GDE26CD Maytag Dryer - Instructions

Pried off old pads - used hammer to tap on new pads.

Locating replacement parts was the problem until I found partselect.com

I had my oldest son who was home from college help me. We removed the front face of the dryer and put the unit on it's back. We removed the door switch and the blower unit. I didn't get a good look at how the belt was routed when we removed the drum but was able to figure it out when we put it back together. Not only was the belt frayed and dry rotted, the blower squirrel cage was free-wheeling on the shaft. I found a tab of metal I was able to insert in the flat of the shaft between the cage bushing and the shaft and I put the squeeze ring and snap ring back in place. We also discovered the source of much of the rattling noise we had grown accustomed to was actually change pieces trapped under the drum ribs. We removed them and put the ribs back in place and we installed the new belt and figured out how the belt routed around the shaft and tensioning pulley. We cleaned all the trapped lint out of the dryer and reassembled the unit. It now works like new. Thanks!

Removed the two lower screws holding front of dryer assembly in place and "unhinged" it and stood it up on floor. Then I unclipped the two wire leads on inside of dryer door assembly and moved assembly completely out of work area. Next I removed the four screws holding the tumbler frame in place and removed that frame from the work area. Now you can access the blower wheel "frame" and remove 5 or 6 hex screws to get that off and out of your way. You DO NOT have to remove the dryer drum and/or drum belt to complete this repair, so save yourself some work and leave it in place!! Once the blower wheel frame is off, use pliers and a flatheaded screwdriver to get the small outer retaining clip off, and then just pliers to get the wheel retaining ring off the wheel shaft. Put on the new blower wheel, use pliers to replace the aforementioned wheel retaining ring, and then the small outer retaining clip...VIOLA! You're finished! Dryer will run like new with a smooth purr instead of that dreaded rumbling sound.

Removed back panel of machine which exposed badly worn idler pulley. Have had problem before on another dryer so I was sure what problem was before I started. Removed snap washer and cloth washer and then bad pulley.(It was very worn and wobbly).Cleaned shaft with small piece of emery paper and put two drops of oil on shaft and replaced old pulley with new one.Put back washer and snap washer.Drive belt had slipped away from its proper position so I had to remove the front panel of the dryer to place the belt back and realign it on the drum and around the new pulley and the motor drive shaft. Not really that difficult.....Machine now runs like it's brand new.....

Followed instruction video

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.