MDE2500AYW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

A year or so ago I replaced one drum wheel. The dryer worked fine for months until it started sqeaking again. When I removed the wheels again the shaft was no longer round but half moon shaped. this allowed the drum to drop lower than it's supposed to. consequently the drum ate through the back drum support. I replaced the back drum support and the roller shafts, in addition to two new rollers. It works great now. The more difficult part of the repair was replacing the rear drum support. It is screwed in from the back and requires two people. Everything else I did by myself. The lesson: If you replace the rollers, be sure the roller shafts are not worn. An asymetric shaft eventually causes more parts to wear out.

Press in the new female latch part with thumbs. Took about two seconds!

I removed the control panel and front panel, then the brace holding in the drum. Then the drum came out easily.

Replacing the rollers is easy, use circlip pliers to remove the old circlips, replace the rollers, and reinstall the circlips.

After removing the idler pulley by removing one bolt and the spring, I replaced the idler roller, again with the circlip pliers. Then the idler arm bolts back to the motor mount, and the spring is replaced.

Reinstalling is easy - place the drum, have someone support it while you install the drum brace, then replace the front panel, then the control panel.

Did an internet search for parts for my older Maytag dryer. Landed on PartSelect and man I am glad I did! Entered my model number and boom! Complete schematics on the dryer, with part numbers. Also have diagnostic questions to point you in the right direction. Figured out what parts I needed, ordered via phone. Fantastic customer service. PartSelect also has excellent installation videos you can watch to assist. Took me a little over an hour to open up the dryer, replace the drum rollers, drum belt, idler roller and both front and rear felt seals. Buttoned dryer back up, hit the run switch and it purs like brand new. I cannot recommend PartSelect to highly. Great company, great customer service, quick shipping.

Watch the video. Very, very easy

Took off the four screws to get to the female clip and used pliers to squeeze it out. Next was using pliers to pinch out the male connector and place the new one in.

First I put the square female end iof the door catch kit nto the square hole as snug as I could. Then I gently pushed the door against the piece until I heard it click in to place. That's it!! Sooooo simple--

Unplug dryer--remove back panel of control console--swap out buzzer--cover back--plug in--good to go.

This was fun! Kill the power!
Remove door, remove from panel, remove front drum support, remove drum and belt, remove blower cover, remove blower wheel, remove electrical connector from motor, take two clips off motor mount to remove motor. Put it all back in with new parts. 200 bucks and back in business. Go for it.
Bob

Followed your video; replaced felt seal on front of drum, (torn in two or three places), and replaced both front guide kits,which were ground to the metal, causing the black dust, ( metal shavings). Thanks for the help, Buck. The drum support rollers were OK.

removed dryer door 4 screws
removed front panel
removed front tumbler bracket
removed blower cover
removed wires attached to heat and door sensors
removed top
removed drum and belt
removed side panel
removed clamp holding idler pulley
replaced pulley and clamp
reversed above steps

The replacement part just snapped into place. (The old part had fallen out) It took less than 30 seconds to do the repair.

Using the pictoral parts diagrams on the PartSelect website, it was a logical process to disassemble the dryer to change the drum drive belt. This was a great opportunity to clean lint from the motor and air passages and inspect all components. Cleaned the belt track, the roller drum wheels and felt seals. Unit now runs like new. BTW - very fast shipping on the replacement belt and it was the right part the first time!

Removed four philips screws, two holding door on and two on opposite side of door in order to remove front cover. Then removed two 5/16 screws holding clips that lock the top cover down. Then the top cover hinges up with open access to the drum. The baffles are held into place with two #10 x 1 1/4" screws with 5/16" head each. These had pulled through the drum. Installed new baffles (do NOT come with screws / you'll have to buy some). Had to put small washers (also had to buy) on the screws to hold it onto the drum since the other screw heads pulled through the drum. Closed lid, installed retaining clips, installed door onto frame, installed front cover around door, then screwed door hinges into front cover and screws to other side. Took about as long to write these directions as it did to actually do the work... EASY job!!

Tools required: Stubby socket wrench, 5/16" socket, 1/2" socket, 1/4" socket, #3 Phillips screwdriver, external circlip pliers, straight slip joint pliers. A decently strong electric screwdriver is highly recommended - Milwaukee 2401-20 M12 cordless 1/4" Hex Screwdriver, for example.

Unplug the dryer. Turn off the gas supply.

Remove the screws holding the door hinges to the dryer.

Remove the door and hinges from the dryer by pulling the door and hinges up, then out.

Remove the two plastic thingies (door stops), opposite of where the hinges were, from the front panel of the dryer. Each plastic piece is held in place by two screws.

Grasp the front panel by its top edge, pull it toward you, then lift the panel up and off the clips at the bottom.

There are a couple metal brackets holding the top of the dryer down to the front shroud (the doorway) and frame, one on either side. Each bracket is held in place by two screws. Remove the screws, remove the brackets, then rock the top panel up and back, like the hood of a car.

Remove the screws holding the shroud to the frame. Look carefully. There are two screws that look like they hold the shroud to the frame, but actually do not. Don't remove these screws yet.

Remove the screws holding the plastic duct / lint screen slot to the shroud. These are very long.

Disconnect the wires from the door switch.

Remove the shroud.

Remember the two screws I referenced previously, stating they shouldn't yet be removed? Now's the time to remove them. Do so, then set the panel aside, being careful not to damage any wires. Don't lose the rubber gasket sitting around the circular portion of the duct.

There's a metal cover over the blower wheel. This cover is held in place by a bunch of screws. Remove them all, then remove the cover.

Remove the circlip going around the blower shaft, in front of the blower wheel.

Remove the clamp from around the blower wheel and shaft.

Pull the blower wheel off the shaft.

Install the new blower wheel.

Reinstall the clamp around the blower wheel and shaft.

Reinstall the circlip.

Reinstall the metal blower cover.

Make sure the rear of the drum is resting on the wheels.

Now things become a little difficult, because you have to fight the drum a little bit. Put the panel containing the moisture sensor, front drum seal, and duct into position. (Be careful not to mess up the drum glides. Make sure the rubber seal at the bottom of the vent is in place, sealing the vent to the blower.) Screw the panel into place with two screws, but don't fully tighten yet.

There's a felt seal that is supposed to go between the rear lip of the drum and the rear inside wall. The seal is supposed to be held folded, pinched between the lip and the wall, with the edge of the seal being outside the drum. The seal isn't supposed to jut into the inside of the drum. Use your fingers and some other tool to push the rear felt drum seal out of the inside of the drum. If you use a screwdriver, be careful that you don't cut, rip, or otherwise damage the felt seal.

Do the same with the front felt drum seal.

Carefully inspect the felt seals. You don't want any portion of the seal somehow working its way back into the inside of the drum. Then verify again that the rubber seal that goes between the blower housing and the vent is in place and properly sealing. Now tighten the screws.

Connect the wires to the door switch on the shroud, then loosely screw the shroud in place. Screw the shroud to the vent. Once all the screws are in place, tighten all the screws.

Lower the top of the dryer into position.

Hook a bracket into one side of the lid, position the bracket over the front shroud, then screw in place.

Repeat with the other bracket.

Place the front panel onto the bottom clips. Seat the panel onto the clips all the way, then rock the panel forward into place.

Install the plastic door stops.

Insert the door hinges into their slots, push the door down to seat into place, then install the screws that hold the hinges in place.

Plug the dryer in, turn on the gas, test.