DE18CA Maytag Dryer - Instructions

The numbers on the metal plates were the JC Penney numbers - that no one recognizes. I eventually found the model number inside the timer case on a printed schematic. I started by disassembling whatever metal covers were removable by finding sheet metal screws and unscrewing them. If you pull on the sheet metal covers, you can find where they are connected to the frame. Eventually, I found that both the heating element was broken and the thermostat was fried. It took a while looking at various websites to find the proper parts. It's all OK now.

Removed front cover.removed 4 screws holding drum in place. Cleaned out lint from everywhere. Placed new belt over drum looping it over idler arm & motor pulley. Pushed drum back ; rotated drum to see that belt was engaged. Put front drum bracket in place. Put front panel in place with 2 screws at the bottom. Tested motor & rotation of drum; then checked heat. All worked fine. Took 1 hr. but most time spent cleaning lint.

I removed the front of the dryer and the drum support plate. I drilled out the old rivets and installed the Glides with the enclose rivets. The Glides came loose in a few days! The holes in the glides are larger than in the old Glides. I disassembled the dryer again and reassembled with my rivets. This time I held the rivet gun inside the perimeter of the dryer so that the head of the rivet is opposite the initial installation. So far, so good, except the dryer still squeaks. The idler pulley is now the culprit. White grease burned up. I reassembled with high temperature grease. If that does not work, I will need another idler pulley. The journal looks very worn. the dryer is 30+ years old.

There were two screws to remove the front of the dryer. Then 4 screws to remove the front drum support. Remove the drum. Then one nut each on changing the back drum support rollers. Assemble the drum and front support in reverse, and door front, don't forget to put the new drive belt ovre the drum. Then from the rear panel opening, one screw to change the idler assembly. Easy

First, it is IMPERATIVE that the dryer is unplugged from the wall or the appropriate breaker is turned off to prevent electrocution!!! The front of the dryer is removed by removing the two screws at the bottom of the front with a Phillips head screwdriver. Next, remove the door wiring from the wiring clamp and set front / door of dryer to the side. Next, remove the bulk head by removing four nuts from the sides with the appropriate nutdriver. The drum belt will have to be disconnected from the motor pulley by lifting the spring of the pulley to release belt tension. This can be done from the front or back access panel of the dryer. The back access panel gives you a better view of the motor pulley and attached belt. After removal of the belt from the motor pulley, the drum of the dryer can be removed. Next, remove the heat shield at the front of the dryer. It is held on with two nuts and can be removed using the appropriate nut driver. Next, remove the blower wheel housing cover using the appropriate nut driver. The blower wheel will be next. It can be removed by using a pair of pliers to remove the circular clamp. A pair of snap-ring pliers will also be need to remove the snap-ring also holding the wheel in place on the motor axle. After the blower wheel is removed from its housing, the housing will need to be removed. The housing is again held in place by several nuts and the appropriate nut driver will be needed to remove them. Next, take all wiring loose from the motor. It would be a good idea to photograph or note how and what wires were attached in specific locations on the wiring harness. The new motor may be different when it comes to wiring and will be accompanied by a wiring diagram and the needed connection ends for the wiring. If it is a different wiring layout, as was my motor that I ordered from this site, a set of wiring strippers / pliers will be needed to cut, strip, and crimp the new connectors. After wiring has been removed from the motor, remove the motor by removing two nuts with the appropriate nut driver from the bottom of the motor mount. The motor, mount, and pulley will then all come out as one piece. The motor will then need to be removed from the mount. This can be accomplished by using a flat head screwdriver and a hammer. Place the flat end of the screwdriver into the raised edge of the motor mount clamp and pull away from the locking bracket. If needed, use a hammer to give that extra tap to the end of the screwdriver to remove the clamps. After the motor is removed from the mount, an Allen wrench will need to be utilized to take the belt glide / seat off of the motor axle. You will also need the snap-ring pliers again to remove a snap ring from this axle as well. Clean the motor mount and dry thoroughly. Grease the pulley housing where it contacts the motor mount for smooth gliding against the mount. It is important that you use a NON-FLAMMABLE grease. This is the end of the "tear-down" phase. Now is a good time to vaccum and clean the inside of the dryer cabinet. This will help insure that excess lint and fuzz is removed to prevent an accidental dyer fire. Next, place the new motor back into the motor mount in reverse order. Make sure the belt glide / seat from the motor axle aligns with the belt marks on the pulley. Reassemble the dryer in reverse order, making sure to follow the wiring diagram provided with your new motor. Also you need to insure that the motor is turned at a 45 degree angle to allow the dryer drum to pass the motor without striking it. After reassembly, plug in the dryer and attempt to start. If your dryer does not start, troubleshoot the wiring first. Wiring was the most difficult part of this repair and working in the tight space provided was a trick. Also look up a video of the repair! This helped me tremendously. Videos can be found on this site or at YouTube.com.

