GDE490 Maytag Dryer - Instructions

I removed the old element and replaced it. There were only two screw to deal with once I had the front panel off of the dryer. The electrical hookups were easy and the part I got fit exactly like the old part. I had to work at it a bit to get the back end to fit into the exhaust hose, but once that was taken care of this was one of the easiest appliance repairs ever. I agree with the repair man that first told me to fix it, these old machines are worth a few dollars to keep running. They work great!

After replacing the cycling thermostat failed to fix the problem, I jumped the Dampness sensor, overtemp sensor and flame sensor - no change, flame went out after 15 to 30 seconds. Ordered the replacement coils for the gas control and reconnected all sensors: solved!

No manual on this so had to remove about 12 screws to figger out disassembly,after locating the right ones[front]the job was easy.Remove front plate,remove drum bearing,remove blower front cover,remove snap ring,remove broken fan,clean fan shaft,slide new fan onto shaft[there is a flat in the bore of new fan]instal fan retainer on stub of fan,reinstal snap ring,reinstal the rest of the parts,test drive system[all sat]The part was exactly as ordered,thanks,Jim Thompson

Took it apart according to the videos, replaced about all moving parts (almost). Put it back together and still made noise. It turned out to be the blower wheel. Ordered a new blower wheel and installed it. Works great and has mostly all new parts. The website was great!!

I followed the videos on your website, but had to clean 30 years of dust and lint out in the process. Cleaning took the longest time.

Replaced all the parts per the very good video provided on the website.
I recommend watching the video very closely several times. BE SURE THE BELT IS NOT IN THE DRUM'S GROOVE. The video mentions this very very briefly; I caught it on my third viewing. If your belt is not the correct location, it may still turn the drum for you - and eat the belt up in about an hour.

I opened the back acess panel and started the dryer. Looking at the motor and idler pulleys it was obvious by the frequency of the squealing noise that it was coming from the idler pulley.
I pulled the retainer clip and tension spring from the idler pulley and removed it. I applied some grease to the shaft and reinstalled the idler pulley.
The squeal was gone confirming that the pulley bushing was dry. I ordered the new idler pulley and when it arrived the next day I cleaned the grease off of the shaft and installed the new idler pulley. Problem solved.

The 2 screws that hold the front cover to the dryer was hard to see because they are facing down.
After the 2 front screws were removed from the dryer, the heater was easily accessed. All I had to do was to remove the old heater assembly and transfer the limit sensor and wire on the assembly. The hardest part to the repair was fitting the rear end of the heater assembly to the back duct. I just bent the edges to conform to the rear duct where they mate together. Once I got the heater to line up, the rest was easy. Remember to use a shop vac to clean up the inside of the dryer since you have it all opened up. You'll be amazed at what you will find!
My dryer was up and running in no time and my wife was happy and so was I that we didn't have to buy a new dryer!!!

Insure the double pole breaker in the breaker box is functioning properly.

1. Removed two screws from front panel.
2. Removed panel.
3. Removed four bolts off tumbler face.
4. Removed face.
5. Removed drum and belt.
6. Vacuumed.
7. Replaced idler spring assembly.
8. Replaced drum.
9. Replaced belt.
10. Rotated drum to make sure belt was properly seated.
11. Replaced tumbler face.
12. Replaced front panel.

Using a "Fix it Yourself book" and following a simple test method (measuring ohms) to determine if heating element or if it could be a heat sensor or something else was bad. Going slow the heating element was ID'd to be the problem in about one hour. Searched on line and found your site, ordered the part and in 1 day had the part. It took about an hour to install. Wife is very happy. Overall an easy task. Thanks much.

This should have been a simple repair, but turned out to be time consuming and moderately difficult. I hope these instructions will help anyone who encounters the problems described here.

After a period of the dryer not being used, the idler pulley wheel froze on the shaft of the idler pulley arm, so I needed to replace both parts. After mounting the new wheel and two washers on the new arm and securing with a retaining ring, I went to install this assembly by going in through the small access panel at the rear of the dryer. I slid the belt off the old idler pulley wheel and unhooked the spring from the idler pulley arm; the arm was mounted on a sleeve fastened to the motor bracket by one screw. All that should have been necessary was to back out that screw and replace the old idler pulley assembly with the new one.

That is where the trouble started. Backing out the screw with a socket driver, I found it would go a few turns, then start to bind. I tried turning it in and out to get the threads to engage, but it kept binding. Eventually I gave the screw a hard turn, and then it would turn freely but not move in or out.

