7MMEDX655EW1 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

Took a bit to first figure out how to get the front of the dryer off in order to access the motor, wheels, and belt, but found a "how-to" online. Once I had that, the rest was easy.

Lubricated motor and guide wheels but squealing still there. Then noticed the "idler pulley assembly" (the part that keeps the belt tight against the drum) looked a bit old and worn. Ordered a replacement part on this site because it was much much cheaper than a service call, installed it.... and NO SQUEAL!!!

Repair was fairly simple, unplug power from dryer, take back top panel off, remove timer knob, remover timer switch, un-plug one lead at a time, and place on new timer, reconnect timer, put back on back panel, reconnect power to dryer, and that it.

repair was fairly cut and dry...if you have any handyman experience....the hard part was partselect web page...starts out easy to locate part if you have the correct model number....however after that it can be confusing as to what you are looking for part wise and if you have located the correct part....diagrams are helpful if you could see them and/or understand them or what you are looking for....as a novice can be fustrateing....even after calling partselect for help/explaination....other wise it went well for a repair and hopeful will get another 10yrs out of this dryer.....

Unplug Dryer.
Disconnect dryer vent line from rear of machine.
Removed 8 screws holding back cover on.
Removed back cover.
Disconnect 2 quick connect wires from dryer heating element tube on right side of the machine.
Remove 2 screws holding element cover in place.
Remove cover and element.
Remove thermostat from unit and connect to new unit.
Re install parts in reverse order of above.

this was very was very easy. But I deviated from the You Tube instructions. One to release the motor pulley. I needed to use 2 adjustable wrenches for a longer lever. I needed to use a hammer to help release pulley. Second to remove the dryer cable I needed to use a small screw driver to aid in the release. ---- the part from the company was a perfect fit.

lined up the holes and pushed. 2 second repair.

I searched YouTube for videos and found one that related. I did the common checks on "fuses" and found one that was open. I ordered the part(s), it came with an extra piece, and it was easy to replace and wasn't that expensive. I had to take off the back panel but after that it was one screw for the part, connect 2 spade terminals. and re-attach the back panel. The part I replaced was the thermal cut-off fuse and it blew because the lint trap was clogged.

Unplug dryer from mains. Remove the back of the dryer. Thermal fuse is located on the left hand side near the bottom as you face the back of the dryer. Remove fuse and connect new fuse. Never repaired an appliance before and this was so easy!

The repair was fairly straight-forward. I removed the front of the dryer, lifted the top off, and then released the tension off the belt dy depressing the pulley arm. Once the belt was off, the drum came right out and then it was on to unhooking the wiring from the old motor. Very simple up till this point. The snag came when I went to unthread the impeller fan off of the old motor shaft. It was permanently sealed onto the shaft so I had to cut the old shaft into using a reciprocating saw was a metal-cutting blade. Once this was done the new motor installed easily exactly like the old one was mounted. I had to also purchase a new fan due to the fact that I was unable to remove the cut shaft from the old fan. All parts worked great and the dryer assembled back together easily. Works like a new dryer now.

To replace the thermostat and heating element, I followed the video from PartSelect.

Before buying the parts, I had already taken my machine apart to clean it and check for lint build up, but there was only a bit of dust, no major blockages. Because the burning smell was metallic, I just had my fingers crossed that replacing the heating element and thermostat would do the trick. It worked!
There is an odd ceramic sort of smell in the first 5 minutes of using the new element but that went away and all is working well at this point.

My components looked slightly different from those on the video; I had fewer wires so I just took photos of everything before I started to make sure I put it all back in the correct place.
I had to watch another video on how to easily remove the thermostat, mine was stuck. I just used a flat head screw driver behind it like a lever and gently pried it off.
It took me about 30 minutes total only because I had to watch a couple of extra YouTube videos due to the differences of my machine. I don’t usually do repairs like this one and wanted to be completely sure I was doing it correctly, but the work/repair itself was super easy.

The lint trap seal was just because mine got damaged when I took it apart to clean it. I just pulled the old one off, made sure the old adhesive was completely removed, (it peeled off like scotch tape), I cleaned it, then I slowly went around the edge of the vent/housing and stuck the new foam seal down. No video required, just common sense.

PartSelect.com rocks! Watched the online videos and did what he did. Labeled wires so that I wouldn't switch them when re-connecting new parts. Although only the fuse may have been bad, I decided to replace the cycling thermostat as well, since others implied that they work in concert, and a defective thermostat could have triggered the fuse failure. Also, looked outside and saw that landscapers had recently piled mulch all the way up to dryer vent. (Could this have caused the parts to fail?) So for less than $45 (parts + standard shipping), the dryer works like new. Happy wife makes happy life.

We pulled the back off the dryer and we weren't sure where the problem was exactly. So we pulled off the heating element and the thermostat. The heating element seemed to be burnt out, so we ordered that and the thermostat. We got the parts very quickly, so we put them in and found that the dryer still didn't heat. There was another thermostat (trip thermostat) that we decided to order and try...bingo...that was it. Now it works like a charm.

(Always unplug dryer before making any repairs) I opened the dryer and checked the heating element. Making sure that the connection was good and nothing was damaged, I determined the problem was overheated wires. They melted and lots connection. I replaced them with the heating element wire connection kit. Easy to install and simple to get right. I cleaned the dryer again with a vaccum cleaner, removing all the lint, and checked the vents, making sure they were clear...I turned the breaker on (it was tripped when the dryer overheated)and everything worked great.

Easy, just snapped it

Pulled the dryer away from the wall took back cover off the dryer. Used volt/ohm meter to identify the bad element. Ordered the element it came in two days. 2 screws and 2 wires to plug in and we were back to drying cloths