DG24CA Maytag Dryer - Instructions

Took it apart according to the videos, replaced about all moving parts (almost). Put it back together and still made noise. It turned out to be the blower wheel. Ordered a new blower wheel and installed it. Works great and has mostly all new parts. The website was great!!

I followed the videos on your website, but had to clean 30 years of dust and lint out in the process. Cleaning took the longest time.

I opened the back acess panel and started the dryer. Looking at the motor and idler pulleys it was obvious by the frequency of the squealing noise that it was coming from the idler pulley.
I pulled the retainer clip and tension spring from the idler pulley and removed it. I applied some grease to the shaft and reinstalled the idler pulley.
The squeal was gone confirming that the pulley bushing was dry. I ordered the new idler pulley and when it arrived the next day I cleaned the grease off of the shaft and installed the new idler pulley. Problem solved.

1. Removed two screws from front panel.
2. Removed panel.
3. Removed four bolts off tumbler face.
4. Removed face.
5. Removed drum and belt.
6. Vacuumed.
7. Replaced idler spring assembly.
8. Replaced drum.
9. Replaced belt.
10. Rotated drum to make sure belt was properly seated.
11. Replaced tumbler face.
12. Replaced front panel.

Installation of drum support kit was difficult because my snap ring pliers would not fit in the snap ring holes. Had to use pliers and screw driver to get them off and to put them back on. That took much patience and time. Installation of front guides was a bit difficult because the rivets were loose and turned when trying to drill them out. Also they were bigger and I needed a larger drill bit than the 1/8 told about in the video. Used drill, screw driver and pliers to get the rivets out. Also took more time and patience to do this. Belt did not need replacement but felt it a good idea to do it as long as I was in there. Belt installation was easy because my dryer has a rear view opening and I could use it to thread the belt. Tried it from the front as shown in the video just to see if I could and found it impossible. Could not even get my hands to hold the belt. Also vacuumed out 20 years of lint and dust that was inside the dryer. The videos were excellent in showing what to do and how to do it. Not sure how well I would have done without them.

My first attemp was to replace the drum roller and idler roller, drive belt, and the felt seal for the back, since I had experience replacing these on an older machine many years ago. The dryer was very easy to work on....After installing the new parts, I reassembled and discovered it still made the same loud noise. I then, disassembled for the second time to discover the blower wheel was worn out; so i ordered another blower wheel and a drum support roller (i only ordered one the first time.). After reassembling it made an annoying high pitch sound. I attributed that to the new parts...probably the new belt and new felt seal. Gave it some time to run-in and it seems to have quieted down. Overall, i found the dryer very easy to work on. I actually found the felt seal the most onerous to install....needed to have about three hands to get the drum back in place! I just wish that the stamped metal dryer housing didn't have such sharp edges. I had to be very careful to avoid sharp burrs but still got nicked a couple of times.

1. Popped out old latch from dryer with a screw driver and pressed in new latch with fingers. Did not need to replace the part that is in the door. Very simple repair.
2. Lint filter was worn out and needed replacing.

Took the front off , removed front drum support, drilled out existing rivets, & replaced slides,riveted them in place,and re-assembled.

Door switch was very easy to replace as it simply snaps in for the outside and you just clip on the two control wires that already have clips on them.

All you need for a Maytag is a snub nose Philips screw driver. The screws on the front panel are at the bottom angled down, so a regular length Phillip's won't work. Just unscrew the 2 screws, then lift the panel up and out. Careful not to pull out too far, there are 2 wires attached to the switch. The replacement switch is NOT an exact copy of the old one. My Maytag is over 30 years old and it only had 2 prongs on the switch. The new one has 3. Don't let that throw you. It is the same size. Just attach, 1 wire to the bronze connector & the other to the silver. Push the switch into the door opening, re-attach the door. Total time 20 minutes. Saved well over $100 in a service call. Anyone with an IQ above freezing can do it.

first i removed the screws holding back cover. Then I remeved nut from tumbler roller shaft. Then I slid shaft from roller .I removed roller then replaced with new one. Installed new shaft then replaced back cover. recieved parts from parts direct very promptly & they were the right parts the first time thanks very much

Just unscrew the front of the dryer the Igniter kit is on the right side of dryer unscrew one bolt then replace with new Igniter kit very easy fix make sure to unplug dryer first that way you don't get a shock by touching exposed wires before putting front panel back on clean out any lint that may be in or around bottom of dryer.

