MDE12CSAGW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

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

I happened to come across a repair story posted by Wayne From Minneapolis MN about how he reinstalled the tumbler, plugged the dryer in, and started it up but forgot the belt and realized that it was the blower wheel that was loose on the shaft. As soon as I read that, I said, "Yes! that's it!" So I ordered the blower wheel and a belt. I decided to replace the belt since I saw it was slightly frayed. After all, the dryer is almost 20 years old!

First, switched off the power to the dryer or disconnect it from the outlet. Took the front panel off by removing the two screws near the bottom of the dryer. Pulled the bottom of the panel out and the two clips on the top just disengaged easily. Be careful, there are two wires connected to this panel. Just rotated it to the left and let it rest vertically. If need be, the two wires can be removed easily.

Next, I removed the four screws to take out the front tumbler and the tumbler. Set them aside. Then I removed the belt. You might want to pay attention as to how the belt goes around the motor pulley and the idler pulley before removing the belt.

After nearly 20 years, I'm surprised that it wasn't full of lint and dust. Gave it a good vacuuming and clean up.

Next, I removed the blower cover, the retaining ring, the hub clip, and the blower wheel. Installed the new blower wheel, hub clip, and here's the challenging task without the proper tool - putting the retaining ring back on the shaft! It took me about 5 minutes to put it back on the shaft with a small flat-head screw driver and an awl. Reinstalled the blower cover.

Next, I put the new belt over the pulleys and loosely hung the belt on the back tumbler to hold it up. Then I put the tumbler back in and worked the belt over the tumbler. I let the belt sat in the groove of the tumbler first and then when the tumbler was in position, I worked the belt over the two pulleys in to the proper position. Then I moved the belt to strap over the top of the tumbler. At this point, I just rolled the tumbler with my hand when part of the belt was out of the groove and on top of the tumbler. The motion took care of getting the rest of the belt out of the groove and on top of the tumbler as it should be located. Reinstalled the front tumbler and then the front panel.

Powered it back up and started the dryer and viola! the rumbling noise was not to be heard. Just like it used to sound - a low humming noise. Thanks Partselect.com for the helpful repair stories and the speed in getting the parts to me.

Replaced with new part from PartSelect . Works Fine.

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.

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.

replaced

Fast receipt of parts from supplier . All parts went together very quickly. Don/t recommend this work for those who have no mechanical skills. realignment of screws can be very tricky . They must all be correctly aligned first and driven in at diagonals to equalize pressure . Job needs to be used with hand tools as it is easy to strip out the threads in dryer by overtightening the screws.
PS before this we had replaced the drum belt.
Update:
We ran the dryer after replacing the drum support rollers and the idler pulley and it was smooth for about 5 minutes. then the rumbling and uneven rotation started up again! The tip-off was when we had done a test roll on the drum after changing the above parts, we heard a rumble from the blower wheel! so we ordered the blower wheel, replaced it and the dryer sounds like new.
Thanks to others who have written their stories which helped us figure out the problem. : ) saves big $$ on buying a new dryer. PS ours is 15 years old and has had heavy use.

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.

took the front cover off the dryer to get front access to the tumbler and the rear access panel to get access to actually aligning the belt on the tumbler. all in all it was fairly simple to change and the part came in within 2 days of ordering. very pleased with the delivery time!!! thanks, jason hines

four screws removed the front and angled bottom panels exposing the blower wheel and duct work. It was just another few screws to remove the control panel and main duct, exposing the blower housing. 4 more screws and a snap ring came off, then I removed the old blower wheel and replace it with the new one, fitted the seal, reassembled everything in the reverse order of dissassembly, and voila! A quite efficient clothes dryer again. Better than new.

Parts Select accepted my order on a Friday and I received my parts from a Pennsylvania distribution center on Saturday. Total out of pocket expense about $30 - significantly cheaper and quicker than had I called in a service person to perform the repair. Parts diagram and information provided online by Parts Select made it easy to identify the required parts and how things went together, making this repair almost as easy as looking in the phone book for a repair guy.

I unscrewed the door catch and pried out with some resistance the strike part. Screwed in the catch and pushed in the strike. Closed door. Voila!! Back in business with assurance.

removed the front panel, pulled out the drum, applied the new belt, reassembled, put in screws and voila.....the dryer worked.

First I removed the two screws on the front panel that hold the element in place. I then pulled the element out about 3" and disconnected the two wires. Find out the roller broken. Place an order with Partselect from friend recommendation. Fast delivery, replace the broken roller, reverse the process and test the sound of the dryer. Very satisfied with the parts. Thanks!

The blower had lost its key and was not attached to the motor. To do the repair: Remove the front cover, remove the lint screen assembly, remove the front of the blower housing. Use snap ring pliers to remove the blower wheel and install the new one. Reassemble and your done.

Watched the videos for the repairs on the site. Took the back of the dryer off after unplugging the appliance. Removed the failed fuse and thermostat and replaced them both per the video steps. It took about 25 minutes for both parts and the dryer now works well.