SDE5401AZW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

remove bottom two screws on lower front panel, remove panel. remove two screws on lower portion of door panel, pull bottom panel towards yourself to release pins at the top. Disconnect wiring for light and door switch (make sure to note what wires go where. Complete removal of front door panel. Remove 4 screws holding cylinder frame in place, lift to remove. remove remnants of old felt seal, use rotary tool to remove excess glue, etc. apply glue (used rubberized gorilla super glue), apply felt seal - allow glue to set up. reinstall in reverse direction from removal. Be sure to use glue as there are no clips or other retaining pieces for the new felt and it will not hold in place. overall pretty easy.

I had already taken the dryer apart prior to changing the felt seal. Had oiled the rollers, greased the bearings & vacuumed the whole inside of the dryer out. Had used a high temp lubricant on the seal & had stopped squeaking for about a month. I ordered 2 seals & when they arrived, I popped the top of the dryer off using the putty knife to pry the spring latches. I opened the top up & leaned it against a wall. I disconnected the wiring to the light & the switch in the door, making note of the wiring order. Then used a nut driver to take the 2 screws from the inside out, that holds the front cover in place. Then the same for the 4 screws holding the front bulkhead in place. Then lifted up & out from the unit. Then used the putty knife to scrap the adhesive & old seal off the bulkhead. Cleaned as much of the adhesive off, then applied some high temp silicone adhesive to the bulkhead, placed the new seal on, using some clamps to hold it in place. After making sure it had adhered to the seal & bulkhead. Did the reversal of the above mentioned steps. Moved the unit to laundry room, plugged it in then started it & voila no more squeaking dryer.

I took off two screws on the front panel and removed it. I then located the old element inside at the back, left side of the dryer. I removed the two screws holding it in and then transfered the wires to the new element. My dryer works better than it ever did before. Thanks,

Disconnect power and pulled the lower front panel off unit (2 screws).
I used a ohm meter and found heater coil open. Ordered correct part online (easy to find it on the web site).
Three days later, new part in hand I unplugged the failed unit's wiring and removed the heating unit (2 screws). Installed the new part, connected wires and reinstalled the four screws.
Engaged power and turned the dryer on. Vent pie had heat, so placed wet clothes in unit and ran a dryer cycle. Works like new. Cost was about $65.00 versus the $500.00 for a new dryer.

1) Unplug dryer.
2) Remove the 3 screws to remove control panel from the main unit.
3) Remove the metal back to the control panel by removing 3 more screws.
4) Remove the knob from the temperature selector switch.
5) Pull the switch out, leaving the wires connected.
6) Unplug each of the 4 wires, one at a time. I plugged them directly into the new switch before going to the next wire, to ensure I didn't mix anything up.
7) Put everything back together in the opposite order.

The part was a perfect match and it is working great.

This is a real easy fix to do by yourself. First, I removed three screws on the inside of the dryer. These hold the air duct assembly in place. Second, remove two bolts on the front-bottom part of the bottom panel. Third after panel is removed loosen the two other bolts and remove air duct assembly. Simple as that.

did basic diagnostics to narrow down the problem to be likely one of the three parts include w/ the kit. removed front panel and confirmed that part looked like the one on the web page. part arrived 3 business days after ordering.
used nutdriver to remove two screws holding old part in place. pulled old part out still attached to wiring harness and assembled new part and attached wires the same way as the old part. installed new part, plugged in dryer and confirmed that it was heating. replaced front pannel and dryer is now working as well as ever. hardest part was reaching to the back of the dryer from the front while lying on the floor. total cost was cheaper than a service call, let alone paying for parts and labor from a service tech.

Unplug Dryer. Remove 2 5/16in hex screws fm lower panel,3 51/6in hex screws to vent duct. Remove 2 1/4in hex screws to thermostat. Remove 7 1/4in hex screws to blower cover and 2 5/16in hex screws holding base footings.Use adj. wrench to hold rear nut on motor shaft, use7/8in socket to remove fan frm motor shaft. Remove 3 5/16in hex screws holding fan housing to motor mount. Lift-up on spring tensioned belt pulley to remove belt. Pull motor & mount out [wires are layed toward front allowing removal]. Use 6in flat tip screwdriver to unsnap both front/rear motor clamps.Pinch plastic end clamps and remove motor electrical connector.Motor installation is reverse. For belt removal,remove 2 5/16in hex screws to door panel [unhook 2 wires to upper RT rear to door switch].Remove 4 5/16in hex screws to front bulkhead panel.Allow drum to sag IN PLACE [removal not required to replace belt],note belt location and slide old belt off and new one on
Replace Bulheald and door panel [re-attach door switch wires].Complete install by lifting belt pulley and feeding new belt into place. Hand rotate drum to ensure proper belt allignment and tracking. Replace lower panel. Vacuum interior as necessary. Parts delivered in 3days and fit perfectly.

