KGYE778BAL2 KitchenAid Dryer - Instructions

Prop up the hood of the dryer with flat bar. Take out 2 screws holding dryer front end and 2 switch screws for dryer light inside dryer door. Secure dryer drum with bungee cord. Lift front end and remove. Remove broken belt. Route new belt over drum and pass underneatch idler pulley at botttom of dryer. Apply pressure to idler pulley w/one hand while securing belt around motor with the other. Make sure drum seals are snug between front and back of dryer while putting everything back together.
Have confidence. This is a very easy fix.

Looking at the schematics, it wasn't clear exactly where the motor was located. I took off the rear panel thinking I could get to the motor through the blower. Realizing that was a no-go, I did some web searching and found that the lint screen chute had to be unscrewed, the top had to be lifted to gain access to the top 2 screws holding the front panel to to the main body. The barrel was then dropped and the rib belt removed from around it so I could set it aside. The clips were removed from the front and the back of the motor to gain access to the blower shaft. .The motor shaft is screwed into the blower shaft but it took me a while to figure out how to grab the blower shaft( made of hardened plastic?) with an adjustable wrench while torquing the end of the shaft with a (3/4"?) socket wrench. Access to the rear was rough, but getting the motor out an back in was easy. The spring tensioner for the belt was the next hurdle. With the s-curve facing outward and clipped to the base, the belt with the rib side wrapped around the barrel, the belt was slid between the roller and the tensioner bracket and wrapped around the motor drive rib side inward. I had to take the old motor to kind of prop up the barrel so I could at least see the tensioner and motor interface. I had to do a balance trick where I held the barrel up while centering it to the belt and the rear panel while ensuring the cloth seal was seated to the outside of the chamber. The front panel went on, and the front cloth seal was seated by spinning the barrel. The rest was just a matter of reversing the steps. Tons of lint/dust is probably what crashed this motor. Disassembling the front and the back allowed a thorough clean up - vacuuming and wipe down. Should go another 10 years/

Old door catch came out, new one slipped in. All works great.

removed front of dryer located igniter removed two screws disconnected wires then put new one in also replace thermal fuse and thermostat on back of dryer works great.

I suspected a faulty igniter and disconnected the cable to the igniter and measured the resistance of the igniter and found it to be 70 ohms then I checked the voltage at the same cable towards the power source and found it to be 25 volts ac which should be 120 volts ac. Next I checked the radiant flame sensor and found it to be open (it should be a closed circuit when cold). I removed the flame sensor (with the power off) using a small box wrench and found a broken lead. Replacing the flame sensor solved the problem.

I was reluctant to call a repair service. Typically when an appliance is as old as my dryer (14 years old), service people encourage you to replace, not repair. I had replaced the dryer's motor within the last 5 years and believed my dryer still had life to it. At first, I tried cleaning the lint build up from the dryer cavity and hoses. This worked but only for a couple of days. After reading other successful repair stories on the website, I decided to try replacing the thermal fuse. It was so easy. The part was easily identifiable. It was just a little hard to yank off the connecting wires. Good as new and no service call.

Numbet one - unplugged the dryer. Then disassembled dryer (front panel, loosened vent from top panel and removed drum). Removed motor after carefully documenting wires and their corresponding numbers, along with pictures. Read directions several times to assure we understood process. Followed instructions for replacing connectors. Used pliers and screwdriver to install motor clips. This took numerous, patient attempts. We also had to partially remove the vent in order to reinstall the motor. Then replaced drum, front cover, reattached vent to top cover. Reattached outside vent hose. Plugged dryer in and tested it. Motor replacement worked fine and fixed the problem (squealing).

The most difficult part of this repair was making sure I purchased the right part !!! Part Select.com has a great website with pictures of almost every part you could ever need. I was able to select the right part and from there the repair was easy.

Replaced both Coils. Purchased M Series coils much less expensive buying coils together instead of seperately. Problem solved.

Took everything apart, replaced the igniter flint, and still didn't get heat. Then found out the thermal sensor wasn't running a electrical current through it with voltmeter and just replaced that, now it we have heat again!

Removed lower front cover of dryer, located coils, removed old coils by disconnecting the wires and removing the hold down bracket screws. Pulled the old coils out replaced them with the new coils by aligning the index pins on the coils with the holes in the bracket then reattached the bracket and plugged the wires into the new coils. Then closed the cover on the front of the dryer. Dryer now ignites and stays on to heat up and dry clothes.

Unplug dryer, remove two screws in lint screen door, using a pry bar or stiff putty knife, gently pry up on both front corners to release the clips holding the top down. Use a 5/16" nut driveer two remove the two screws inside at the top of the front of the dryer, remove the two wires on the door switch. Open door enough to get your hand in to support the drum, now lean the front out at the top and let the drum rest. Grasping the front at the top on both sides gently lift up to release the clips securing the bottom front. Release the door springs,open door and replace the hinges. Reverse to reassemble.

Solution: electric motor replacement as the integral centrifugal switch lever (plastic cam) wears over time causing the start windings' switch poor contact. Took it all apart, (back panel, front and top) including lifting the drum out to completely expose the motor. Needed to wrench the plastic fan from the inside motor shaft. Tricky part was swapping the original pulley (6 rib belt, still good) for the one supplied for 4 rib belts. I needed to file another flat onto the other side of both motor shafts (old and new) to break them free, using a vice to secure the pulleys. The dryer works perfectly! It's a great dryer that can be repaired by a determined novice. The enclosed instructions were helpful, although if followed about cutting the original motor shaft to obtain its pulley might require drilling the shaft from the pulley = nonsense. Thanks again Parts Select.

Followed the PartSelect instruction video.
Basically opened the dryer.
Took the drum out.
Took the broken motor out.
cleanned the dryer since I had everything opened.
Replaced motor, pulley, old belt.
My 20 years old dryer is running like brand new.

I took the dryer apart by visually looking at it and removing screws, etc. until I had the top off and the front off. I took the dryer apart so I could get the part out and use it visually ascertain I was ordering the same part.

I bought the replacement part and only then did I have the instructions to take the dryer apart. It was further apart than the instructions said. I had to take the front off to retrieve the broken part which had fallen inside the front of the dryer.

I put the front back on the dryer and installed the new part, which, fortunately could only be installed one way. Once I had the two screws tightened into the part, the remainder was to simply follow the instructions that came from your web site and put the link filter and top of the dryer back on. Of course, I plugged in the dryer and checked to see that it ran before completing this.

I am amazed that I was able to find this part for a 30 year old dryer. The part hasn't changed at all. I guess, if you have a good part, there's no need to modify it.