GDE27CA Maytag Dryer - Instructions

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

After viewing repair video I used those instructions, after removing drum place new belt on drum, I used scotch tape to hold belt in place, tape belt with 2 inch strip about every foot around drum, leave extra belt that connects to drive motor folded down and taped to drum. After installing drum connect belt to drive motor and roll drum to remove tape. This will keep belt from sliding out of place on drum while installing.

Fallowed instructions on YouTube

By watching a video I disassembled the front and took the dryer tub out and replace the two rollers and it took about 60 minute.

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

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.

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.

Removed front panel and tumbler, replaced roller axle,
wheel, and front glides. Anybody can do this.

Summary: I followed the instructions in the PartSelect.com repair video that was displayed on the motor part page on the site (video here: https://youtu.be/eXJMmn5mwMY).

Details:
1.) I turned off power to the dryer.
2.) I removed the front panel by removing the two screws on the bottom edge with a stubby #2 Phillips screwdriver, then rotated the panel out until the clips released on the top edge.
3.) I noted the wire connections to the door switch, and then removed the three wires from the terminals on the door switch. I removed the door switch wire harness from the clips and moved it out of the way.
4.) I removed the blue wire from the dryness sensor and set it aside but left the other wire attached since it would come off with the bulkhead.
5.) I removed the front tumbler bulkhead by removing the four hex-head screws that secured it with a 5/16" nutdriver. I set the bulkhead aside.
6.) I reached back under the tumbler drum and slipped the drive belt off the idler pulley beside the motor, then pulled the tumbler drum straight out the front of the dryer. I also removed the belt as it was going to be replaced.
7.) I removed the two hex-head screws holding the guard plate over the temperature and thermal overload sensors with a 5/16" nutdriver and then removed the plate.
8.) I removed the single hex-head screw holding the blower housing to the base of the dryer with a 5/16" nutdriver, then removed the six hex-head screws on the front blower cover with a 3/16" nutdriver. I removed the front blower cover and set it aside.
9.) I removed the retaining ring holding the blower wheel from the blower shaft with a retaining ring pliers, then removed the spring clamp from the blower wheel hub with a pair of needlenose pliers. I used a flat-blade screwdriver to gently open up the slots on the blower wheel hub and was able to pull the blower wheel straight off the shaft.
10.) I removed the four hex-head screws attaching the rear blower housing to the motor mount with a 5/16" nutdriver, then removed the rear blower housing, making sure to gently remove it from the exhaust pipe as well.
11.) I detached the idler pulley spring from the idler pulley arm.
12.) I removed the two hex-head screws holding the motor mount to the base of the dryer with a 5/16" nutdriver, then slid the motor mount to the right do detach the tabs on the base from the mounting slots. I disconnected the wires from the motor (red, blue, grey, black and yellow) and moved the wiring harness out of the way..
13.) I pulled the motor and motor mount out of the dryer and placed them on the workbench. Then I removed the retaining ring from the blower end of the motor shaft with retaining ring pliers.
14.) I removed the drive pulley from the shaft with a 3/16" hex key to loosen the set screw. This required a few taps on the key with a hammer.
15.) I removed the motor clips from each end of the motor with a flat-bladed screwdriver, pushing the locking tab on the clip down until it disengaged from the hook on the motor mount.
16.) I removed the motor from the motor mount and discarded it.
17.) I placed the new motor into the motor mount and aligned it so that the frame of the motor would not come in contact with the tumbler drum. I put the new motor clips back on with a flat-bladed screwdriver.
18.) I slid the drive pulley onto the drive shaft and lined it up with the belt mark on the idler pulley. Then I tightened the set screw with a 3/16" hex key and several light taps with the hammer.
19.) I placed the rear blower retaining clip onto the blower end of the shaft with the retaining ring pliers.
20.) The motor came with no wiring diagram, and the manufacturer also changed the starting switch with a different model. Some research on the PartSelect.com site yielded instructions on the correct terminal connections. The motor came with several 1/8" crimp connectors to replace the original 1/4" connectors on 2 of the wires. I used the wire strippers to cut the ends off the red and yellow wires, stripped 1/4" of insulation, and the used the crimping tool to crimp new 1/8" connectors on the red and yellow wires.
21.) I replaced the motor mount and motor back in the dryer and connected the wires to the correct terminals. There was a blue jumper wire on the motor that I removed per instructions so that the grey wire could connect to the motor thermal overload terminal.
22.) Reassembly was then the reverse of disassembly. The only tricky part was putting the new belt on and getting it threaded through the drive pulley and idler pulley in the correct orientation. While I had the drum out, I took the opportunity to lubricate the drum roller wheel bearings and the idler pulley bearing and to clean out the accumulated lint from some 20 years of operation.

The job took about 2 hours total, a good portion of which was spent figuring out the correct wiring for the new motor.

The dryer now works quietly and starts without issue.

Problem was the blower wheel, (Plastic deteriorated). Replaced the tumbler and motor belt as well as th idler pulley. While the blower wheel turned out to be the problem, the other parts were significantly deteriorated. Since I had the dryer disassembled it made sense to replace the other parts. The 24 year old dryer runs like new. The parts select instructional videos were extremely helpful.

Remove the door and the plastic brackets on the other side of the door opening. Remove the front cover by gentally pulling from the top first. Support the dryer basket (I used an old towel and a block of wood. With a 1/2 inch wrench remove the Roller Shaft with the Drum Support still attached. Replace new shaft and drum support. (always replace both at the same time or you will find that the problem will come back much sooner.) Careful when installing. Make sure that the new non metalic washers (suppied) are propery seated when you are tightening down the nut.

This dryer has been really reliable. This is the first time I've had to repair it. PartsSelect.com says the noise had a 30% chance the problem would be the tumbler rollers and shaft and 18% it would be the blower impeller fan. I took a chance on the rollers, thinking I would save $20 on the blower fan. Big mistake! Once I dissambled the dryer, I realized almost immediately it was the blower fan and not the rollers. When I manually turned the motor shaft, I discovered the problem. The plastic fan's shaft hole is worn to a larger diameter and is semi-freewheeling on the shaft causing the racket. I replaced the rollers and belt and ordered a new fan. I tried putting electrical tape on the shaft to enlarged the OD like a fellow on this site said, but it worked for about 3 minutes then the racket started again. Also, I had to pull the dryer away from the wall and open the access door to the back of the motor in order to thread the drive belt on the motor and idler pulleys. I couldn't fit my arms along side and under the tumbler. I've got the scratches on my left arm to prove it. Suggestion: Replace the blower fan, rollers and shafts if you have the rumbling noise when operating the dryer. Might as well replace the drive belt while you have it apart, too.

replaced

I bought this machine in 1984. For the belt to last this long, is extraordinary. The belt comes in a plastic bag with instructions. After removing the front cover(2 screws at the bottom, tip bottom out towards you. Cover unhinges from the top. Lean face against a wall. Don't remove any wires). I then vacuumed the inside thoroughly. Used a parts brush to wipe everything off, and blew out with compressed air. Vacuumed again. A bit obsessive, but gas and dust are not a good combination. So why not take the extra time. There is a continuous mark on the circumference of the drum, left by the original belt. Use this as your guide to locate the new belt. Rotate the drum by hand to make sure it tracks correctly. I also ran the motor with everything open, to make sure everything was cool before I buttoned it up. Also took the time to replace the gas line with a new one, and duct-taped the vent pipe to improve air flow.