I took the access panel off the back, realized that belt was in very bad shape. Ordered a belt when I got that changed I put it back together and it still had a clunking noise. Found out that the blower wheel was rounded off where it goes over the shaft. So to change that I took the two front screws off, then the four hex screws off of the tumbler guide. There were eight or so screws over the blower wheel, took those out and the clamp on the blower wheel then used the snap ring pliers for the snap ring, then changed the wheel. Problem solved. This website is very helpful I would not have attempted to fix my dryer without this website.

This should have been a simple repair, but turned out to be time consuming and moderately difficult. I hope these instructions will help anyone who encounters the problems described here.

After a period of the dryer not being used, the idler pulley wheel froze on the shaft of the idler pulley arm, so I needed to replace both parts. After mounting the new wheel and two washers on the new arm and securing with a retaining ring, I went to install this assembly by going in through the small access panel at the rear of the dryer. I slid the belt off the old idler pulley wheel and unhooked the spring from the idler pulley arm; the arm was mounted on a sleeve fastened to the motor bracket by one screw. All that should have been necessary was to back out that screw and replace the old idler pulley assembly with the new one.

That is where the trouble started. Backing out the screw with a socket driver, I found it would go a few turns, then start to bind. I tried turning it in and out to get the threads to engage, but it kept binding. Eventually I gave the screw a hard turn, and then it would turn freely but not move in or out.

Looking on the internet for advice, I found a video that asserts for another model Maytag dryer using the same type of mounting for the idler arm, that there is a design flaw. You can find the video by searching for “Maytag dryer idler pulley defect”. According to the video, the sheet metal screw used to mount the idler pulley arm can gradually loosen due to the pressure and vibration, and begins to “waggle” which eventually damages the threads. I believe this is what happened to my dryer. The video suggests replacing the sheet metal screw with a machine screw and nut for a more durable union.

So now I understood how the screw could be stripped just sitting in the dryer, but that didn’t help me get the screw out. Working through the rear access panel, I tried pulling on the screw head with several types of pliers, pushing the point from behind with a piece of wood while turning the head with a socket driver; eventually I was able to use a pry bar under the screw head and sleeve to apply pressure while turning the head, and with that method the screw backed out. With the screw removed, it could be seen that the threads in the middle part of the thread length were almost completely worn away.

The screw sleeve got somewhat deformed in this process so I ordered a new one, along with an exact replacement sheet metal screw, hoping the threads in the hole were still intact. With the old idler pulley arm now removed, I could transfer the old idler bracket spacer to the new idler pulley arm. When the ordered parts arrived and I tried to mount the idler pulley arm, the new screw would go in only a couple of turns before binding. Rather than risk winding up in the same situation by forcing the screw, I decided to use a machine screw and nut instead.

The original sheet metal screw was a #10. A machine screw the same size would not fit through the hole, and I could not fit my drill into the dryer cabinet in a position to enlarge the hole, so I used a #8 machine screw with a nut and lock washer. First I put some grease on the contact areas of the screw sleeve and idler bracket spacer, then inserted the machine screw through the hole and put the lock washer and nut on the other side of the mounting. The space around the nut is very limited, and most of my tools were too large to hold the nut while the screw was tightened. It was too small for a socket or adjustable wrench, and the clearance from the exhaust duct was too small for the handles of most tools. Eventually, I found a needle nose pliers with short handles that did the job. A thin open end wrench might also work. Then I reconnected the spring and belt to the idler pulley assembly, and closed the access panel. So far the dryer works, but if the #8 screw turns out to be not strong enough, I could get an extension for my drill and enlarge the hole to fit a #10 machine screw and nut.

