(rubber side against drum cloth side out.
9. idle pulley assy. is removed by removing spring and just sliding assy out of holder. replace with new
10. replace drum and belt
11. take front panel and remove top drum glide and lower basket seal.( i marked where the two seal/glide come together with a marker )
12. scrape and remove as much felt and possible. I then used "goo gone" to remove all the glue. clean well and using the provided high temp adhesive reattached glide and seal.
13. reassemble and enjoy your NEW? dryer

The high pitch squeel was the result of a failing drum bearing. It was particularly evident when first turning on the dryer, but became softer as the dryer heated up. In order to replace the drum bearing, I removed the top panel and front door panel.

The top panel was easily taken off by removing 2-screws from the back edge of the panel, and sliding it back to release it from the front panel seam.

The front panel is more involved, but still relatively easy for your average "do-it-yourselfer". I removed the front door panel by first removing the control panel (4-screws; 2 on top and 2 from the back of the panel). I removed 2 cable assemblies from the control panel via connecters (different sizes so didn't need to mark) and 2-wires attached to the large control panel mode selector (I marked these 2-wires). I set aside the control panel. I removed the front door panel by taking off 6-screws (2 on top, 2 on the bottom, and the remaining 2 on the inside of the panel on either side of the drum). After removing these 6-screws, I carefully pulled the front door panel away from the front of the dryer, carefully releasing 4-alignment latches (2 on either side). The front door panel was still electrically attached to the machine so I had to disconnect a couple more wires. I carefully disconnected 2-wires from the door light assembly and 3 more wires from the door switch (I marked the 3-wires on the door switch). I set aside the front door panel.

From the back of the dryer, I removed the small motor access panel on the bottom left corner. This panel also provides access to the drum belt. I released the drum belt from the motor drive wheel by releasing spring tension at the tensioner. The belt can easily be disconnected from the motor drive wheel and tensioner assemblies.

Removal of the drum was now possible. With the front door panel removed, the front of the drum is maintained in place via a small plastic stop on the top crossmember. I removed this stop prior to removing the drum. With one hand, carefully grabbing the belt that is was loosely draped across the back of the drum, and the other hand holding the front lip of the drum, I provided a quick and forceful upward motion to the back of the drum in order to dislodge the drum shaft from the bearing housing assembly. Once this was accomplished, I simple pulled the drum out of the dryer housing via the front of the machine.

The drum bearing repair kit ordered came with the replacement ball bearing, bearing housing, drum shaft, high-temperature grease, and attaching hardware.

I replaced the drum shaft on the drum via the 4-screws accessed on the drum rear panel.

I removed the old bearing/bearing housing via the 2-screws holding it in place. I wasn't too concerned about loosing the small ball bearing as the kit provided me a new one. I generously applied some high-temperature grease to coat the interior lining of the new bearing housing. I also placed a dab on the back seat where the new ball bearing sits. This helped hold the bearing in place while reattaching it. I reinstalled the bearing housing to finish replacing the repair parts.

Reassembly of the drum is in the reverse order. I paid particular attention to making sure the new drum shaft properly seated with the new drum bearing housing.

After reinstalling the drum and while the front door panel was still off the dryer, it was easy to inspect the blower housing. I found the squirrel cage had broken loose from the molded nut that attaches it to the motor shaft. That would explain the heat problem; the heat was not being exhausted through the duct.

THE SQUIRREL CAGE IS REVERSE THREADED. I was unable to remove the nut from the motor shaft as the design encompasses a metal bushing molded into a plastic nut shaped form. The plastic would not hold up to the force I was applying trying to loosen the squirrel cage. So I ended up removing the entire motor and blower housing assembly from the base

Had to first remove the top of the dryer this was done by removing the clamps on the back. Next I removed the front of the dryer by removing the two nuts the frong in the inside, these are somewhat hard to reach. Next the drum was removed. then the heating element shield. Replaced, the heating element then secured it into place. replaced the drum bearing assembly, and put back together.

First I pryed up the top cover then opened the access cover on the rear to remove the belt from the drum. Next I removed the front of the dryer to have access to remove the drum. I then removed the 3 screws that hold the drum to the rear drum bearing assembly and pulled the drum through the front of the dryer. I then removed the bearing and proceded to remove the ground ball and reassembled in reverse steps.

I first watched the video. Had I not done that, I probably would have started looking for a new dryer. The repair is simple and I feel like now I could repair just about anything on the dryer.

