Part
Bulkhead
Product Rating
Customer
Joseph from CO
Problem
Worn out rollers eventually caused the drum to lower itself and cut a sharp groove out of the upper left section of the bulkhead, approximately 10" x .25" along the curve. Neglected rollers were the cause of the bulkhead getting ruined. It's a hard lesson learned from ignoring a cheap and simple fix. Worst case, you ruin the bulkhead.
Tools
5/32" socket and one smaller - 1/4" drive. Big screwdriver to remove motor clips. Phillips screwdriver
Repair & Advice
It's a near-complete teardown of the unit, inhibited only by the motor. Check Youtube to see how to remove the motor and blower (you'll need a big, wide screwdriver). Take the old bulkhead out and replace it with the new one. Reinstall the motor and blower fan. Drink a beer; the worst is over. The rest is methodical reassembly.
Story submitted on August 21, 2019
Part
Bulkhead
Product Rating
Customer
Mark from WA
Problem
Whirlpool dryer barrel sitting too low caused by a worn bulkhead from years of metal abrasion from worn felt seal.
Tools
Stand tools plus a vise grip to help remove the blower wheel that broke during removal.
Repair & Advice
I replaced the felt seal and drum support rollers about 6 months ago after 10 years of use since the clothes weren't really drying quick enough and it was very noisy. The new rollers wore out quickly making a black rubbery powdery mess that also started staining the cloths. Turns out the drum wasn't seated properly on the worn bulkhead and this bulkhead replacement fixed the problem. It took a total of 3 hours to repair.
I ended up cracking the plastic dryer blower wheel when attempting to loosen from the drive motor as instructed by a manufacturer's repair video because I didn't use the right size wrench. This made removing the blower wheel a two-person task using vise grips to keep the fins from turning. Had to wait an extra day for a replacement blower wheel to arrive on Amazon.
There are lots of screws and parts to keep track of and repairs included a new felt seal and drum support rollers too. It felt good to successfully repair this unit and not have to add to the landfill. Now it dries a full load in about 50 minutes instead of 80+ since there aren't any gaps between the bulkhead and drum for hot air to escape or for the black rubber from the drum support rollers to get in. I expect (and hope) to get many more years of life out of this dryer.
The bulkhead looked slightly different from the original, but it still fit fine.
Story submitted on October 17, 2023