DDC4397VCL General Electric Dryer - Instructions

Pop off the old, pop on the new. I did it with one hand, the 'hard' part was putting the access panal back on.

Based on the symptom (drum not turning), I figured that the belt was shot. I found a video on YouTube that described how to fix it. I also found directions here on this site on how to fix it! Here's what I did: step1: there were two screws holding the top on. took them off and the top swung up, exposing the drum and broken belt. step2: took off the two screws holding the front on. tipped the front forward so I could get the new belt around the drum. step 3: took the back plate off (10 screws). had to remove the exhaust tube first. cleaned out all the lint with the shop vac. there was plenty of lint everywhere. step 4: put the belt onto the motor pulley wrapping around the tension pulley. step5: put everything back together and plugged it in. everything worked fine. it took longer to vacuum all the lint out than it did for the actual repair.

I had to take the top panel off of the dryer which is 2 screws inside the dryer door jam. Then the front panel had to come off which was 2 screws inside the dryer above the tumbler. One on each side. Then it lifts off of two hooks at the bottom. Then the left panel (left if you are looking at the front of the dryer) had to come off which was a few screws on the back, a few on the front, and one on the bottom. Once I had the panels off, I unscrewed the blower wheel which is one screw. I took the blower wheel cabinet loose but didn't remove it. There is a metal collar that holds the motor to the bracket. Pull it off from the top. Unplug all the wires attached to the motor. I took a picture of the wire connections with my phone for reference with the new motor. Remove the belt. The motor should pull out towards you. The new motor comes with a pulley. Put the pulley on the motor and tighten locking screw. Put new motor in dryer and replace the metal collar. Connect all wire connections. Reconnect the blower wheel and tighten all screws to the blower wheel housing. Now, I plugged the dryer back in and tested it without reattaching the belt. Know that if you do it this way, the dryer will not stay on because there is a relay switch that is engaged only when the belt is on the pulley and there is tension on the belt tensioner. When the dryer motor worked properly, I replaced the belt and put all the panels back on. Plugged it up and it worked beautifully.

The info from your web site was helpful. I had never taken a dryer apart and the instructions made the job easy. Used socket set to remove the back panel and top control panel. Then used a phillip's screwdriver to remove the two screws that hold the top of the dryer; these screws are accessed by opening the door to the dryer. To remove the front of the dryer remove to the two screws that are located at the top upper corners where front panel meet the side panel. Once these two screws are removed, remove the belt from around the drum and lift the drum out. The drum bearing is located on the back of the drum; remove the remnants of the old bearing and replace it with the new one. Retrace your steps to put the dryer back together. To get the belt back on track you will have to remove the lower back panel to access the belt drive and tension pulley. It is not difficult. God bless you.

Unplugged dryer. Removed access door from lower right front of dryer. Disconnected wiring harness to igniter. Couldn't reach retaining bolt with wrench or socket, but was able to spread igniter clip with fingers to be able to remove old igniter and then work new igniter into position without unbolting retaining clip - ultimately a tool-less operation that could have taken 5 minutes. Reconnect wiring harness and reconnect power. Test dryer then replace access cover.

the replacement part was easy to replace but remembering how the belt went back on took alittle more time..

I suspected the idler pulley shaft was worn. I found the repalcement pulley on parts select web site. finding the part was very easy and delivery was very quick. After removing the dryer from the wall,I removed the access panel in the rear which exposed the motor, belt, and pulley. After removing the belt from the pulley, I removed the pully assembly from the dryer. I removed the keeper retaining ring on the pulley and installed the new pulley with the new parts supplied. The new pulley assembly was then ready for re-installation.

opened back of dryer, located idler pully with broken bushing with plastic rubbing on metal rod making a loud rubbing noise when spinning. ordered part at 10:30 am and had parts by noon the next day, Christmas eve! wow!!!parts fit perfict, shiping time unbelievable, thanks to all !!!

After having a friend who repairs appliances come and diagnose the problem, I was able to find the parts I needed very easily at PartSelect. They came quickly and I removed the front panel, followed the instructions (they were not very detailed) and also had help reading some of the other posts from people on the website. I replaced the parts and the dryer is now quiet and running fine.

