DE106 Maytag Dryer - Instructions

How to disassemble the dryer has been covered in past repair stories. I will add a make shift repair that will get you up and running until you get your replacement blower wheel. We repair gas dryers for a living and this repair works and some machines are still running for two years. Remove the blower wheel. Cut a piece of plumber strap of similar sized metal to about 3/16" x 1/2". Hold it with vise grips and then heat it with a torch. When it is hot melt it into the hole in the blower wheel. This will give you a flat spot in the shaft hole that will keep the blower from spinning on the motor shaft. Some trial and error fitting is involved. If you do it carefully the blower wheel will fit very nicely and will not vibrate or make noise.

Took off the lower front panel, removed duct piece from filter to blower fan, removed two screws and two wires to thermostat in exhaust ducting, then replaced thermostat with new one. Very easy job and everything worked like new when I reassembled it.

I first unpluged the dryer, then I removed the front cover of the dryer. The Heating unit in located in the lower right side of the machine. I unscrewed the heating "tube" from the dryer and unpluged it from the dryer. ( good idea to mark the wires because they are same color.) I unscrewed the two halves of the heating unit and saw that indeed the heating coil was broken. I unscrewed the coil and fed it through the insulators. The coil was old and uncooperative, so I decided to cut it at each insulator with wire cutters. This sped up the process and protected the insulators. I carefully fed the new coils through the insulators and attached the ends to the terminals. Be careful not to over tighten or you may break the insulation on the terminals. I reinstalled the heating unit and attached the wires and tested the dryer. Job Done! Thanks Parts Select!

I set the dryer on its back to make alignment of the front drum guide cover easy to reinstall in the seal after completion. I removed the 2 screws at the bottom front then removed the white and yellow wires to the interlock switch and set the front cover aside. I then removed the 4 nut screws holding the front drum cover and removed. On the back side there are two teflon and cork "bearings". I had ordered two even though only one was worn down to metal. On each one I then removed the two rivets by drilling them out. Then I placed the corks into the bearing slots with a little glue then inserted the teflon into the slots and riveted them into place with the rivets that came with the kit. I replaced the drum cover, connected the switch and screwed the dryer front cover back on. I set the dryer back up. Connected the vent hose and turned the dryer on. Beautiful sweet smooth and quiet operation. I had replaced the front and back drum seals a few months ago and saw the teflon was missing but did not have the kits at that time. With a complete job I would recommend replacing the front and rear drum seals and the two teflon/cork bearing kits at the same time.

This was pretty much as easy as most other folks had described on this site.
1. Removed the two screws at the front bottom that are holding on the fromt panel, and then lift up and remove the panel.
2. Disconnect the door-open-safety-switch, remembering which color of wire goes on which connection.
3. Remove the four screws (two on each side) on the front bracket that supports the drum and tthat contains the front glides.
4. Remove support bracket and lint trap, letting the drum rest gently on the stuff underneath.
5. Remove the screws holding the lint trap to the support bracket. (My model had five screws.) Remove lint trap from support bracket.
6. Drill out the two pop rivets on each of the two glides, noting the orientation of the teflon pad and mounting strip.
7. Secure - and here is where I had a little problem - new glides in place with pop rivets. (I hadn't use a rivet gun in a while, so I messed up the first pop rivet and had to go to the hardware store to get a replacement. I didn't hold the pop rivet in all the way while I was accuating the gun!)
8. Reverse the process for assembly, and you are all done.

It's simple.

Old latch and door striker were pried out with a flat blade screwdriver. New components popped right in. Repair was less than two minutes.

Took front off dryer. Unwired heating element and removed. Installed new heat element and wired with wires. Dryer is cherry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Followed advice from here; unplugged machine from power source, removed two phillips head screws located just out of sight below the little indentaion on the front panel, removed front panel & set aside the machine. Unclipping the door switch wires allowed for enough slack so that they didn't need to be disconnected. Unscrewed (or un-hooked, don't remember) the lint box, pulled the drum out slightly, removed the belt, pulled drum out all the way & set aside. Removed the snap rings & wahsers from the idler wheels, removed wheels, put a light coating ot synthetic grease on the shafts & in the idler bushings, re-installed idlers, washers, & snap rings. Re-assembled in reverse order of assembly with alittle difficulty iin getting the new belt in the proper configuration. Removed small access panel in rear of machine to assist in installng the belt finally realizing that the belt DOES NOT go in the indented area of the drum, but on the larger diameter of the drum itself. Tested by rotating by hand, re-assembled front cover, plugged it in & dried the laundry......QUIETLY!

Shut off or unplugged dryer for safety.

Slipped thin blade putty knife up under bezel of switch to unlatch from the panel and pulled forward to remove the swwitch from the dryer. Unplugged the quick connect terminals (3) from the old switch and plugged them onto the new switch. one of the terminals had gotten quite hot and darkened the insulation so it was replaced with one that was supplied with the switch. that was a cut, strip, crimp process. Placed the new switch into the panel and snapped into place.

Removed front cover, removed housing cover, took old fan off, installed new fan, put covers back on.
Your instructional video was very helpful. He told which screws to remove to get the covers off. I was unsure about how access the fan until I watched. Well done!

remove bottom section under door 2 screws remove door 2 screws remove switch by squeezing tabs install 2 new female ends on wires supplied with switch . put switch back in plug in wires .

Took off door, then removed front of dryer to access the internal controls. Project went pretty darn well

Removed the back of the control panel. Made note of wiring and disconnected same. Pried off center of dial with screwdriver. Removed circlip with needle nose pliers and removed dial. Removed two screws with nut driver and removed timer. Installed new in reverse order.

I had to remove the drum. 1. remove lower panel. 2.remove the vent duct. 3.Remove the door (be sure to mark the door switch electrical wire with tape NO, NC, COM). the switch is marked. 4 Slacken the drive belt by removing from its idler pulley. 5.Pull the drum forward & out, by lifting the top without removing it (may have to struggle a bit by bending the sides of the dryer outward). 6.Large 3/4" socket remove the squrrel cage fan counter clock-wise. 7.Unplug the wire harness to the motor and with a large flat bladded screw driver push the spring clamps down & out-ward to remove them.
I always take pictures with my digital camera before removing a part so when I reinstall the part if a question of position or what went were I have it documented in my camera to view.
I install the belt and use scotch tape to hold it in place before I reinstall the drum.
The best part was being able to access the interior of the dryer to clean the lint out.
I hope this helps!

1: Removed heater cowling by removing 3 screws holding it in place.
2: Opened two halfs of the cowling by removing 4 screws on the flange.
3: Removed 2 nuts holding element ends to the cowling.
4: Removed bad element making note of how the element was threaded through porcelin element bracket/holders.
5: Installed new element.
6: Reversed steps 1-3