abadfish66, thank you for your reply. I mentioned, I think, that I opened the top of the dryer to observe its operation and noticed that the felt bearing pad was missing one of the plastic bearing pads. I recall that the other two and the pad looked rusty. That may be the source after all. I wasn't aware that the pad was accessible to the tumbling clothes.
I just went downstairs and looked at the dryer. I felt around the inner lip of the drum and I could feel the pad. As an experiment, I took a white paper towel, folded it, and stuck the edge in the gap between the dryer front piece and the drum. I then slid the towel around the circumference of the drum, part way. A tan powdery mark was on the towel! So as the clothes tumble, especially collar tips, can poke their way into that gap? Wouldn't have thought that could happen. Learned something new, thanks!
I will still check the vent pipe for any lint obstruction and I will also check the outlet temp with a thermometer just to be sure. I intend to do some long-needed maintenance to the dryer anyway, I'm just wanting to proceed correctly. As a long-time mechanic and fix-it guy, I don't think there are any real obstacles, the dryer seems fairly straight forward as far as accessibility. The front looks to be held on fairly simply by screws and clips. My real concern is the peeled and discolored paint on the back of the inside of the drum. I also need to replace the rear bearing as it has been squeaking this last year or so and demands a regular drop of light oil weekly. Figure to remove the front of the dryer and remove the drum and give the inside a general cleaning and replace the rear bearing and the front felt bearing pad. If the t-stat is ok, I won't bother replacing it. Will the drive belt that goes around the outside of the drum pose any problem repositioning the drum back into the cabinet?
Thanks for your timely, experienced post! Much appreciated.
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