7MMEDX655EW1 Whirlpool - Instructions

Replacement handle snapped in place very easily.

The issue was the idler pulley. First I began opening up the front panel based on a youtube video but soon realized the model was slightly different and required a lot more items to remove. I saw the pulley in the back with nothing in the way so I put the front panel crap back on and removed the rear panel. There it was, very simple to remove and replace. I'm not looking forward to drum rollers though. Hopefully they're aren't as difficult as they appear.

I read a fix-it article from another contributor and followed those instructions to the T. Pull out lint trap, remove the two screws. Slide the top cover towards the front and prop it up with a mop handle.
Unscrew two screws in the door switch (with the door open) - Oh, to keep from killing yourself unplug the dryer just in case. Take pliers and pull the plug apart. It will be right in front of you in the right corner at the top. Plug new switch into that plug, reinstall the switch by reinstalling the two screws you removed. Snap top back into place and reinstall the two screws at the lint trap. Oh, don't forget to clean the trap and slide it back into the unit. Now you have earned that beer.
Put tools away and proudly show your job off to the wife telling her how difficult it was.

This was my first dryer repair, and it was so easy. Simply pull out the lint trap and unscrew the two screws that are exposed. They attach the top deck of the dryer to the drum.

Once it's unscrewed, pull forward while lifting the top of the dryer. The top is attached to the control assembly. They should both lift up, but you'll need something to prop it up like you would the hood of your car.

Next, use the pliers to pinch the connector so that you can separate the two parts of the connector.

Open the dryer door to gain access to the screws that hold the switch in place. Use your screwdriver to unscrew the switch.

Plug the new switch connector in, and close up the dryer.

Word of caution; there are sharp edges inside the dryer so be careful.

After unplugging the dryer,I removed 2 bolts on the back top of the dryer, then removed the two screws in the lint box area. I used a screw driver to help force the top panel of the dryer up. When open, I removed the top screws that held the front and side panels together. I then lifted the front panel up and away from the dryer, so there would be room to take the drum out. I removed the belt from the pulley (located under the drum) and slid the drum out. I removed the old seal, cleaned up the drum and the inside of the dryer, then glued the new seal on. After the glue was dry, I put the drum back in (with the belt on the drum), put the belt back on the pulley and proceeded to put the dryer front back on. Once the front was on, I put the top back on and replaced the bolts on the back of the dryer. I plugged it in and it is working great! By the way, before this, I had NEVER attempted to repair a dryer before and I am female. If I could do it, so can anyone else willing to try :)

I purchased the dryer repair kit with the drum belt, wheels and idler pulley. I watched the instructional videos online and it seemed fairly straight forward. Breaking down the dryer and replacing the pulleys was easy enough. My problem began when I tried to feed the drum belt around the idler pulley. After finishing the job, the dryer would not turn and the sensor light stayed on. I thought something else was broken with the dryer and spent hours trouble shooting other problems that I was having. Finally I figured out that the drum belt was not installed correctly around the idler pulley. However, I could not get it properly installed from the front of the machine so I tried from the rear still with no avail. I finally had to fish the old belt out of the garbage can that I had thrown away earlier. I lined up the old belt with the new one in the kit and discovered that the new belt was much smaller, so I put the old one back on the drum. Here's the lesson I learned...make sure the belts are the same size before attempting to install. The old idler was responsible for the squeaking and that stopped but I am still using the same old drum belt. Hope it lasts.

The (front) bearing and seal are not metal parts but a fabric and and mesh like material. It is somewhat like a fabric belt made to hold up a pair of trousers. The belt sits in a channel that goes around the door on the inside of the front panel. To get to the combination bearing/seal you remove two screws that are located under the cover of the lint trap. These have to be removed to lift the top. Then using a putty knife or screw driver you must pop the top (which snaps down on plastic clips) at the front corners. The top lifts up and folds back on hinges. The front is attached to the sides by one screw on each side near the top. A nut driver will remove then easily. Once the 2 screws are removed lift the front panel about 2 inches to disengage the front panel from the clips that hold the front attached to the sides near the bottom. When you remove the front panel the dryer drum will literally fall out so you want to get hold of it before pulling the front panel away so it isn't damaged and and doesn't damage the gas burner assembly which is under the drum to the left side. The drum is very light. I supported it with an empty shoe box while the front was off.
Once the front is off you'll see the bearing/seal on the inside of the front panel and it will be obvious how to remove the old one and place the new one. There are three pegs on the front panel that receive the three holes in the fabric bearing/seal. The seal will stay in place while you remove the shoe box and put the front cover back on. The drum fits over the seal like a lid on a jar and just slides on the fabric when the drum rotates. Low tech but the drums slides easily on the bearing material and seems to last a long time.