The job is simple once you know how to remove the front panel. The steps are as follows:
1. disconnect the power cord.
2. remove 4 Phillips-head screws under the lip of the front panel that secure it to the top panel (#1 point Phillips-head screw driver)
3. swing the top panel up, it is hinged in the rear.
4. making note of the connection points of the color-coded wires, disconnect the wires to the lamp socket and door switch (I used a felt-tipped pen on the inside of the front panel to mark the connection points, "R" for red, etc.)
5. remove the upper 2 hex-head screws from inside of the front panel (5/16" nut-driver)
6. loosen the lower 2 hex-head screws (5/16" nut-driver) accessible from outside the panel (you only have to loosen them since the bottom mounting tabs are slotted)
7. slightly lift (to clear above mentioned lower tabs) and tilt the front panel toward you. Swing the front panel to the right as though you were opening a door and position so it does not fall.
8. remove 10 hex-head screws from the black lower rear access panel (5/16" nut-driver) and remove the broken drive belt. Note that the narrow black panel securing the power cable can remain in place.
9. at this point take advantage of the situation and vacuum out the years of lint and dust you could not reach before.
10. stand in front of the dryer, lift the dryer drum slightly and slip the new belt (rib side down) around the drum. Position the belt near the rear of the drum along the wear-mark left by the old belt.
11. go to the back and place the belt in the motor's drive-belt pulley, making sure the ribbed side of the belt mates with the ribs in the pulley.
12. position the tension wheel so that the it takes up the slack in the drive belt. Note the flat side of the drive belt will mate with the flat of the tension wheel.
13. spin the dryer drum a few turns by hand to make sure the drive belt lines up properly with the pulley.
14. reassemble the dryer by reversing the above steps, starting at step 8.

It wasn't so bad taking it apart, but getting the drum back on was a problem. So what i did was too turn the dryer over and cut the heads off of three long screws and slid the drum over top of these and it lined up with the bearing housing.After a few tries it finally lined up and then i put the regular screws back in to hold the drum in place, one at a time.

Remove the Torx screws along the front top edge and flipped the top back. Removed two screws at the top inside holding the front panel on. Loosened two screws at the front bottom and took the front panel off. Pulled the drum out the front. I gave everything a good vacuuming with a shop vac and a long handle brush. Then went around back, removed the access panel, removed the rear drum bearing plate and installed the new one. Removed the rear bearing from the back of the drum and installed the new one (You have to work from both sides of the drum which makes it a little tricky.I used a couple of wire ties to hold everything in place while I lined everything up. Screws or punches would work too). The front drum slides are held in by 2 screws each and you could replace them without removing the drum. They need to be lubed with the lubricant supplied. I put the drum partially in then looped the belt over the narrow back part of the drum, around the motor pulley and idler pulley. Put the drum all the way in and the belt onto the drum by rotating it by hand. The belt ribs go against the drum. Installing the belt was the a little tricky but not impossible. It could be easier if you loosen the left side panel to give you some room to reach in but I was able to do it without doing that. Threw the front and top back on and was done. Total time was about 1.5 hours a lot of which was spent getting the dryer in and out of the little cubby hole it lives it.

I was disappointed that there were No Instructions included with the part. So I found a you-tube video that wlked me through it...Took off back of dryer, then the top, then the front to get to the igniter...could not pull out the part, so I had to reach in and replace it while it was in the dryer. It Works!

The same procedures as posted in the video, but as applied to the model. Belt had broken. Bearing and front supports were worn, but the cause of the noise was a worn tensioner pulley bearing/arm, causing damage to the belt until breakage. Save the time and effort of a second repair and purchase a tensioner arm/pulley anytime the belt breaks as this is likely the cause of the original breakage. The hardest part on this older GE was getting under the drum to engage the tensioner and belt to the motor, as clearances we very tight. Review the diagrams, watch the video, and enjoy a quiet and well running machine for your efforts. PartsSelect is the only place to shop for appliance parts, my hat's off to excellent service, fair pricing and fast shipment. Thanks PartSelect!

I unplugged the dryer and moved it into a open spot on the floor.I then opened the door so I could release the top panel,and tilted it back.This allows the removal of the front of the unit. Folled the instuction for removing the drum and got it out. Cleaned up the area and removed the screws that held the drum to the bearing, and pulled the drum out. The instructions for removing the plate and the bearing where o.k., and the tips given for reassembly were helpful, but would have been easier to see if the were a seperate line. The parts fit GREAT, and this 1989 dryer is ready for a few more years.A good price on the parts and a quick ship.I will shop here again!