Looked in one of the back removable panels and saw the broken belt. Took the machines front panel off per a You Tube video and saw the repair was simple but too the time to vacuum out a large amount of Lint Debris that had accumulated over the past 34 years all over the inside of the machine which is dangerous.. After cleaning it all up I simply put the new belt on and put everything back together and it all works nicely again!

Overall, the repair was pretty easy. I'm a 52 year old woman who has never done drier repair. I replaced both front glides, both drum support roller wheels, the idler pulley wheel and the tumbler and motor belt. Including vacuuming out the inside of dryer and washing down the inside and outside of dryer with cleaning wipes, the whole project took me 2 hours. (if done individually, time would have been 20-30 minutes). You must have correct tools, so I did have to purchase two tools that I didn't have. My only suggestion in replacing the idler pulley wheel and the tumbler/motor belt would be to take the small access panel off the back of the dryer for easier access to the parts.

actually used the videos available on your website and it made the job really simple other than the fact that I live in Florida and it was 96 degrees and my dryer is in my non-air conditioned garage.

I was able to order exactly the same lint filter as the original. The dryer is a 1984 Maytag.Thank you Partselect.com

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.

The video was excellent and made for an easy repair. Would highly recommend.

Tip: If the belt broke make sure the Drum Rollers are not seized which could have broken the belt. I recommend if replacing the belt replace the Drum Rollers (2- required) at the same time.
The instruction sheet that came with the Drum Roller kit is straight forward. It provided detail on what to disassemble to replace the rollers. So follow the instructions. Tip: Make sure you have a C – clip ring pliers to remove the C clip. The instruction sheet calls it the snap ring
The Idler Pulley came with no instructions, however it was easy to replace. The idler pulley is secured with an “E” shape clip which can be removed with a small straight blade screw driver.
The instruction sheet on how to install the belt was good showing how the belt is routed. The instruction wants the belt installed from the front around the tumbler then from underneath the tumbler towards the back and around the motor pulley and idler pulley. It is hard to see the motor and idler pulleys from underneath the tumbler. However I think it was easier if the tumbler was moved forward enough so you can see the motor and idler pulleys from the top. Install the belt as shown in the instruction sheet diagram around the motor pulley with the groves of the belt are against the pulley, then around the idler pulley. While holding the belt with slight tension, move the tumbler back into position while routing the belt around the tumbler and slowly turning the tumbler until the belt is completely installed. The belt should be about 1-1/2” from the back screws which hold the tumbler baffles. Note: the belt should be installed with the flat side against the tumbler. The belt should not be in the back grove of the tumbler.

Unplug dryer
Remove front (2 screws at bottom)
From bottom lift out and up to release top bracket
Move front panel gently to the left not disturbing wires
Remove blower cover with nut driver
Remove expansion clip on shaft with expansion clip pliers
Remove blower clamp with pliers
Slide blower wheel off
Replace blower wheel an reassemble

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.

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.