SDE4000AYW Maytag Dryer - Instructions

googled make and model number of dryer! Found a trouble shooting comment like my problem! Dryer not getting hot! Watched video on locating and removing element and Hightemp sensor of my model. Then went in and inspected element ! I was able to see that element was bad-had a break in middle. Removed old one and ordered new one! This was a Sunday night! Had back together after work on Wednesday evening! Total time approx 45 minutes! This includes time researching online and taking two sensors off old element and mounting on new element! Easy fix!

I had already taken the dryer apart prior to changing the felt seal. Had oiled the rollers, greased the bearings & vacuumed the whole inside of the dryer out. Had used a high temp lubricant on the seal & had stopped squeaking for about a month. I ordered 2 seals & when they arrived, I popped the top of the dryer off using the putty knife to pry the spring latches. I opened the top up & leaned it against a wall. I disconnected the wiring to the light & the switch in the door, making note of the wiring order. Then used a nut driver to take the 2 screws from the inside out, that holds the front cover in place. Then the same for the 4 screws holding the front bulkhead in place. Then lifted up & out from the unit. Then used the putty knife to scrap the adhesive & old seal off the bulkhead. Cleaned as much of the adhesive off, then applied some high temp silicone adhesive to the bulkhead, placed the new seal on, using some clamps to hold it in place. After making sure it had adhered to the seal & bulkhead. Did the reversal of the above mentioned steps. Moved the unit to laundry room, plugged it in then started it & voila no more squeaking dryer.

I followed the instructions and it went very well. The only confusing part was the drive belt for the tumbler barrel I just had to visualize the threading arrangement to get it right. Much like a car fan belt.

Removed lower panel, door assembly, belt and drum.
Removed blower wheel cover.
Used dremmel tool to cut plastic from metal that attaches the blower to the motor shaft.
Used adjustable wrench to keep motor shaft from turning.
Used vise grip to clamp on metal and turned to loosen blower wheel.
Attached new blower and re-assembled.

Dryer stopped tumbling, so bad belt was my first thought. Dryer is in vacation home so did not have immediate access to it to diagnose. Ordered belt and discovered that the poorly designed motor pulley had broken and the belt jumped onto the motor shaft and burned through the original belt. Week 2 after ordering pulley, installation went per YouTube video. Glad I also replaced the belt because it was brittle and cracked. Suspect it had been slipping because sheets would ball up into a log, possibly because the drum wasn't spinning fast enough. Anyhoo, after repair all seems OK.

unplug appliance.removed 2 screws @ the rear of dryer top to tip lid back. unplugged the door switch wires.took out 3 philip screws that hold lint screen to inside of drum.removed 2 screws @ dryer front top. lifted dryer front panel off. the drum was now loose. slipped off old belt - replaced with new. set drum back into place. made sure new belt was on motor pulley & behind tensioner pulley arm. replace & reconnect items in reverse order. plug back in & test. after seeing the wear on the plastic tensioner pulley i regret not ordering that part for replacement also.

A friend did the repair for me. Very simple. Saved me a lot of money by getting the parts and fixing the problem. Thanks!

The video on the web-site was very helpful in showing how to take it apart. First we remove the power plug from the wall outlet. Then we used flat scrapper to push the top two hidden clips to release the Dryer's top. We used the nut driver to unscrew the two screws that held the front panel. We carefully remove the wires that were connected to switch sensor for the door, and the lights. Next step was to unscrew couple more screws that held the front piece from the main fan housing. At the bottom locate the tensioner of the belt. Release it. Remove the dryer drum with the belt. We took the opportunity to clean off the lint that was all over on the bottom of the dryer. We then could reach the bottom left back of the dryer to unscrew the screws that held the heater unit. Before that we unscrew and release the wires for the Thermal fuse and the limit thermostat which are all located on the heating unit. Then we replace with new pieces. Upon removal of the heating unit we noticed the broken heating element. Next was to place the drum back in. We made sure that the drum lined up with the rear support piece then the front. We rotated the drum just to make sure that it was sitting correctly. Then we screwed the front housing unit. Then we put the front panel back on the hooks at the bottom. That help to line up the front panel with the main chasis. We connected all the connectors to the right terminals. Last was to set the top down on to the chasis. We checked that the duct in the rear is not obstucted. Lastly was plugging in the power cord and testing the dryer. It is working again. Thanks to Part Select's video and parts. Total time was just over half an hour.

