DDC4500SBM Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

This is the third time for a belt on this 28 year old dryer. Not too much to it. Unplug the dryer. Open the door. Remove the screws holding on the front panel and loosen the screw at the bottom. Disconnect the wires to the door switch and lift off the front panel and start up the shop vac to clean out the lint - there is a lot to be found in various places. Slide the new belt over the front of the drum and make sure there are no twists. You can now reverse the order to mounte the front panel but don't close the top so you have light to see inside. Go around to the back panel and remove the machine bolts holding on the access panel at the back. This allows access to the motor and belt tensioner. Get the shop vac out here and get to some more lint. Google the model number to find a diagram on how to route the belt. Put the belt on the motor shaft and around the tensioner as depicted. Occaisionally the plastic idler pully is worn and this can be the cause of the brokent belt. If the idler wheel does not spin freely, squeads or is cracked it should be replaced or you will be right back replacing the belt again. If all is fine it is time for a test run. CAUTION - you can plug the dryer in but keep your hands out of the cabinet as there are live exposed 220 volt terminals exposed. This allows you to observe that all is working and not binding during a test run with NO heat. If all is fine, unplug the dryer and put the covers back on. Reconnect the exhaust hose (now is a good time to clean that and the vent to outdoors as well).

Thanks to reports from others, I concluded that most likely the gas ignition coils (one or both) were no longer functioning properly. I replaced both with the 'M' Series New Style Coil Kit which is about 1/2 the price of either coil individually -- yes,true,go figure! The actual replacement took only about 10 minutes. What was most difficult and took the most time was the removal of the front panel of the cabinet -- this was difficult only because there were no instructions in my owner's manual (or any other source I could find) and it took me awhile to figure it out. Now I could do the whole job in about 20 minutes! The detailed instructions from others as to the process of replacing the coils was invaluable -- I don't know if I would have been able to figure that out on my own. But most important was the information that enabled me to diagnose the problem in the first place. Thank you, all you previous comment contributors.

After identifying the issue, the biggest issue was trying to identify how to get the belt around the drum tumbler. After looking through the back hatch, I figured the best way was through the top. I removed the top just enough to work the belt in between the drum and the front sheet metal. Then I turned it on its side and worked the belt from the back hatch. I pulled the pulley back on the tensioner and slipped the belt under neath. Put it back together, been working great.

looked at video of dryer disassemble, replaced 4 bearing slides, reassembled. Dryer is perfect now , no noise. thank you for your parts.

easy to fix took less than 10 minutes

Opened up dryer for access to all components and tested. All checked good. Put back together and tested and igniter came on but no flame. Purchased two new coils and tested again. No flame. Purchased complete valve assembly and replaced old one. Tested again and viola, success! TY PartSelect for exact replacement part.

Checked out the coil seemed ok. So I replaced the radiant flame sensor. No change. Then I replaced the High limit sensor still the heat was not staying on. I read some were in the troubleshooting guide that the coil can test good, but can still malfunction. So that was it new coil fix it, works like a new Dryer again.

Still waiting for your parts. over two weeks to get part which was a hinge for something, I don't know what, but not my dryer seal. You said you would refund shipping and wrong part and charge me for a new order. End result was I got charged extra shipping for your mistake. The part still is MIA and it has been 5 weeks since I originally ordered. Will never do business with you again.

Found excellent instructions and diagrams online by searching under the model number. Best of all was the service from PartSelect. Belt arrived 24 hours after ordering. It was the right part, it was easy to install, and the dryer is running beautifully.

Removed gas line. removed control panel, removed top, removed front, removed burner, replaced igniter, put back in. paused and played the video. very easy to do. 42 minutes and I had a few beers.

Took the top and front off. DO NOT TAKE DRUM OFF!! Lifted drum slightly and worked belt around drum. Replaced front and top. Took off rear panel at bottom near vent pipe. Put belt around motor and then tension pulley. Buttoned everything up and that was it!

Removed too of dryer and placed the parts on. Runs like a brand new one. Thanks so much!

I replaced the dryer bearing ( a plastic part) and all of the slides on the bearing. It now operates like new.

I removed the 2 screws and lock assemblies from both sides on the back. Then i removed 4 screws (two from each side) on the control panel and lifted that up as i tipped the cover forward to disconnect the wires from the door switch. I found the wiring diagram inside the control panel cover, which included a belt routing diagram (very helpful, being the belt was laying in the bottom. I then removed 3 torx srews holding the drum to the bearing, and removed the drum. Let the fun begin! i proceded to put the belt onto the motor pulley and around the tensioner. i needed some help from my wife to set the drum back in as i held the belt up around it. once the drum was back in, i found the beld had fallen away from the tensioner. I lifted the front of the drum up just enough to get both arms below it and move the tensioner back to slip the belt over it correctly. With the new belt on i started to put the screws back in the drum. This got very frustrating, as you have to correctly line up all the holes again, while holding the drum in the correct angle to start the screws. this was the hardest part, not physically, but wears on a person's nerves quickly! Once all the screws were in and tight, i took a deep sigh of relief before i tipped the front cover up just enought to get the wires hooked back up for the door. I turned the unit on to verify the repair before re-assembly. Yep! works again, for well under $20.00! Thanks PartSelect!

Well, had I read more of the reviews on this website, I would have learned that my problem was the valve coils. Instead, I assumed it was the igniter, so I ordered and installed a new igniter to no avail. I was about to just go buy a new dryer at Home Depot and spend $600, but I had to try again so I read more reviews on this website and began measuring resistances across the valve coils and discovered I had a bad one. I ordered both just to be safe, and installed them and quickly enjoyed my first uninterrupted dryer cycle in over a year (for over a year, I had been stopping and restarting my dryer about 10 times for each cycle). So THANKS for this website and to all the home technicians who posted symptoms, resistances, and how-to-do-its to help me get this done. It was an empowering experience to fix this and have bookmarked this website for any future appliance fixes. It's a great website with all its schematics and postings.