Removed top using a butter knife to release the two tabs in the front(between the top and the front). Removed the front(two screws from the inside. removed rear louver panel(four screws). reached in through rear panel and released belt. removed drum assembly and change out, bearing assembly drum and bushing assembly in the back panel, being sure not to forget the grounding bearing(had my 9 year old give me an extra hand to hold the ball bearing on the back..
Replaced the slider felt on the drum and the belt since i had it apart. Also replaced the seal from the front panel to the blower motor.. while it was apart i cleaned the inside with bleach and a rag. reasembled a tryed it out. Run like a new dryer- Nice and quiet.- It had been sqeeking for months before the it stopped working. the time it took to fix it was a lot less hassle than it would have been to buy a new and get rid of the old one. And it saved me money. I love saving money!! I would recomend partsselec.com t.good prices,fast shipping, got what i needed. What more can you ask for..

It was too easy: 1) remove the back of the control panel 2) disconnect wires to the switches and mark them for reassembly- I used masking tape and gave each wire and connector a letter- "a" "b" "c" etc; 3) remove the top of dryer by using a flat head screwdriver to pop the 2 pressure fasteners on the front; 4) remove the front of the dryer- remove the 2 screws fastening the front panel to the sides and lift up until the bottom pressure fasteners pop; 5) remove the belt from the pulley and tensioner- I used a digital camera to take pictures so I knew how to re-thread the belt; 6) remove the drum- pull up on the back of the drum with the belt and then pull the drum through the front of the dryer-it's a little smaller than the front opening so you need to pull on the sides of the dryer; 7) replace the heating element by (a) removing the overheat sensor and (b) removing three screws to remove the heating element from the back of the dryer; 8) replacing the rear drum bearing by (a) removing the bearing asssembly from the back of the dryer-2 screws, and (b) removing the bearing roller from the back of the drum- 3 screws; 9) assembly is the reverse of disassembly. Again it's too easy. I'm a lawyer with no mechanical training. Thanks to Parts Select for making finding the parts easy and saving me a lot of money.

1st, I checked to see if there was anything stopping the drum from turning, that would cause the motor to seize and burn. When that was not the issue, it was evident that the motor was burned out and needed replacement.
2nd, I checked the partselect web site for the parts that would be required to replace the motor, belt, and felt drum guides since I was also getting brown rust stains on the clothes.
3rd, after recognizing that all the parts were in stock and with helpful instructions, I proceeded to take the dryer apart.
4th, unplugged the dryer, removed the cover by removing the 2 back fasteners with a phillips head screwdriver and popped the front of the top off. Remember to slide the grounding wire from the top to the base, found in the back of the top.
5th, I removed the front panel and disconnected the wiring harness. Make sure to mark the connectors so you place it back together the right direction. I placed the front panel aside and also realized the felt strips were brown and the silicon guides were broken, meaning I needed to replace them.
6th, I removed the small back panel near the floor and removed the belt from the idler pulleys and the motor drive shaft.
7th, lifted the drum out of the dryer cabinet by lightly lifting up on the back of the drum to pop the bearing out of the casing on the back of the cabinet. I checked the belt and realized it was cracked and needed replacement. I also noted that the bearing was worn, dirty and needed replacement.
8th, I then popped the spring off the back of the motor bearing, removed the fan housing by removing the 2 screws fastened to the bottom of the cabinet and disconnected the wiring hariness from the motor and the fan. Again, mark the connectors so you know which is up or front when you replace it.
9th, I removed the nut from the fan, recognized the "remove arrow" and used a socket wrench to remove the fan from the motor shaft by turning counter clockwise. there is also a bushing between the fan housing and the motor, and once you get the housing out, you press in the snaps on the side and slide the piece out to release the motor.
10th, I then ordered the parts and cleaned the entire inside of the cabinet, the idler pully's, the exhaust vent, etc. so it was as good as new!
11th, I installed the motor in the fan housing and placed it back in its mount, connected the electric and the front panel and plugged in the cord and turned on the power to make sure the motor worked! Voila!
12th, unplugged the electrical and then proceeded to re-install the fan housing, the drum bearing, pulled off the felt guides, used acetone to remove the adhesive and then added the new, placed the belt on the drum and lifted it back into the cabinet, fed the belt through the pulleys via the back door, connected the power and watched it run!
13th, put the front panel and top back on, connected the vent to the outside and it was all done.