After I texted my wife, Efiwym, that I did not know what parts I would need for the dryer, I texted my daughter, Iret. I gave her the bad news. I did not want to disappoint my daughter, so I said I would stop by after work and take it apart to see what parts I needed. Well, “stopping by,” is an hour ride both ways. Efiwym wanted to come along just to visit and provide moral support. She is such a good wife.
With my handful of tools, I was ready to tackle this project. I was prepared because I watched a YouTube® video, “How to Replace the Rear Bearing on a GE Dryer.” Thank goodness for the Internet. If you need instructions, especially a video, just google it. That video was really helpful.
I jumped right in when I walked into the door. I ran the dryer, just to verify the noise. Yes, there was a noise. I went downstairs and shut off the circuit breaker. Back upstairs, with two screws, I removed the top of the dryer. With two more screws, I removed the front of the dryer. Now, I needed to remove the drum.
Removing the drum should be easy. There is an idler pulley and a belt. You just pull back the idler pulley and remove the belt from the motor. As I stepped back from the dryer, I did not see the motor or idler pulley. The GE model has the blower cage in the front of the motor. I turned on the flashlight on my phone and looked behind the sheet metal front. There was the motor and idler pulley behind it. With these tiny openings between the drum and sheet metal front, I was supposed to reach the idler pulley and remove the belt. Certainly, this arrangement was not made for a guy with fat arms.
I jammed my left hand into the opening and felt for the idler pulley and belt. With one hand I struggled but I was able to pull off the belt from the motor pulley. Phew, that was not easy. I pulled out the drum. Now I could check out this dryer.
I checked the parts that might be causing the screeching noise. The idler pulley did not look bad. The center bearing on the drum looked questionable. There appeared to be some wear on the shaft and housing. That part probably should be replaced. The front bearing did not look like it needed replacement, but I would consider it.
I gave Iret my prognosis. The middle bearing should be replaced. The cost would be about $100. She was okay with the cost. I told her I would pick up the parts Saturday morning and return to put the dryer back together.
