LEL8858DZ0 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

First I raised the top of the dryer(after unplugging the power cord) disconnected two wires to the front door switch and then removed two screws using a nutdriver. The front cover lifts up and while supporting the drum set the cover aside. Slide the belt off the drum and remove it. I then removed the two support roller tri rings and replaced the rollers and tri rings and reassymbled the dryer.
It was a very simple repair.

Thanks Mike

I lifted the top of the dryer cabinet, like the hood of a car using a screwdriver to pry it open. I removed the two screws in the upper right corner of the cabinet front. I disconnected the safty switch on the front door. The front of the cabinet can then be removed by lifting up the front off the pins in the base. With the drum exposed you can place the belt on and thread it through the two pulleys on the motor. Consult the diagrams provided on the PartsSelect website for the proper positioning of the belt on the pulleys. After the belt is installed spin the drum by hand one turn to make sure that it is seated properly on the drum and pulleys. Reassemble the dryer in the reverve order.

I used a screwdriver to remove the old part and pushed the new part in with my fingers, it was very easy. If I could do it, anyone can. I was a lot cheaper then having a repair man come to house. I am very glad I found your site online, I will definitely be using your company again.

I looked up the procedure to remove the switch in a repair book, removed the broken switch. Then I reconnected the wire leads, put the part in and closed everything up. The part arrived so quickly and there were even instructions with the part which made the repair go so easily.

I lifted the top of the dryer and removed the front panel. I removed the drum exposing the drum rollers. I replaced the rollers and reassembled the dryer. The exploded views on the web site made it easy to see what to do.

The dryer quit working. I did some trouble shooting on your amazing site, ordered what i thought it might need and then got to work. Took no time to get it apart and replace roller kit and belt. What took the longest was getting in there and cleaning out probably 15 years worth of dirt and dust. If you have not opened your dryer up and done this, 10/10 recommend, because in doing so i found that the motor was the real culprit. Once i opened it up more, especially cleaning around the blower fan and motor, i was half a day in. Put it all back together and got it running for two more loads before the motor quit. Replaced that and since the hard work was done, had it back in in half an hour and running great. Probably will need to redo the felt seal one day, but for now, i am calling it a win. This is my go to site for all things and i have been able to work on most of my major appliances and do it myself using the helpful information here.

pressed clip into hole on top of front panel. first remove two philip screws that hold filter so you can lift top up.

Braced dryer drum with a block. Removed the two rollers one at a time by using a screwdriver to pop off the triangular clip. Slid on new rollers. Would have been easier to remove the drum out the front instead of bracing it. Installed new idler pulley and belt. Dryer is 25 years old and sounds like a new one now when running.

removed the catch and the pin and replaced it. We were sent a couple different sizes so we tested the one that looked like the closest match. I think the pin was made with different thicknesses of metal. Worked great and saved us from having to get a new dryer!

Half of my pulley was broken off so there were no wrench flats to take it off. I was able to remove it using Channel Locks and the 7/16 wrench shown in the video.

Hint: Use a one gallon ice cream bucket to hold up the drum while connecting the belt. It makes it much easier and gives you more clearance.

This was so much easier than I though it was going to be. Pulled up on the top part of the dryer and folded it over to the back. Removed 2 screws for the front panel and disconnected some wires. Laying down I fed the new belt on and made sure the tensioner was put back into the right spot, because when the belt broke the tensioner sprung to the other end of its travel. Put everything back together. This was made super easy because you guys had the parts and the shipping was super fast. Alot of the local shops in the area didnt even carry the belt or were not helpful..

Repair went well, but my switch only had one contact on the non common end. The new switch had two contacts. One is for operation with lid open and one for lid closed. Make sure to connect to the lid closed contact and the common on the other end and leave the lid open contact unused.

*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.

Prop up the hood of the dryer with flat bar. Take out 2 screws holding dryer front end and 2 switch screws for dryer light inside dryer door. Secure dryer drum with bungee cord. Lift front end and remove. Remove broken belt. Route new belt over drum and pass underneatch idler pulley at botttom of dryer. Apply pressure to idler pulley w/one hand while securing belt around motor with the other. Make sure drum seals are snug between front and back of dryer while putting everything back together.
Have confidence. This is a very easy fix.

I first disconnected the power cord and the vent hose. I removed the screws on the top of the back side to raise the top of the unit. There are also 2 screws holding the lint filter shoot which were also removed to allow the top to be lifted up. Its not necessary to remove the top since this would require disconnecting the wiring harness etc.

Next I removed the 2 screws located on the top-inside surface, which connect the front panel to the unit. After these were removed, the front panel lifts up and off--there are two clips which slid free on the bottom of the unit. The shut off switch on the door has to be disconnected to remove the panel.

With the front panel removed, the drum can be removed. I vacuumed out the interior and retrieved the idle pulley which had popped loose when the belt broke.

I removed the old rear drum seal and cleaned the edge with some brake cleaner solvent and steel wool. I then wiped the edge with paper towel and more brake cleaner to remove any oily residues. Before applying the glue, I test fit the seal which turned out to be a bit tight, so I stretched it a bit around the drum until it would fit on easily.

I used a disposible glue brush to spread a thin layer of the contact cement along the edge of the drum. By the time I finished one round, the glue was dry where I had started and so I did a second thin coat.

I then oriented the seal as per the directions and began fitting onto the edge trying to keep the free felt surface from getting into the glue. By the time I had reach the opposite side, the belt was pretty tight and so I had to stretch it a bit to get it to go on. I then worked my way around the edge a final time insuring that the seal was positioned correctly all the way around and the glue was pressed tight. I let the glue set for several hours before reassembling.

After the glue was dry, I put the drum back into the unit and worked the seal up onto the circular back panel until the groove on the drum was correctly positioned on the rear rollers. I propped the front edge of the drum on two 2 in rolls of duck tape so that I could rotate the drum freely several times. I checked the outside and inside to be sure that the seal was not turned under any place.

Finally, I slipped the new belt over the drum and past my 2 rolls of tape and positioned it groove side in over the drum. I then reinserted the tensioning pulling back into the slot just in front of the motor. The pulley goes just to the left of the motor pulley, the end of the tap on the base inserts in a slot and then 2 pins rest in a second slot to the right of the first. A loop of the belt then passes through underneath the pulley and then over the motor pulley. This requires pulling the tensioning pulling pulley towards the motor to get enough slack. I then rotated the drum several times and made sure that the belt was not twisted and the groove side was towards the drum.

To help hold the drum up while I was fitting the front panel. I supported the drum with a piece of 2 in tape run from the top/front edge of the drum to the back panel of the unit. I removed my two rolls of tape from under the unit, slipped the front panel back onto the two bottom clips, and then worked the front open of the drum over the front seal by opening the door and pushing from the inside and rotating the drum. I replugged the door switch and made sure the wire clips were secure.

I then replaced the 2 screws to hold the front panel. I put the top back down and resecured the screws on the back before reattaching the hose and replugging the unit. I test ran the unit for several minutes empty, listening for weird noises that would indicate something didn't go together correctly.