CE8317W2 (PCE8317W2) Amana Dryer - Instructions

I went to RepairClinic.com & FixYa.com for some great advice. I searched the internet for the parts. PartSelect.com was the most inexpensive. Delivery was good. Using the repairman's manual I found on the internet I followed the steps to remove each panel, in order. The wiring was the most bothersome, but okay to resolve; write it down and pull it off! I don't think the rollers, in the back, were bad. The tension idler was extremely worn. I tightened the tension idler bracket at the base. I did need to use an O-Ring Spreader to get all the rollers off and on. Although there were more panels to remove than older models, it was easier! Wrap the belt around the drum before reinstalling. The belt will loop around the drive & tensioner relatively easy. Replace the rubber seal around the drum & replace all the panels. Things are quieter now than I can remember in a long time.

Replaced the two drum rollers and the tensioning arm roller. NOTES: 1. There are two drum rollers, the diagram seems to show only one. Recommend replacing both drum rollers and the support bracket shaft assemblies since the shafts might be scored. 2. The tensioning arm roller was actually much worse and frozen, so once you are in it is best to replace ALL three rollers. 3. I also replaced the belt since it was worse for wear from the frozen rollers. 4. The PartSelect video for the procedure is for the Whirlpool branded version of this dryer. The internal parts and construction are identical, however, the initial steps for opening up the dryer are different. On the Amana the top also tilts up, but is held down by two bolts, and not just the spring clips. Steps are: a) Remove bottom kick plate which is held in by two bolts on the lower front edge. b) remove the retention bolts that are now exposed on the front panel and remove the front panel by pulling it down from the top spring clips. c) Unbolt and remove the front drum retention panel. d) The two bolts that hold down the top can now be removed and the top panel tilted up so the drum can be lifted out after the belt is loosened. The whole process is very quick and easy. Only tricky part is fumbling around behind the motor to move the tensioning roller and arm to remove and re-install the belt. Also, I had cheap spring clip pliers so I was fumbling with the spring clips that hold the rollers on their shafts.

Removed the screws from the back of the control panel and slid out of lower brackets.
Removed old timer and installed new one and then changed the wires over to the new timer.
Put back together and re installed fasteners

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.

I watched the repair video and followed the instruction given to replace the belt. The instructions were easy to follow and to the point. The one thing that was not covered was to vacuum the interior prior to closing the dryer up.

Removed bottom front panel by two screws. glide brackets at about 8 and 4 o'clock positions, with screws coming in from the back. The replacement glide bracket and two drum glide will be needed. I drilled out the screw holes and used the original screws because replacement screws were too short and the screws go in from the front on the replacement glide bracket. You will need to slightly raise the front of the drum to install the glide brackets correctly. the reinstall the front cover.

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.

Followed the recommended repair under noisy machine, replacing the 3 recommended parts. The 10 minute video was extremely helpful. Important note: there are two(2) drum support rollers. Also, you definitely need very small C ring pliers and don't forget to label all wires before disconnecting.

Per instructions I printed off online: took off door, then the front panel. Pulled out the old switch/button, connected the new switch/button, made sure the new button was working; put the panel back on then the door and DONE!

Terminal Block was cracked and dryer was not receiving enough voltage, causing the heating element not to heat. Here were the steps I took to fix the problem:
1. Turn off breaker to dryer from 240v outlet
2. Unplug dryer from 240v wall outlet.
3. On outside, rear of dryer, remove cover plate and the clamp that the power cord goes through with nut driver or phillips screwdriver and take picture or write down how the power cord wires go to the terminal block.
4. Use nut driver or phillips screwdriver to remove the power cord wires from terminal block and ground wire from dryer body.
5. On top front of dryer, use large slotted screwdriver or some other tool to push in on the two clips in order to lift the cover up on dryer.
6. Take picture or write down how wires are attached to terminal block.
7. Remove wires from terminal block with nut driver or phillips screwdriver.
8. Use nut driver to remove terminal block from washer and install the new terminal block.
9. Reinstall wires to new terminal block.
10. Close dryer cover.
11. Reinstall clamp onto power cord wires and reinstall wires to new terminal block and ground wire to washer body then put cover plate back on.
12. Plug in dryer then turn on breaker.
13. Start dryer to see if it heats now.

Unlike the other stories I read (and the video posted on the site), my unit had a lower maintenance panel on the front face which required quite a different disassembly. Once I took off the lower panel, there were screws at the bottom of the top panel. Once removed, the top front panel came out and exposed the necessary interior components. In order to get the drum out, I took out the screws holding the front of the top on and wiggled the drum out. From there I removed the belt and offending idler lever, put in the new ones and hooked the spring back up. Reverse procedure to assemble and the problem is completely gone. I even found and removed an unexpected hair band from the front skid plate. Pretty doable if you're willing to spend the time.

Propped the machine up in the front, removed the front panel, the door assembly, and the front drum support. Use a Sharpie to mark wire positions. This will help during re-assembly. To get the drum out, you first have to remove the belt from the motor pulley. Drum slides right out. You will need snap-ring pliers to remove the pulley from the idler arm. I also replaced the drive belt because it was cheap, and always a good idea to replace it when you are this far into the machine if it is a few years old. Re-assemble in the reverse order of disassembly. An easy fix for the average do-it-yourself person.

After removing the lower access panel, I observed the drum and belt and saw it turning freely. The support rollers in the back turned freely and were in good condition as well. At odd intervals the unit made a humming or grinding noise, and i decided to check the blower wheel (the other rotating part in the system). I found that the central hub of the wheel (which is made of a nylon like plastic) had sheared off from the wheel itself. I ordered a new part and started to remove the old wheel. **NOTE** many of the stories I read described how this part would have a reverse thread, it did not and that cost me an extra 30 minutes to figure out (the new part had arrows showing the correct direction to put on and remove - the original didn't). Once everything was cleaned and reassembled, I started the dryer again, but got no heat. I had previously replaced the heating element, so I thought my wiring was wrong. That wasn't the problem, but a hint from this site about checking the incoming wiring was the solution, my ground wire had come off the terminal in the back of the dryer and I wasn't getting the volatge across the element that it required. With the ground wire back in place, everything worked fine.

Unable to find a repair manual or accurate diagram, I forged ahead and removed the top and front panels of the dryer. It took two tries to figure out how to thread the belt (nine of my ten thumbs kept getting in the way!), but after a coffee break, the job came together, and I've taken the clothesline down!

First I was told by the maytag repair man that the motor was shot and it would be 467 dollars to repair. Since I didn't have that kind of money I decided to take it apart to see if I could replace the motor myself. Once I had it apart I saw the part that held the motor in place was broken off and the motor was out of place causing it too shut itself off. Once I figured it all out it took about 2 minutes to replace the less than 6 dollar part! Thanks partSelect!!!