MEDC500VW0 Maytag Dryer - Instructions

*as with all electrical repairs I unplugged dryer from the outlet*

I disconnected the wires to the heating element, removed the 2 nut screws holding the heating element in place and removed the defective heating element. It looked like the heating element had darkened on the lower end and the wire terminals definitely looked like they had built some resistance that lead to the connection wire melting.

I slid the new heating element in and replaced the 2 screws. I cut the melted portion of the connection wire about 1/2" beyond the melted area and stripped the wire jacket exposing clean wire. I took the connection kit & clean wire lead, divided the wires into 2 groups on each end and braided them together and twisted them to a hand tight grouping. I then took the lead cap and twisted into onto the braided wire connection until it was also hand tight and snug.

I then reconnected the heating element connection wire back to the terminal end of the heating element and made sure all connections were snug.

I plugged the dryer back in, reset the dryer by turning the dial to a timed setting then back to off. I set the heat to low turned the dial to a time dry and turned on the dryer to ensure the element heated up and that the wired connection was secure. After 20 - 30 seconds, the element maintained heat and no issues were found with the fixed wire.

I replaced the dryer back and all screws and reconnected the vent hose. Dryer has worked great for the last few weeks with no issues. I was really surprised it was that easy to fix.

Unplugged washer,removed the two screws by the lint trap,moved the top foward lifted the top (it'shinged in the back )the switch is right inside the door top right hand corner removed the two screws that hold the switch in place used a flatblade screwdriver to seperate the connections pulled off the old installed the new switch put every thing back together worked as though it wes never broken

It was so easy... Pop out the old with flatblade screw driver and insert new piece... Works perfectly and looks better than the velcro strip I was using to hold the door shut...! Thanks for fast delivery and having the part available...

Regards,
JBL

First I pulled out lint catcher, you will see two screws ,removed two the screws on top ,( philips head screw driver) I than took a putty knife and pushed in the front of the dryer under the lid and lifted the top up, I than removed a self tapping screw on each side with a 5/16 wrench and lifted the front panel out. I than pulled out the drum and this exposed the two rollers, I than pulled of the nut locks with athe pliers , took off the plastic triangle snaps and pullled off the old rollers , replaceing them with the new ones,put the triangle locks on and that the lock nuts on , I than put the drum back in, than the front panel, replaceing the two self tapping screws , snapped down the top,replaced the other two screws again on top and replaced the lint catcher, I was done.

After researching and finding correct replacement unit placed order and waited to receive. Screen is located top of dryer so replacement simple and fit was perfect.

The cycling thermostat was found to be not working when I checked it with a ohm meter. I ordered the part waited and installed it and it work just fine.

I looked at the parts breakdown to see how it cam apart.

I tore the dryer down,
1. removed the door
2. openned the top
3. removed front panel
4. removed fron bulkhead
5. removed belt and drum
6. removed back cover
7. removed the ductwork
8. removed the fan (this is the hardest part, it is very tight on the motor with left hand threads, there are flats on the (inside of the dryer)fan where the motor shaft goes into the fan for a wrench and you can put a socket on the front pulley on the motor. I ended up just knocking the center out of the fan and replacing it.
9. removed the motor and cleaned the entire unit
10. reinstalled everything in reverse order. Note:I went ahead and replaced the idler pulley and the rear wheels that support the drum, and put a new belt in (just about
everything that could fail) I spent about $200 to keep a $1200 dryer in service at least another 7 years.

Solution: electric motor replacement as the integral centrifugal switch lever (plastic cam) wears over time causing the start windings' switch poor contact. Took it all apart, (back panel, front and top) including lifting the drum out to completely expose the motor. Needed to wrench the plastic fan from the inside motor shaft. Tricky part was swapping the original pulley (6 rib belt, still good) for the one supplied for 4 rib belts. I needed to file another flat onto the other side of both motor shafts (old and new) to break them free, using a vice to secure the pulleys. The dryer works perfectly! It's a great dryer that can be repaired by a determined novice. The enclosed instructions were helpful, although if followed about cutting the original motor shaft to obtain its pulley might require drilling the shaft from the pulley = nonsense. Thanks again Parts Select.

just slide the new filter in.

Replacing the part was easy: unscrew the old one from the front of the dryer after opening door, disconnect and replace with new one. Getting to it was a bit more difficult: Remove 6 screws from the back, 4 that hold the back of the top down and 2 that hold the control panel in place. You had to remove the control panel to free up the wiring bundle (held in place by a tie wrap inside the control panel housing) so you could move the top forwards enough. Then remove the top of the dryer by lifting the back up slightly and moving it forward to disconnect from attachments in the front and move aside to gain access to the switch.

Boyfriend stated it was simple, he removed the back and replaced the part using a few everyday tools.

At first I was advised to replace the temperature overload sensors, which I did but didn't fix the problem. After adding the additional information that the dryer would run to full cycle as long as the Start switch was held in I was advised to replace the Start switch.

It wasn't obvious from the wiring diagram, but if you remove the Start switch and look at the side it shows it contains a solenoid holding circuit that keeps the switch in the "on" mode as long as there is a feedback signal from the temperature overload switches. So if the dryer will run to completion if the switch is held in, replace the Start switch. If it still stops mid-cycle, replace the temperature overload switches.

The replacement videos were spot on as far as clear and easy to follow instructions for the repair, and all ordered parts were delivered very quickly.

Thanks for your help PartsSelect!

Followed simple instructions to replace two pulleys and belt. The Virtual Repairman helped me identify the cause in minutes. Took another 5 minutes to place the order and the part arrived two days later. Saved $125 at least. Thank you!

john

1 screw to replace.

My dryer was running way too hot and the temperature settings didn't make any difference. Clothes were shrinking and coming out almost scalding hot. I followed simple directions posted on you tube for troubleshooting this problem. I checked that there were no lint blockages, visually inspected all connections and hardware. All seemed good. Metered out all thermostats and fuses. Everything checked good for continuity. For the reset-able thermostats, I heated them on a hot plate to verify that the normally closed switches opened near their specified temperatures. Dont do this for the non-resetable fuses and thermostats. If you're
not sure, avoid this step. Only the hi-limit thermostat seemed to open a little higher than expected but I couldn't with 100% accuracy determine the exact temp it opened. Made sure the heating element wasn't shorted in its housing or that too might give the dryer the same symptoms. That checked good too. Only thing left I could think of was to change that hi-limit thermostat. Ordered part, removed and replaced. Perfect fit. Op-checked good. All heat settings now operate normally. No more shrunken clothes that are too hot to touch even on the lowest setting lol. Hope this helps, happy hunting.