DE180 Maytag Dryer - Instructions

Removed the two lower screws holding front of dryer assembly in place and "unhinged" it and stood it up on floor. Then I unclipped the two wire leads on inside of dryer door assembly and moved assembly completely out of work area. Next I removed the four screws holding the tumbler frame in place and removed that frame from the work area. Now you can access the blower wheel "frame" and remove 5 or 6 hex screws to get that off and out of your way. You DO NOT have to remove the dryer drum and/or drum belt to complete this repair, so save yourself some work and leave it in place!! Once the blower wheel frame is off, use pliers and a flatheaded screwdriver to get the small outer retaining clip off, and then just pliers to get the wheel retaining ring off the wheel shaft. Put on the new blower wheel, use pliers to replace the aforementioned wheel retaining ring, and then the small outer retaining clip...VIOLA! You're finished! Dryer will run like new with a smooth purr instead of that dreaded rumbling sound.

Followed instruction video

Unplugged the dryer, Very important, there is voltage on on of the wires to the heater.
I first removed the 2 screws on the lower part of the front cover and rotated this out of the way, no need to disconnect any wires. removed 2 small screws that hold the heater assy. cover plate and the one screw in the front bottom of the heater assy. I then removed the one screw at the top back of the heater. this completely frees the heater assy.
I then removed the push on wire from the thermistor and the other wire from the lug and I transferred the thermistor to the new unit. Now it is time to reverse the process making sure the entire circumference of the heater assy goes into the hole in the back. This can be a little tricky if the new assy is out of round. Just work it in, it will fit. Very easy, only about 20 min from start to finish...

Turn off circuit breaker or unplug. Remove two screws 4 inches from bottom front panel of cabinet with stubby phillips head. Pull panel towards you about 30 degrees; then wiggle it down, to free two steel spring clips holding it to cabinet. Pull off red and yellow wire from door switch. Now set front panel aside. Blower assembly is facing you at lower left. Open the housing by removing six small screws from cover and one attached to dryer base. Remove spring clip from end of shaft. (A circlip pliers helps to prevent it from springing off somewhere.). Squeeze spring retainer surrounding blower wheel shaft with regular pliers, and wiggle the blower off. Replace in reverse order. Be sure insulation around blower wheel housing seats properly into front panel. This keeps the hot air flowing up past the lint trap.
Easy job, about half hour. Mine took longer, because I had removed the belt and drum, thinking the noise came from bad drum support rollers. It was just the plastic blower wheel shaft seat, which had worn itself round. Cost $20 (including shipping) and my 29-year old Maytag is as good as new--at least for now.

Because of the nature of the noise, and knowing nothing of appliance repair, I assumed that there was a loose belt. I figured that the belt would be accessible from the rear of the machine. After much disassembly, I discovered that the belt was in fine shape and not the problem. But every time I spun the drum, I could still hear the rumbling sound. Eventually, I discovered that the from paned of the dryer is the easiest to remove. Once I removed that, I discovered the blower fan housing. A few screws later and I could see that the plastic fan center was worn out. I had a part number so I simply did a quick internet search and found several sites that stocked it. PartSelect had the best price and the best shipping prices as well. I placed the order on Saturday afternoon. I got the confirmation immediately, and the shipping information on Monday. On Wednesday the part was waiting at my door! It took about 15 minutes to re-assemble the dryer and now, about 18 loads later, it's perfect!
Thank you PartSelect!!!!
Joe G

We had trouble getting the front of the dryer off; we tried to pry the top off. It works better if you remove the screws at the bottom of the front panel ;) Once we had the front off, we used a 1/4" ratchet wrench to take the front off the fan housing. We took off the compression clamp off easily with a pair of priers. Removing the retainer clip was harder; we ddn't have the right tool. We removed the broken fan. We ordered the part, easy peasy, from this website. Had to buy a $9 tool to put the retainer washer back on. We reassembled the fan housing and put the fron back on. It worked! Total cost: ~$30.00. Actual time (excluding waiting for parts and buying tools): 2 hours.

I bought a new one and replaced it.

Just pulled out the old filter and inserted the new one. went great and fit good.

I UNPLUGGED TH UNIT.Removed the 2 screws holding the front panel in place, disconnected the electrical leads on the panel. These screws are located on each side of the panel 3 in. from the bottom. Removed the 4 screws holding the shroud. Disconnected the ground wire on the shroud & set both aside. Installed the new belt per the diagram & instructions. Turned the tumbler by hand a few times to verify proper installation. Re-installed the shroud & front panel including reconnecting the leads & ground wire. You need to use both hands in a tight space to install the belt on the pulley & guide(a littledificult) The new belt fit perfectly & the instructions were easy to follow & accurate.

Opened your replacement part and found a broken fin on the blower wheel. no way I was going to return it and wait another week for another part. Perhaps you folks need to inspect what you send out. 1 blower wheel with a broken fin and 2 clamps. Replacement was easy and quickly accomplished. Having replaced drum rollers and the belt this dryer is almost new. Thanks

Fallowed instructions on YouTube

I removed the front panel (two screws at bottom, then lifted bottom toward me until the top holders slid out). Then I unscrewed the front assembly that holds the dryer drum (four screws), first propping the drum from below so it would stay in place. I removed the blower housing (seven screws) and could see that the blower wheel was loose on the spindle. The 'D' shaped fitting had rounded out. A pair of snap ring pliers made removing the retaining ring and the wheel clamp a cinch and saved a good deal of teeth gnashing. I slid on the new blower wheel and then did everything in reverse. One caution: be sure the drum is pushed firmly up and back when reattaching the front assembly. (It can be done successfully with two hands). I had to re-do this part of the reassembly because the bottom of the drum was rubbing against the blower assembly. Once that was corrected, the dryer ran noiselessly. Thank goodness for PartSelect's diagrams. They're invaluable.

I removed the front of the dryer and the drum support plate. I drilled out the old rivets and installed the Glides with the enclose rivets. The Glides came loose in a few days! The holes in the glides are larger than in the old Glides. I disassembled the dryer again and reassembled with my rivets. This time I held the rivet gun inside the perimeter of the dryer so that the head of the rivet is opposite the initial installation. So far, so good, except the dryer still squeaks. The idler pulley is now the culprit. White grease burned up. I reassembled with high temperature grease. If that does not work, I will need another idler pulley. The journal looks very worn. the dryer is 30+ years old.

Removed front cover.removed 4 screws holding drum in place. Cleaned out lint from everywhere. Placed new belt over drum looping it over idler arm & motor pulley. Pushed drum back ; rotated drum to see that belt was engaged. Put front drum bracket in place. Put front panel in place with 2 screws at the bottom. Tested motor & rotation of drum; then checked heat. All worked fine. Took 1 hr. but most time spent cleaning lint.

Took longer to open the box that it did to drop the new lint filter into the dryer. Washed a load of clothes and the new dryer filter worked great

Thanks.

R. Bonker