I also did the rear dryer seal. This is similar to the front. To do this you follow the procedure above but to get to the real seal you will have to remove the drum. It will fall out on its own if the front panel is removed. The drive belt goes around the drum. It is about 3/8th of and wide and just wraps around the drum without any teeth or channels or anything. Let the belt fall to the bottom as you lift the drum forward and out of the cabinet. The drum is light. Just put it on the floor and strip off the old rear seal which is glued on. It too is fabric. Clean up the drum a little and fit the new seal on the drum. Once the seal is on the drum you can lift the edge of the fabric seal and glue the fabric flange to the drum. This becomes pretty obvious once you have the seal on the drum. If you put the glue on the drum first you will make a mess. Put the seal on properly and the lift the edge to apply the adhesive all the way around. The adhesive sets enough in a hour or so. Put the drum back in and replace the front panel. Don't forget the drive belt. It goes around the drive motor that is located on the bottom of the dryer on the right, around or over an idler pulley (my older model does not have a idler wheel but rather a bracket with a "slide" that the belt runs over that keeps sufficient tension on the belt to drive the drum. If your belt falls off the motor and the idler pulley falls out it may be confusing how the belt goes in. My idler bracket is held in slots on the bottom of the cabinet merely by the tension of the belt - no screws or anything. I suggest that you put the belt around the drum first, then the drive motor. You will have slack in the belt and it becomes a little more obvious how the idler pulley (which is mounted on spring steel) goes in and takes up that slack and keeps modest tension on the belt. The rubber side of the belt goes against the drum, the leathery side is the outside.

I found that the dryer would not start turning by itself. Could manually help it start and it would run fine. Anyway, after a new set of rollers, belt, etc. found that the motor still would not start by itself. Ordered new motor and it was taken care of. You have to take the back off, remove the belt and remove the tumbler. After that, it is fairly easy. Two screws hold the motor down and then you can take the whole motor assembly out. Be careful removing the fan as it takes a 3/8 socket drive and it is plastic. Two clips hold the motor to the assembly. Needle nose pliers takes care of it. Replace and all should be good.

actually i found your site before i even looked at the dryer,thats how i knew to check for the thermal fuse.
I ordered the part and it was on my door in 36
hours,pulled the two wires off the old fuse and installed the new,put the back cover on and it has been working ever since,thanks ( your in my bookmarks)

After looking at the schematic to see what was in line with the motor, I found the fuse as the first item. I pulled the fuse out and used a multimeter to ohm out the fuse. Upon using the meter I found that the fuse was bad. I typed into Google my part number that was on the fuse and the PartSelect Website came up as one of the choices to pick from. When the part arrived approx. two days later I installed the fuse by first unplugging the dryer and then removing the bottom panel and removing the fuse from the exhaust by using a small 1/4 inch wrench and pulling out the old fuse. I installed the wires on the new fuse and re-installed and put the 1/4 inch screw back in. I started the dryer after plugging it back in and it worked like it should have. Thank you for the part and I have recommended your website to other people already.

My 14 year old son did it as I supervised! Pulled the dryer out on a dolly, unpluged the dyer, removed 9 hex head screws to remove the back cover, removed and replaced the thermal fuse, located next to the exhust outlet, set the cover back on, moved the dryer back in with the dolly. I had the thermal fuse over nighted to me for a total price of $35, figured I saved at least $150 on a service call by Whirpool.

1. Disconnect dryer from electrical outlet. 2. Pull dryer out and disconnect the exhaust tube from the back. 3. Remove the screws at the top of the dryer back ( 3 ) and remove the top of the dryer. 4. The service instructions will be in a bracket on the top right. I didn't use them because I have done this job before. 5. Continue to remove the screws holding the back to the sides. There will be a lint collector attached to the back panel by three screws. This must be removed first, then the screws along the edge of the back panel. 6. Pull the back panel up and away from the sides and set aside. You will see two lower rollers attached to this panel. 7. Look under the drum and you will see a idler arm and roller in front of the electric motor and a little to the left. Notice that the drive belt is looped around the roller. Unloop the drive belt from idler and roller. 8. Lift the drum of the dryer up and out of the dryer. 9. Replace all the rollers (4) by removing the plastic "star" on the roller shaft. This can be done using a small screw driver. 10. Once the rollers are replaced, place the new drive belt, ribbed side facing the drum around the drum. Lift the drum up and into the dryer enclosure, making sure the rollers in the front of the drum are in the ridge groove. 11. Lift the back of the dryer in to the dryer enclosure, again making sure the rollers are in the rear groove. Turn the drum by hand to make sure the front seal is flush to the front of the dryer and that the front rollers are in the front groove. I2. Install drive belt around electric motor shaft ( ribbed side facing the shaft), lift idler arm up while running the non-ribbed side of the belt around the roller on the idler arm. 13. Install the back panel using the remaining screws. 14. Install the top of dryer by sliding it into the front panel and securing with the last three remaining screws, these 3 screws go on the top of the back panel. 15. Replace exhaust hose and replace dryer into space it formally occupied.

took the old one off and pooped in the new one!

This product comes in a bottle with a brush like Liquid Paper. It goes on incredibly easy. A second coat might be needed. I wanted to prevent rust from setting in so I covered the scratches and dings. The paint is a little brighter since my washer is 10 years old but it still looks great.

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do the repair myself. Happily, I was able to and my dryer works like new ! I figure I probably saved about a 100 bucks doing it myself rather than calling out a repair man. Oh, did I mention I am female and didn't have to have a man do this for me. :)