Part
Drive Motor
Product Rating
Customer
Adam from MA
Problem
Dryer wouldn't start, just hummed when you turn the start knob
Tools
screwdriver, socket wrench
Repair & Advice
The motor in my 2004 Whirlpool dryer was practically seized due (I assume) to years of lint that collected inside the body of the dryer because the felt basket seal (it turned out) came off ages ago. (This is probably also why so many clothes with buttons, zippers, or drawstrings kept getting caught and sometimes destroyed in the dryer, because the seal missing means there was a gap between the basket and the front of the dryer, kind of like if you had a jar with a lid that was too big, so liquid could leak out.)
I have never tried to fix a dryer in my life, but the many how-to videos on YouTube show that it is actually pretty easy, they are not impossibly complicated machines. The first thing I tried doing when I got it apart was clean all the lint out of there (along with a fascinating collection of buttons, coins, nails, earbuds, etc.), cleaning and lubricating the existing motor, and replacing the basket seal as well as the plastic glide strips inside the basket that slide against the seal. That was about $100 worth of materials.
Once I got it back together, the dryer worked for two loads of laundry before seizing again, so I knew I had to replace the motor. They are all somewhere around $150 and I guess PartsDr had the best price because I landed here, and I was very pleasantly surprised when the motor arrived in TWO DAYS, even though it was the week before Christmas! Kudos, PartsDr.
Replacing the motor was pretty straightforward - the thing to know is that you need a 7/8 inch socket to get the flywheel thing off, and it is reverse threaded so you have to turn it clockwise to loosen it. Then there are just these clips holding the motor in place that you can pop off, perhaps with the aid of pliers, and then you just pop the new motor back in, put the basket back in there, jimmy the drive belt back onto the pulleys (a little awkward to get to but doable), and boom - my dryer worked like new again, in time for Christmas.
Probably $300 total in parts, which is way better than $700 or whatever for a new dryer, plus delivery/installation hassle. Thanks again PartsDr!
Repair difficulty: between Easy and Kinda Difficult, if like me you don't normally do stuff like this.
Story submitted on December 29, 2022
Part
Drive Motor
Product Rating
Customer
Robert from WI
Problem
Motor seized. Stopped working.
Tools
Screw driver. Vice grips.
Repair & Advice
Disassembling was easy. Putting it back together was easy as well. So many screws to take out. Had to gut the dryer and remove drum to access the motor.
Story submitted on March 28, 2023
Part
Drive Motor
Product Rating
Customer
Jack from NM
Problem
Motor making horrible noise
Tools
Screwdriver, pliers.
Repair & Advice
Removed old motor, installed new motor
Story submitted on July 11, 2023