My uncle said to always replace the whole dryer drum assembly, but I fixed it for $12

He's been in the trade for 30 years and swore that a noisy dryer drum meant the whole assembly was shot. I had a Whirlpool unit from 2015 making a grinding sound. Instead of ordering the $180 assembly, I pulled it apart and found just the rear glides were worn down to nothing. I got a pack of them from the supply house for twelve bucks and swapped them in twenty minutes. The dryer's been quiet for six months now. When do you guys decide to replace the whole part versus just the worn piece?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade_miller622mo ago

Yeah, that's the smart way to do it. I mean, if the drum itself isn't cracked or bent, why replace the whole thing? I've seen the same with those front bearing kits. The whole roller assembly is like eighty bucks, but often it's just one seized roller and you can get a two pack for fifteen. You gotta check if the axle it spins on is worn smooth though. If that's gouged up, then yeah, the whole part makes sense. But just swapping the plastic bit usually gets you another few years easy.

kellyr181mo ago

Hold up, @nathanwalker, did you just say the mounting holes can wallow out from vibration?

nathanwalker2mo ago

Ever check if the drum's mounting holes are wallowed out from vibration? That's a sneaky fail point even with a good shell.