DDC4498AEL General Electric Dryer - Instructions

The info from your web site was helpful. I had never taken a dryer apart and the instructions made the job easy. Used socket set to remove the back panel and top control panel. Then used a phillip's screwdriver to remove the two screws that hold the top of the dryer; these screws are accessed by opening the door to the dryer. To remove the front of the dryer remove to the two screws that are located at the top upper corners where front panel meet the side panel. Once these two screws are removed, remove the belt from around the drum and lift the drum out. The drum bearing is located on the back of the drum; remove the remnants of the old bearing and replace it with the new one. Retrace your steps to put the dryer back together. To get the belt back on track you will have to remove the lower back panel to access the belt drive and tension pulley. It is not difficult. God bless you.

After having a friend who repairs appliances come and diagnose the problem, I was able to find the parts I needed very easily at PartSelect. They came quickly and I removed the front panel, followed the instructions (they were not very detailed) and also had help reading some of the other posts from people on the website. I replaced the parts and the dryer is now quiet and running fine.

opened back of dryer, located idler pully with broken bushing with plastic rubbing on metal rod making a loud rubbing noise when spinning. ordered part at 10:30 am and had parts by noon the next day, Christmas eve! wow!!!parts fit perfict, shiping time unbelievable, thanks to all !!!

inserted the latch into the opening in the front face of the dryer

Removed two screws from front by door. Removed back panel to remove belt from tensioner. lifted lid of dryer. removed two more screws from inside to remove front panel. while holding the barrel I removed the front panel then grabbed barrel and pulled out. took off the old bearing, put the new one on and reassembled it the way I took it apart. The whole thing took about 10 min was quick and easy if there is any problems while you are doing it look it up on youtube.com and you can see it done.

Simply popped the old broken part out and popped the new part into place. I wasn't sure if it was the Latch Door or the Door Strike. Once the parts arrived, it was clear the Door Strike was not the issue.

I noticed the original blower wheel was worn, the hole for the motor shaft was reamed out and the blower was not spinning with the motor. Air was not being circulated so the clothes were not drying well. Replacing the wheel was relatively easy. I did see other people commenting on the difficulty of getting the drive belt re installed properly. I noticed a small "lip" bent into the motor frame, and found the arm for the belt tensioner would fit into this lip and it held it out of the way while I reinstalled the drum and reouted the belt onto the motor pulley. Once the belt was in place, I gently let the tensioner out of its holding position and everything went back into place nicely.

Unplug dryer and turn off gas to appliance. Remove small vent door front of dryer for access to burner assembly. Reach inside and remove all three wires attached to the valve. Using a backup wrench remove the union that attaches the 3/8" gas line to the burner assembly. Remove the two bracket screws holding the assembly. The entire burner assembly can now be pulled out. Replace the faulty igniter by spreading the retainer clip and inserting the new part. Use extreme care not to touch the new igniter with bare skin...best to use a helper to assist holding the assembly while you insert the igniter. Then replace everything as you found it . Soap all gas fittings, plug it in and enjoy your dryer.

I was unsure of how to disassemble the machine to reach the belt, but a YouTube video gave me confidence. Thanks to Partselect.com, the great customer service, and fast delivery. I had my dryer up and running really fast! The process was really not difficult at all and it gave me a chance to vacuum out years of trapped lint. I am so happy to have saved hundreds of dollars, not having to buy a new dryer.I would urge other folks to tackle these relatively simple repairs, the right parts are a phone call away. Frank

Removed drum, replaced bearing. Installed new belt. Reinstalled drum. No problem

I watched video supplied from parts select, only took about 30 minutes, hardest part was putting belt back on, couldn't fit hands in easily, but once I did it, dryer is like new, can't hear a thing.

The job is simple once you know how to remove the front panel. The steps are as follows:
1. disconnect the power cord.
2. remove 4 Phillips-head screws under the lip of the front panel that secure it to the top panel (#1 point Phillips-head screw driver)
3. swing the top panel up, it is hinged in the rear.
4. making note of the connection points of the color-coded wires, disconnect the wires to the lamp socket and door switch (I used a felt-tipped pen on the inside of the front panel to mark the connection points, "R" for red, etc.)
5. remove the upper 2 hex-head screws from inside of the front panel (5/16" nut-driver)
6. loosen the lower 2 hex-head screws (5/16" nut-driver) accessible from outside the panel (you only have to loosen them since the bottom mounting tabs are slotted)
7. slightly lift (to clear above mentioned lower tabs) and tilt the front panel toward you. Swing the front panel to the right as though you were opening a door and position so it does not fall.
8. remove 10 hex-head screws from the black lower rear access panel (5/16" nut-driver) and remove the broken drive belt. Note that the narrow black panel securing the power cable can remain in place.
9. at this point take advantage of the situation and vacuum out the years of lint and dust you could not reach before.
10. stand in front of the dryer, lift the dryer drum slightly and slip the new belt (rib side down) around the drum. Position the belt near the rear of the drum along the wear-mark left by the old belt.
11. go to the back and place the belt in the motor's drive-belt pulley, making sure the ribbed side of the belt mates with the ribs in the pulley.
12. position the tension wheel so that the it takes up the slack in the drive belt. Note the flat side of the drive belt will mate with the flat of the tension wheel.
13. spin the dryer drum a few turns by hand to make sure the drive belt lines up properly with the pulley.
14. reassemble the dryer by reversing the above steps, starting at step 8.

It wasn't so bad taking it apart, but getting the drum back on was a problem. So what i did was too turn the dryer over and cut the heads off of three long screws and slid the drum over top of these and it lined up with the bearing housing.After a few tries it finally lined up and then i put the regular screws back in to hold the drum in place, one at a time.

The same procedures as posted in the video, but as applied to the model. Belt had broken. Bearing and front supports were worn, but the cause of the noise was a worn tensioner pulley bearing/arm, causing damage to the belt until breakage. Save the time and effort of a second repair and purchase a tensioner arm/pulley anytime the belt breaks as this is likely the cause of the original breakage. The hardest part on this older GE was getting under the drum to engage the tensioner and belt to the motor, as clearances we very tight. Review the diagrams, watch the video, and enjoy a quiet and well running machine for your efforts. PartsSelect is the only place to shop for appliance parts, my hat's off to excellent service, fair pricing and fast shipment. Thanks PartSelect!

Ordered the recommended parts on-line and they showed up the next day. I followed the on-line repair video that described it all step-by-step.