Idler Pulley 279640

Removed the top and back of dryer with screw socket. It was quite easy. Then, I removed the broken wheel by releasing the tension spring. I replaced the wheel. The toughest part was re-threading the belt. But, even that was simple. The dryer runs smoothly and quietly again!

1) Disconnected power cord from wall. 2) Disconnected vent hose from back of dryer. 3)Removed dryer rear panel. 4)Disengaged tension spring on idle wheel arm. 5) Removed worn idle wheel. 6)Installed new Idler wheel assembly. 7) Vacuumed dust from rear of dryer (optional, recommended). 8) Reinstalled rear cover, vent hose and power cord. Easy repair 15-30

I recommend you order the idler pulley as soon as you start to hear the unusual noise indicating metal against metal. Replace the idler pulley before it fails and possibly causes more damage to the drive system. Simply removed the power cord at the back of the dryer and then the multiple screws holding the back panel in place as well as the clip holding the exhaust vent in place. You may need to remove the top panel to access a few of these screws. A diagram of the belt routing is in the paperwork I found behind the front lower panel of the dryer. This too is easily removed with just a few screws.

I disconnect the power, then the vent pipe. I removed the back panel of the dryer to access the pulley and removed the belt. Replaced the back and put everything back together.

once the back is off remove belt from tentioner and remove v clip. smooth shaft with wd-40 and scotch brite , then install new idler replace v clip
and your done !!!

I moved the dryer to a location where I could get to both the front and back sides. I opened the back by first removing the top cover and then the back. It requires either a Phillips head screwdriver or a quarter inch socket. In addition, it requires removing the four power wires which connect to the computer. If you are unfamiliar with the wiring layout, take a photo with your cell phone which you can then refer to when re-assembling. Once the back was removed, I saw that the belt was still intact, but the pulley which provides tension to the belt was frozen. Take a photo of the belt route between the motor and the pulley. Try to get the spring position in the photo. Remove the belt from the pulley by reducing the tension and then sliding the belt out (this assumes the belt is not broken). The pulley arm is held in place by a single bolt which can be removed by a socket set. Remove the arm with the pulley attached. Examine the pulley to figure out why it is frozen. In my case, the pulley had been frozen for some time and the belt had actually chewed through the pulley and was sliding (polishing) on the pulley axle? I used a pair of pliers to loosen the destroyed pulley by rotating it back and forth over the axle while gripping the arm the axle is attached to. As it loosened up I worked it off the axle. I used a cloth to clean the axle of grime from the belt, pulley, and dryer lint. The new pulley comes with a washer and triangular plastic "fastener". First you put on the washer, then the pulley and then you secure it on the axle by sliding the triangular fastener over the axle so it sits in a small grove near the end of the axle. Then put the pulley arm back by replacing the bolt. Make sure you do not overtighten the arm since it is intended to rotate about the bolt. If the dryer belt breaks, the spring will pull the arm down and throw a cutoff switch. Its operation should be obvious. Once the arm is back in place, refer to your photo and replace the spring (this can be tricky and frustrating, particularly if you don't use something like needle nose pliers). Once the spring is in place, depress it and re-install the dryer belt. Refer to the photo you took earlier if you've forgotten how the belt was routed. Then re-install the dryer's back panel, re-attach the electric wires (again refer to the photo you took earlier), and re-attach the top cover. You might want to test your handiwork at this point before you reconnect the dryer vent

Rather than remove the front panels, door, control panel and drum, I noticed 1/4" metal screws on the back panel. There were approximately 6 holding the back panel in place. I did have to remove the top panel as well before removing the back. Once removed I had complete access to the broken idler pulley assembly. I immediately saw the broken pulley. I installed the new one with very little effort. Reset the belt according to instructions from the video. Reassembled, plugged in, hit start and enjoyed the sweet sounds of success. All told it took me about 20 minutes from start to finish.

My dryer starter squeaking in December 09 and the repairman told me that it would cost between $200-$500. I did not let him fix it as this machine is only 3 years old. When the part finally broke in April 10, I was ready to junk this and just buy a used dryer. My husband went on line and quickly figured out the part he would need to do the repairs. It cost under $20.00. Now my dryer is fixed and running and there are no squeaks. Thank you

I just followed the videos I received with the order and everything went really well. This dryer was a little different than the video, but the process was the same. The HE3 does require 4 drum rollers and I had only ordered 2. However, there was only one bad roller, so I installed both on the back of the drum. The two front rollers are pretty easy to get to if they go bad. The idler pulley was completely worn out with an 1/8 inch groove worn off to one side. PartSelect made this an easy project!

Took off back of dryer Undid belt from belt adjuster pulled and took off adjuster put new one on redid belt and put back on dryer. Done