DE20F8AM Admiral Dryer - Instructions

I took the back of my dryer off to see if the problem was there. I saw that the belt was broken and laying on the inside of the dryer. Took belt and went on line (Google) my KitchenAid Dryer from it's model number. The website was PartSelect. Found the belt I needed and saw a video on how to replace the belt. I called to order the belt and spoke to Steve, which help me with all my needs. Steve knew just the belt I was looking for and placed my order. The belt arrived a few days later. While I was waiting for the belt to come in, I removed the front of the dryer and get ready for reinstall. It took me about 15 minutes to install the belt and put the front of the dryer back together. I found PartSelect to be very helpful and saved me, maybe $150.00 by not having to call a serviceman to do the easy replacement. Thank you Steve and PartSelect, now I'm number 1 with the wife again.

Tools and materials:

#2 Philips head screw driver
Standard flat-tip screw driver
1/4" nut driver or ratchet
1/4" drive sockets: 1/4, 5/16
Something 3-4 inches thick to wedge under drum for support (i.e. scrap 4x4, soap bottle, books)

Replacement Procedures:

1. Unplug dryer from wall outlet
2. Pull out lint screen
3. Remove 2 Philips screws attaching lint trap to dryer top
4. Lift hinged dryer top panel near front and lean it back on wall. You may need to pry between side panels and top with flat-tip screw driver to get it started.
5. Disconnect plug from dryer door switch near front
6. Remove two 1/4" and two 5/16" hex screws inside front panel near top.
7. Open dryer door and lift front panel straight up to disengage tabs from slots near bottom of front panel.
8. While supporting drum with one hand, lift front panel and set aside with other hand.
9. Slip replacement belt around drum with ribs facing drum and position it where old belt left its mark.
10. Wedge something under drum to support it while installing the belt.
11. Re-position tensioner in two slots in bottom panel just in front of motor. On my model the bend in the spring will be on the right side with the idler pulley to the left, when viewed from the front.
12. Ensuring the belt isn't twisted, thread a small loop of it through the opening in the tensioner just below the pulley.
13. With the left hand, push against the tensioner spring while working the loop over the drive pulley.
14. While supporting drum with one hand, remove whatever you put under the drum to support it.
15. Replace front panel by aligning the slots with the tabs near the bottom and lowering it into place.
16. Carefully slip the drum opening over the flange on the front panel and replace hex screws.
17. Slowly roll the drum in one direction or the other until the belt aligns and centers itself.
18. Re-connect the plug for the dryer door switch.
19. Lower the dryer top and press until it snaps back into place.
20. Replace philips screws to secure lint trap and replace lint screen.
21. Plug dryer back into wall outlet, close door, set to dry, and press start.

Followed the instructions and the repair went like clockwork, took less than an hour. I spent more time brushing and vacuuming old lint from the innards of the machine than I did doing the actual repair. Finished up $0.78 richer, too, from the change I found inside the machine.

Was a little hard getting at the idler pulley being it was behind the blower assembly, but it was the only draw back.

Shut off power and gas, unscrewed lint vent, raised top on angle with rope, unscrewed and moved door switch, unscrewed and took off front, put new belt around drum, then raised front end of drum with 4 narrow pieces of 1" foam insulation which let me view and install the belt connection to the drive motor shaft, adjusted the level of the drum using the rope holding up the top, removed foam pieces, replaced and rescrewed the front to fit the drum front channel, replaced the door switch, replaced the top and screwed it to the lint vent, returned gas and power, and ran confirmation test.

Pretty much just followed the video - I'd never opened a dryer before, so I'd watch a step, pause and do it, then run the video a few more minutes, and repeat. These dryers are really extremely simple devices: just a heater, then a motor to spin the drum and run the fan (I think the same motor does both). So you loosen a couple of screws, pry the metal case open, and slip on the new belt. Done! I didn't keep track of time, but I'm psyched to have saved myself a $200 repair call! Standard delivery arrived in less than two days, just like they said it would.