remove bottom two screws on lower front panel, remove panel. remove two screws on lower portion of door panel, pull bottom panel towards yourself to release pins at the top. Disconnect wiring for light and door switch (make sure to note what wires go where. Complete removal of front door panel. Remove 4 screws holding cylinder frame in place, lift to remove. remove remnants of old felt seal, use rotary tool to remove excess glue, etc. apply glue (used rubberized gorilla super glue), apply felt seal - allow glue to set up. reinstall in reverse direction from removal. Be sure to use glue as there are no clips or other retaining pieces for the new felt and it will not hold in place. overall pretty easy.

Removed the two nuts at the bottom of the dryer front to be able to move the front piece. Removed three screws holding the vent assembly in place. Removed vent assembly, replaced with new part and replaced screws and nuts.

Early in the life of my dryer, the Cylinder Seal came out. For the past two years I put off buying the part. When it came in, I p[opped the top of the dryer, removed the two screws holding on the front panel, and pulled the Cylinder of the back wall of the dryer. I then placed the seal in the right spot, glued it down and reassembled. About Fifteen minutes of work and a cheap part, and now my dryer dries a l;oad of clothes in an hour instead of three.

Being my lousy Maytag washer died THE PREVIOUS DAY, spewing water, etc. and I had rushed out and bought a new washer, I was determined not to replace the dryer (though I now am a serious NON_FAN of Maytag).

I disassembled the whole dryer and finally got to the blower wheel which was broken lose from the molded nut. I supposed something like a dime or penny got in there to shred it.

PartSelect's website allowed me to find the part in 5 minutes. It was on my doorstep the next afternoon.

Installation was straightforward BECAUSE I stacked all the screws and and labeled them appropriately. It took about 30 minutes to reassemble and the toughest bit was getting the drum in with the belt positioned properly.

How to take apart a dryer:
The first way:
1) Remove front lower panel (2 screws on bottom).
2) Remove the front black plastic air duct.
3) If you have long arms, or an extention socket wrench, you might be able to reach the heating unit, otherwise use the Second way:

The second way:
1) Remove front lower panel, as this will expose the screws to the dry door unit.
2) Remove dryer door unit (2 screws on bottom, 2 spring clips on top), and disconnect assoc wires.
3) Remove dryer lid:
3.1) Remove 2 screws on front (previously hidden by door unit
3.2) Remove 2 clip hooks on back of dryer
3.3) Lift lid rear above center guides, and wiggle away from front spring clips
4) Lay dryer on back, as this will allow easier removal of the drum
5) Remove screws securing the heater control unit.

Attempt 1: Disconnected heating element and saw that the heating coils were broken. Ordered new heating coil and new belt.
Attempt 2: 3 weeks after installing new heating element, my wife informed me that the unit was no longer putting out heat!!! So, I ordered the Thermostat and Thermal Fuse. Put dryer back together.
Attempt 3: Turned it on - absolutely nothing - dead, dead, dead. Discussed purchasing new $600+ dryer. Started taking it apart again, and discovered that door wire was never reattached. Meaning the dryer thought the door was wide open.
Attempt 4: Now the dryer squeaks. Took dryer partially apart and added white grease to wheels that support the drum. Currently, all is well with the world.

Moral of the story: Replace the entire heating unit, check belt for cracks and grease the wheels if you get a chance.

First of all I would not have done this if it wasn't for
your website. Using the schematics to figure out
the right parts was easy. It was also helpful in the
actual repair process. I have added your website
to my favorites in my browser. The parts arrived in 3 days and I live in Reno. Great Website.

M.B.

Took the cover off the front of the dryer by removing the two screws that hold the cover in place. Then removed the two screws that held the heating element in place and removed the heating element. Removed the screws that held in the theremostats and then disconnected the two wires and put them on the new thermostat. Rescrewed them in with excisting screws and then put the heating element back in. Put the cover back on and turned on the dryer, and presto it all works again.