Looking back on the job, the most difficult part of this repair was removing the damaged screw. This and several other steps might have been a lot easier if I had removed the motor bracket (where the idler pulley arm is mounted) from the dryer and worked outside the cabinet. Part Select has an excellent video “Replacing the Drive Motor” that shows how to do this. It would be a lot of disassembly work, but for someone with good assembly skills could be easier in the long run.

Hopefully most folks out there who replace the idler pulley arm on a dryer will find an easier situation than I did. But for any who have to deal with a stripped mounting screw, I hope this summary will help you resolve it.

This should have been a simple repair, but turned out to be time consuming and moderately difficult. I hope these instructions will help anyone who encounters the problems described here.

After a period of the dryer not being used, the idler pulley wheel froze on the shaft of the idler pulley arm, so I needed to replace both parts. After mounting the new wheel and two washers on the new arm and securing with a retaining ring, I went to install this assembly by going in through the small access panel at the rear of the dryer. I slid the belt off the old idler pulley wheel and unhooked the spring from the idler pulley arm; the arm was mounted on a sleeve fastened to the motor bracket by one screw. All that should have been necessary was to back out that screw and replace the old idler pulley assembly with the new one.

That is where the trouble started. Backing out the screw with a socket driver, I found it would go a few turns, then start to bind. I tried turning it in and out to get the threads to engage, but it kept binding. Eventually I gave the screw a hard turn, and then it would turn freely but not move in or out.

Looking on the internet for advice, I found a video that asserts for another model Maytag dryer using the same type of mounting for the idler arm, that there is a design flaw. You can find the video by searching for “Maytag dryer idler pulley defect”. According to the video, the sheet metal screw used to mount the idler pulley arm can gradually loosen due to the pressure and vibration, and begins to “waggle” which eventually damages the threads. I believe this is what happened to my dryer. The video suggests replacing the sheet metal screw with a machine screw and nut for a more durable union.

So now I understood how the screw could be stripped just sitting in the dryer, but that didn’t help me get the screw out. Working through the rear access panel, I tried pulling on the screw head with several types of pliers, pushing the point from behind with a piece of wood while turning the head with a socket driver; eventually I was able to use a pry bar under the screw head and sleeve to apply pressure while turning the head, and with that method the screw backed out. With the screw removed, it could be seen that the threads in the middle part of the thread length were almost completely worn away.

The screw sleeve got somewhat deformed in this process so I ordered a new one, along with an exact replacement sheet metal screw, hoping the threads in the hole were still intact. With the old idler pulley arm now removed, I could transfer the old idler bracket spacer to the new idler pulley arm. When the ordered parts arrived and I tried to mount the idler pulley arm, the new screw would go in only a couple of turns before binding. Rather than risk winding up in the same situation by forcing the screw, I decided to use a machine screw and nut instead.

The original sheet metal screw was a #10. A machine screw the same size would not fit through the hole, and I could not fit my drill into the dryer cabinet in a position to enlarge the hole, so I used a #8 machine screw with a nut and lock washer. First I put some grease on the contact areas of the screw sleeve and idler bracket spacer, then inserted the machine screw through the hole and put the lock washer and nut on the other side of the mounting. The space around the nut is very limited, and most of my tools were too large to hold the nut while the screw was tightened. It was too small for a socket or adjustable wrench, and the clearance from the exhaust duct was too small for the handles of most tools. Eventually, I found a needle nose pliers with short handles that did the job. A thin open end wrench might also work. Then I reconnected the spring and belt to the idler pulley assembly, and closed the access panel. So far the dryer works, but if the #8 screw turns out to be not strong enough, I could get an extension for my drill and enlarge the hole to fit a #10 machine screw and nut.

Looking back on the job, the most difficult part of this repair was removing the damaged screw. This and several other steps might have been a lot easier if I had removed the motor bracket (where the idler pulley arm is mounted) from the dryer and worked outside the cabinet. Part Select has an excellent video “Replacing the Drive Motor” that shows how to do this. It would be a lot of disassembly work, but for someone with good assembly skills could be easier in the long run.

Hopefully most folks out there who replace the idler pulley arm on a dryer will find an easier situation than I did. But for any who have to deal with a stripped mounting screw, I hope this summary will help you resolve it.