41791122311 Kenmore Dryer - Overview

The top of the dryer was easily removed by prying the front up with a screwdriver then tipping it back and off of the mounting brackets. Then the front of the dryer was removed by unscrewing a single screw on each side that held the front to the side panels then pulling the front away from the dryer. Once the front was off, the coils we ... Read more re easily accessible on the bottom left side. A metal bracket held the coils on and was somewhat tough to get the two screws removed on it as they were stuck, but once they were removed the coils easily came out and I was able to replace them in minutes. The whole job took 15-20 minutes and I now have a dryer that heats through the entire drying cycle.

When I described the noise to a YouTube appliance diagnostician, I was directed to check the felt seals front and back of the rotating drum for wear, tears, or foreign objects. As it happens the felt seals looked find and there were foreign objects so, not wanting to disassemble and reassemble the dryer more than I had, I ended up replac ... Read more ing all the replaceable moving parts that I considered possible culprits: The idler tension spring, the idler tension bracket (which includes a nylon pulley wheel), the drum belt, the five rubber-tipped bearings that support the drum and keep it in place, and the foam seal on the blower housing which seemed a little brittle and old, as well as high-temperature adhesive for the latter. The instructional videos here and on YouTube were extremely helpful (I doubt that I would have attempted this job at all, had I not watched these ahead of time). The most time-consuming aspect was waiting for the arrival of the parts as I didn't order them all at the same time or all from the same place (I ordered from whomever could ship me a given part the fastest. Disassembly took less than an hour. Re-assembly with the new parts in place took about the same but was a little more awkward because this appliance sits in a very narrow closet and it's difficult to ensure that the 4" flexible duct stays in place when sliding the appliance back into the closet. No regrets. Now I know the basics if this dryer needs attention in future and I also know all the parts that I can eliminate as suspects in any future maintenance (the parts that I replaced)

1. Pry Dryer top up and off the clips. (Front of Dryer)
2. Remove 2 phillips screws on the inside of front panel.
3. Lift front panel up and set off to the side
4. Removed 2 phillips screws with short handled phillips driver that hold the gas valve coil bracket in place.
5. Unplugged and removed both coils, install ... Read more ed new coils and bracket. Re installed front panel, screws and top.