Looking on the internet for advice, I found a video that asserts for another model Maytag dryer using the same type of mounting for the idler arm, that there is a design flaw. You can find the video by searching for “Maytag dryer idler pulley defect”. According to the video, the sheet metal screw used to mount the idler pulley arm can gradually loosen due to the pressure and vibration, and begins to “waggle” which eventually damages the threads. I believe this is what happened to my dryer. The video suggests replacing the sheet metal screw with a machine screw and nut for a more durable union.

So now I understood how the screw could be stripped just sitting in the dryer, but that didn’t help me get the screw out. Working through the rear access panel, I tried pulling on the screw head with several types of pliers, pushing the point from behind with a piece of wood while turning the head with a socket driver; eventually I was able to use a pry bar under the screw head and sleeve to apply pressure while turning the head, and with that method the screw backed out. With the screw removed, it could be seen that the threads in the middle part of the thread length were almost completely worn away.

The screw sleeve got somewhat deformed in this process so I ordered a new one, along with an exact replacement sheet metal screw, hoping the threads in the hole were still intact. With the old idler pulley arm now removed, I could transfer the old idler bracket spacer to the new idler pulley arm. When the ordered parts arrived and I tried to mount the idler pulley arm, the new screw would go in only a couple of turns before binding. Rather than risk winding up in the same situation by forcing the screw, I decided to use a machine screw and nut instead.

The original sheet metal screw was a #10. A machine screw the same size would not fit through the hole, and I could not fit my drill into the dryer cabinet in a position to enlarge the hole, so I used a #8 machine screw with a nut and lock washer. First I put some grease on the contact areas of the screw sleeve and idler bracket spacer, then inserted the machine screw through the hole and put the lock washer and nut on the other side of the mounting. The space around the nut is very limited, and most of my tools were too large to hold the nut while the screw was tightened. It was too small for a socket or adjustable wrench, and the clearance from the exhaust duct was too small for the handles of most tools. Eventually, I found a needle nose pliers with short handles that did the job. A thin open end wrench might also work. Then I reconnected the spring and belt to the idler pulley assembly, and closed the access panel. So far the dryer works, but if the #8 screw turns out to be not strong enough, I could get an extension for my drill and enlarge the hole to fit a #10 machine screw and nut.

Looking back on the job, the most difficult part of this repair was removing the damaged screw. This and several other steps might have been a lot easier if I had removed the motor bracket (where the idler pulley arm is mounted) from the dryer and worked outside the cabinet. Part Select has an excellent video “Replacing the Drive Motor” that shows how to do this. It would be a lot of disassembly work, but for someone with good assembly skills could be easier in the long run.

Hopefully most folks out there who replace the idler pulley arm on a dryer will find an easier situation than I did. But for any who have to deal with a stripped mounting screw, I hope this summary will help you resolve it.

All you need for a Maytag is a snub nose Philips screw driver. The screws on the front panel are at the bottom angled down, so a regular length Phillip's won't work. Just unscrew the 2 screws, then lift the panel up and out. Careful not to pull out too far, there are 2 wires attached to the switch. The replacement switch is NOT an exact copy of the old one. My Maytag is over 30 years old and it only had 2 prongs on the switch. The new one has 3. Don't let that throw you. It is the same size. Just attach, 1 wire to the bronze connector & the other to the silver. Push the switch into the door opening, re-attach the door. Total time 20 minutes. Saved well over $100 in a service call. Anyone with an IQ above freezing can do it.

first i removed the screws holding back cover. Then I remeved nut from tumbler roller shaft. Then I slid shaft from roller .I removed roller then replaced with new one. Installed new shaft then replaced back cover. recieved parts from parts direct very promptly & they were the right parts the first time thanks very much

I began by unplugging the dryer cord to cut any power to the appliance. I removed the front two screws that hold the front cover on and removed the front cover. I began by cleaning the lint and dust out of the dryer. After getting a look at it, I Googled Maytag to get an idea of possibilities of the problem. I took out the 4 screws that held the heating element into the dryer, and unhooked two wirers,( making sure there was no electrical source). I pulled the heating element out and immediately saw that the element wire was broken. I called Partselect and the person on the other end of the line was extremely knowledeable and willing to help. I was given the option of ordering the heating wire and stringinging it in the original housing or I could order the comlpete heating unit for a little more which woold save me from the extra work of installing it and also insure that the insulators that the wires went through were all new and I would not have to inspect each one and possibly have the same problem later if I missed a bad one and the heating element would short out and I would be back where I was now. I felt good that in hard economic times I could get my appliance up and running without calling the repairman @ 100dollars an hour. There was a fantastic sense of accomplishment that I fixed it myself! I could brag about that. Before I would throw the appliance away and get another used one. I had already shopped the local papers and craigs list but did not need to leave the house for it and arrange hauling because the parts were sent to my house and I was able to repair it myself. It was really a rewarding experiance and turned out fantastic! Parselect was a pleasure to deal with.