First unplug the dryer,then remove the front bottom panel. With your 5/16 nut driver reach to the rear of the vent tube under the dryer and remove the lone screw that holds the tube in place. Lean the dryer forward and remove the tube from the rear of the dryer,this will allow you to see and reach the idler wheel from the front. Release the belt,feel for the clip that holds the wheel in place on the opposite side of the front,with your thumb nail or something else if preferred pry out on one side of the clip until it pops off. Slide the wheel off being careful not to lose the washer,slide the new wheel on and replace the clip. Put the belt back on replace the tube,which is actually the toughest part because you have to find the hole for the lone screw as you can't see it,but with a little patience it is easily enough done. Put the vent hose back on replace the front panel and plug it in and go!!it took me 30 min. Alittle tough to feel for some of the parts,but really much easier than you would think.

The repair looked simple enough until it came time to take the out wheel off. Because you can not hold the motor shaft(and the wheel screws on) it was necessary to remove the whole motor assembly and then grind the out shaft down, then use a small screwdriver to take the remaining shaft off.
I must say it was nice to recieve the part in as fast as I did we live in a very rural area and things like that are very hard to find

How to take apart a dryer:
The first way:
1) Remove front lower panel (2 screws on bottom).
2) Remove the front black plastic air duct.
3) If you have long arms, or an extention socket wrench, you might be able to reach the heating unit, otherwise use the Second way:

The second way:
1) Remove front lower panel, as this will expose the screws to the dry door unit.
2) Remove dryer door unit (2 screws on bottom, 2 spring clips on top), and disconnect assoc wires.
3) Remove dryer lid:
3.1) Remove 2 screws on front (previously hidden by door unit
3.2) Remove 2 clip hooks on back of dryer
3.3) Lift lid rear above center guides, and wiggle away from front spring clips
4) Lay dryer on back, as this will allow easier removal of the drum
5) Remove screws securing the heater control unit.

Attempt 1: Disconnected heating element and saw that the heating coils were broken. Ordered new heating coil and new belt.
Attempt 2: 3 weeks after installing new heating element, my wife informed me that the unit was no longer putting out heat!!! So, I ordered the Thermostat and Thermal Fuse. Put dryer back together.
Attempt 3: Turned it on - absolutely nothing - dead, dead, dead. Discussed purchasing new $600+ dryer. Started taking it apart again, and discovered that door wire was never reattached. Meaning the dryer thought the door was wide open.
Attempt 4: Now the dryer squeaks. Took dryer partially apart and added white grease to wheels that support the drum. Currently, all is well with the world.

Moral of the story: Replace the entire heating unit, check belt for cracks and grease the wheels if you get a chance.

Well first of all you get to the back of the dryer from the FRONT.. after lower panel was removed location of the heating element was right in front of you. Two 7/16 sheet metal screws hold the heating element in place very easy to remove.. upon removal you will have plenty of room to pull element out and switch out the wires you need to do.. Upon examination I think my trouble was a high limit fuse that burned out, so I propably did'nt need to buy the whole element ( you might want to check that first it is the ceramic one ) cleaned everything out and dryer is as good as new Good luck

removed the bottom panel. then the door. unscrewed the 4 screws, removed duct and replaced. parts came fast and fit just right! no issues at all! I recomend Parts select as an appliance vendor for parts.

I started at the bottom and removed the two nut screws that support the bottom section of the front of the dryer. Then I removed the two nut screws that supports the next section and disconnected the two wires ( making note of wich terminals each wire went to). Then I removed the lint trap housing( three phillips head screws hold it in place from the inside). Next ,I removed the face plate( held in place by 4 nut screws and two metal tabs at the bottom). Then I took the old tub brackets and felt seal off of the face plate . Next ,spray adheisive arond the ring of the face plate and install the new felt seal, then the new brackets and dryer glides and felt pads. Last, re-install all components.

Removed power and front panel, removed broken latch, pushed in new latch and replaced the front panel and power. Done