3LER5434DN1 Whirlpool Dryer - Instructions

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.

Looking at the schematics, it wasn't clear exactly where the motor was located. I took off the rear panel thinking I could get to the motor through the blower. Realizing that was a no-go, I did some web searching and found that the lint screen chute had to be unscrewed, the top had to be lifted to gain access to the top 2 screws holding the front panel to to the main body. The barrel was then dropped and the rib belt removed from around it so I could set it aside. The clips were removed from the front and the back of the motor to gain access to the blower shaft. .The motor shaft is screwed into the blower shaft but it took me a while to figure out how to grab the blower shaft( made of hardened plastic?) with an adjustable wrench while torquing the end of the shaft with a (3/4"?) socket wrench. Access to the rear was rough, but getting the motor out an back in was easy. The spring tensioner for the belt was the next hurdle. With the s-curve facing outward and clipped to the base, the belt with the rib side wrapped around the barrel, the belt was slid between the roller and the tensioner bracket and wrapped around the motor drive rib side inward. I had to take the old motor to kind of prop up the barrel so I could at least see the tensioner and motor interface. I had to do a balance trick where I held the barrel up while centering it to the belt and the rear panel while ensuring the cloth seal was seated to the outside of the chamber. The front panel went on, and the front cloth seal was seated by spinning the barrel. The rest was just a matter of reversing the steps. Tons of lint/dust is probably what crashed this motor. Disassembling the front and the back allowed a thorough clean up - vacuuming and wipe down. Should go another 10 years/

Old door catch came out, new one slipped in. All works great.

Bought a new one and installed.

I order a new belt and I watched the video instructions on how to replace it, follow the instructions, removed the top and took out the dryer tumbler or can, found a broken idler pulley, order a new one, got it in about two days, replaced all the parts and now its working like a new dryer, I called several repair shops and I got estimates from $65 to $150, I spend less than $35 and it took me about 35 minutes to install and I got it fixed..

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.

Do to age and heat the dryer door handle was brittle and broke. Ordering was easy on line. Part was delivered faster tan expected. Oh and the repair time, Less than 1-minute.

Thanks for the great service.

Watch the utube video a few times. Followed instructions. Marked all screws. Cleaned the inside of dryer where motor is. Replaced drum seal and then belt. I replaced front of dryer screwed everything in place and I did it. Holding drum in place while installing front of dryer was hard as it was heavy but I did it m. My friends and husband couldn’t believe it. Utube is great!

Numbet one - unplugged the dryer. Then disassembled dryer (front panel, loosened vent from top panel and removed drum). Removed motor after carefully documenting wires and their corresponding numbers, along with pictures. Read directions several times to assure we understood process. Followed instructions for replacing connectors. Used pliers and screwdriver to install motor clips. This took numerous, patient attempts. We also had to partially remove the vent in order to reinstall the motor. Then replaced drum, front cover, reattached vent to top cover. Reattached outside vent hose. Plugged dryer in and tested it. Motor replacement worked fine and fixed the problem (squealing).

UNPLUG THE DRYER!!!!!
First removed the two screws holding the lint filter in place. Then slipped a screw driver between the top and the dryer body to remove the top. Using a nut driver removed the two screws holding the front of the dryer in place, remove the two wires for the door switch., lift the front cover of the dryer and set it aside. Support the drum ( two extra hands would be nice) and remove the drive belt. Then remove the drum. A thorough cleaning to remove all of the scorch like stain from the drum and back plate. Remove the seal and glue the new one in its place. Put it back like you found it. Make sure that the seal is not tucked against the back plate. Dryer works better than new and no more stains.

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.

Safety First - I unplugged the power source. I removed the console by simply removing several screws. However because the nut fastening the resistor was in a really tight spot and I had little room to work, I decided to remove several screws from the back of the console to open it up. (This step is not necessary - but for me, it just made the job go quicker). I was then able to use my ratchet/socket set to remove the nut from the resistor. I then attached the wires from the timer to the new in-line resistor. I closed up the console, re-attached it to the dryer and DONE!!! The dryer works fine!!! By the way, the set is 25 years old. I initially thought it was the timer itself but after explaining the problem to Rebecca at this iste , she quickly identified the problem as the timer power resistor. Many thanks Rebecca??

I was reluctant to call a repair service. Typically when an appliance is as old as my dryer (14 years old), service people encourage you to replace, not repair. I had replaced the dryer's motor within the last 5 years and believed my dryer still had life to it. At first, I tried cleaning the lint build up from the dryer cavity and hoses. This worked but only for a couple of days. After reading other successful repair stories on the website, I decided to try replacing the thermal fuse. It was so easy. The part was easily identifiable. It was just a little hard to yank off the connecting wires. Good as new and no service call.

Took back cover off
Disconnected part
Put new one in
Reconnected wires
Put back cover on

To verify that this was the needed part, I used a digital multimeter to confirm there was no continuity.