A couple of months ago our Maytag Neptune dryer started squealing. I ordered & replaced the belt, as I thought that was the issue. After belt replacement the squeal continued, so I ordered 4 drum support rollers. I replaced those yesterday, and during reassembly I found the belt nearly impossible to get back around the idler pulley.
Once fully back together I powered it up for a test and, well, the belt is simply too tight. Comparing the old rollers to the new, there’s not a lot of difference in the diameters, but one of the rear rollers was loose on its axle. Not seemingly enough to cause such tension in the belt.
Any ideas for me? Is the drum symmetrical front and back? I’m going to take it apart again today to see if I did something silly. I’m using a service manual I was able to find online to direct my disassembly & reassembly.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Are the rollers you used factory replacement parts?
I made the assumption that they were. From the ********************.com search for part PS2350187:
This part works with the following brands: Whirlpool, Admiral, Estate, Inglis, Kenmore, KitchenAid, Roper, Maytag, Kenmore, Admiral, Crosley, Jenn-Air, Hardwick, Magic Chef, Amana, Caloric & Glenwood.
With that said, I may have been hosed…
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Seems the URL got masked.
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I just got off the phone with the .com who sold me the drum supports/rollers and was informed that they were genuine Whirlpool parts, as Maytag is no more(?).
I’ve got the dryer apart again and am slowly putting things back together.
I believe I’ve resolved the belt issue. The idler pulley swings on a spring loaded arm, and the arm was being blocked by something as I was trying to run the belt over it. I played with it while the dryer was apart and found where is was catching.
During reassembly I put the drum onto the rear supports/rollers, ran the belt over the idler pulley, put the front internal panel on and lifted the drum onto the front rollers while doing so.
No more extremely tight belt, but the squeal remains. Next is replacing the idler pulley itself. In looking at the blow up drawing up the drum, I don’t see the idler. Might anyone know a part number?
Dear McFarley,
I have the same unit and I removed the drum because the belt was broke. My question is how much of the unit did you need to take apart in order to replace the belt. Getting it back on seems to be impossible. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Gman