After using a voltage meter I tracked it to the thermal fuse. In order to get to the fuse you have to remove the heating element. However when I replaced the heating element I didn't check to make sure that the heating wires weren't touching the metal housing it sits in. So when I turned on the dryer I burned out the element and had to purchase another one so a simple repair became much more expensive. Since the thermal fuse is what blew initially I made sure to clean out the vent from the lint trap all the way to the outside vent. It was pretty dirty and probably caused the unit to get too hot and blow the fuse.

well, the hardest part is getting this thing apart - you have to take out the lint trap and remove the two screws from the top. Then I was trying to lift the top off - it's held in place by clips so you have to gently but firmly lift it off from the front end and let it open while still semi attached at the back (like a chest). Detach the electrical wires - they are just clipped in place. Then remove the screws (one on each side) that attach the front panel, and (and this is the hardest part if you don't know how it's attached). You have to SLIGHTLY LIFT the front straight up and then pull it away towards you. I just pulled it off, breaking the little attachers, which I subsequently had to weld back on with a welding compound and leave it overnight to set. the next day was pretty easy though...

The spinning drum is pretty easy to get out and you set it aside. Then I saw the belt pulley sitting there on the bottom of the dryer out of place -- fortunately with the belt there came instructions on how to instal it - READ THOSE INSTRUCTIONS - after that it's cake - put the belt around the center of the drum and feed it through the other parts underneath (this is easier if you tilt the dryer back a bit to get at it better. And you must pull back on that pulley after you have put it in place again - clips into the bottom of the dryer - it's supposed to have a lot of tension on it. Put it all back together and voila!

good luck!

Un pluged and Moved it out from the Wall, Raised the top, found broken belt. ordered belt on line, 2 days belt came in. cleaned all dust and dirt out put greese on berrings for rollers bleu out vent hose with Leef Blower. put top down, pushed back. pluged in and turned on IT WORKS!!!

My 12 year old son and I took off the front of the dryer to see if we could see what was wrong. The belt was snapped and on the floor of the dryer. I ordered the belt from you--it came three days later. That evening, my son held the drum while I laced the belt through the pulley. We cleaned everything up--lots of lint! Put everything back together, plugged it in, turned it on--SUCCESS! We were wildly excited. I am a stay-at-home mom determined to save money any way I can.

I followed the posted directions from others, and it was a breeze. They were really helpful. I would just add the step of keeping the drum in place with a block of wood underneath before removing the front. Slip the belt around the drum, reattach the front , and then finish positioning and tensioning the belt once the block is out of the way .

I went to repair the dryer belt only to realize that it was jumping off the pulley(edge was worn away). If you are replacing the belt, make sure your pulley is good before you order your parts. I ended up having to go to lowes and make a pulley!
Works great though.

I watched an online video about how to replace a dryer belt & followed the directions. Placing the belt around the drum is easy but stringing it thru the pulley is a little difficult because the belt has tension. This takes a little effort but is doable. Dryer runs great now........Be sure to unplug appliance 1st........

I googled 'replace dryer belt' and found instructions on the 'Virtual Repair Man' web site. After reading the instructions through twice I began.

First I removed lent filter and removed the two screws that hold the lent body in place. I rotated the top panel up and back and leaned it on the wall; proped up the dryer drum with some scrap wood pieces; rotated the front panel of the machine out enough to slip the new belt, groves down, around the drum; reinstalled the idler pulley under the drum; raised the drum slightly and reattached the front panel. Reattached the top panel and replaced the filter. Did a test run and worked good.

I got a price from Sears for the part and they were asking $45 just for the belt. I saved enough in parts and labor to take my wife out for a real nice dinner. thanks

Unplugged the 220 line, removed lint cover, (2 screws). Lifted top with a screw driver, (2 plastic fasteners) then unplugged a ground line at the front lip to separate the front panel. There was a 50/50 chance here that I would not put the wires back correctly, didn't not make note of the color differences. There was no lower panel, just a single panel on the front, which I first tried to remove like the top, but quickly saw no results, then lifted the panel easily, which I set aside. I rested the drum on a 4x4 piece of wood. I then slipped the new belt over the drum, aligned the bulkhead at the rear, and positioned the belt in the original position, there was a distinct mark showing this. Next I saw the idler pulley lying on it's side, hmm, thought this might take some time, but the illustrated instructions were very accurate, reset the pulley, pushed it toward the motor and doubled the belt around the pulley, it sort of felt right, according to the grooves on the floor panel. I then rotated the drum counter clockwise, then tested. It worked! Became a hero to my wife and found $1.86 in change, woo hoo! Total cost, including shipping under $20., two day delivery, amazing. Thanks.