Idler Arm Assembly

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

I opened top section with a screwdriver, pushing in the release.
I opened front panel with door with screwdriver pushing in the release.
I lifted drum out through the front.
I replace the Idler Arm assembly.
I greased the rear drum bearing race.
I vacuumed out and cleaned blower and dryer area.
I put the new belt on the drum, reinstalled the drum.
I put belt around drive motor and Idler arm assembley.
I put front panel with door back on.
I put the top panel back down and snapped into place.
Tested dryer, job done!

This is actually a white consolidated IND. brand, but that wasn't on your list. Be sure to check your tensioner pully if you hear squealing coming from the dryer. I changed the felt ring and the support bearing before realizing that my pully bushing was the cause of the noise. If you have squealing then spray a little wd40 on the bushing and shaft, if the noise stops, then you found the smoking gun. Replace the pulley. Unhook the spring and it comes right off. No tools needed.

I disassembled the dryer using instructions from the following website for White Westinghouse (pictures really helped)
After removing the drum, I first noticed that the grouding ball was sitting on the bottom of the dryer (along with much lint). I then saw that the bracket for bearing support cup and the bearing support cup were both worn well past use. The bracket had been worn down about 1/4" to the SE with matching wear on the bearing support cup. There was a hole in the bottom of the bearing support cup (hence the grouding ball on the floor of dryer).
I installed the new idler pulley assembly and completely vacuumed out the dryer (I didn't know lint could get so stiff!). I installed the new parts from the kit once received (and the new belt bought previously) and the dryer works great. I'm so used to the obnoxious squealing that it seems odd to be so quiet.

The internet is a magnificent thing!

I googled and found parts select, listed model make and found parts diagram, found suspected parts from trouble shooting blog. I read repair stories, people who performed identical repairs, followed their lead, made notes ordered parts and
easily repaired my dryer for a fraction of the cost of replacing dryer.

Replace rear bearing, found Exhust tube seal broken. Went ahead and replaced Drum belt & Idler arm assembly. Works like New !

The new motor from parts select was not correct. The new motor is a bolt on. The original motor was a press on. Had to return at a cost of 42.00 dollars. Had to buy a new dryer.

Had to open back side vent & use needle nose to secure spring.

First of all, I LOVE Partselect.com.. The parts are reasonable, and arrive in a timely fashion.. The repair stories are far and away, one of the BEST features of this website - so hats off to the DIY'ers who have helped me overcome my challenges and helped me stay in the ..ahem.. "favorable" graces of my wife.. I need all the help I can get there.. Anyway, read the other repair stories first - LOTS of great insight.. I only have a couple pointers to add - below...

This is easily my 4th appliance repair project with Partselect.com, and I can say without a doubt that the experience has been positive every single time.. Until now.. I got the dryer torn down and realized that I SHOULD have ordered the SEAL-BASKET LOWER felt with my original order. When I inspected it for my list of parts to order, the upper glide was thrashed - no brainer.. I thought the lower felt was fine.. d'oh! I discovered this morning that I was wrong.. So, I JUST ordered the lower basket seal for *next* weekend.. (If you are gonna replace the original upper glide, replace the lower basket seal as well..) It'll be a slam dunk, though..

Now, for a couple useful tips:

If you are a car guy, get out your trusty can of brake parts cleaner to help clean off the old adhesive residue after you rip off the old upper glide felt. I also used a 1" plastic scraper to help facilitate removal, but the brake parts cleaner was a Godsend. I think I read someone else's suggestion to use "goof off" or whatever - but I couldn't find mine, so..... ...out came the brake cleaner... :) two thumbs up. Just use it sparingly - all those solvents are bad for children in California for some odd reason..

Spring loaded clamps to hold the felt down as the glue dries are also "nice to have". I used one on each end of the felt, and one for each of the teflon / plastic glides..

Finally - milk this job for all it's worth - it'll only take you 45-60 minutes or so... good luck...!!!

Tip: After pre-taping the threads on the ball shaft, use painter’s tape to hold it in place while you attach the screws. Do the same with the bearing retainer. Don’t use tape that will leave a residue when you remove it or your clothes will smell like adhesive. Tip for stacker dryer: There is no need to remove the wires connected to the front panel. Swing the panel around to the side. Put a small bungee cord through the door opening and attach it firmly to the top of the dryer. Make sure the cord carries all the weight and that there is no strain on the wires.