Whirlpool Dryer Blower Wheel Replacement

Scritto Da: Bill Gilbert

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Whirlpool Dryer Blower Wheel Replacement

Difficoltà

Difficult

Passi

Tempo Necessario

2 - 3 ore

Introduzione

Use this guide to replace the blower wheel on your Whirlpool dryer.

The blower wheel is a critical component that pulls the heated air through your dryer as it spins. It can be damaged by small pieces of laundry like socks or gloves that lodge in it and cause jams or breaks.

This guide will work for most Whirlpool dryers. This guide is written with a model WED87HED dryer. If you have a different model, you may encounter some minor disassembly differences, but the overall repair process will be the same.

Strumenti

Passo 1

Before you begin your repair, unplug your dryer.
Your power cord may have four prongs rather than three. The additional prong is a ground connection.

Passo 2

Throughout this guide, keep track of each screw and reinstall it exactly where it came from.
Use a nut driver to remove the screws securing the top panel to the rear panel bracket.

Passo 3

Grasp the top and slide it 1/2 to 1 inch toward the rear of the machine.

Passo 4

Lift the top panel upward to separate it from the chassis.
Remove the top panel from the machine.

Passo 5

Disconnect the control panel cable from the main board.

Passo 6

Disconnect the drum light connector.

Passo 7

Remove the screws securing the control panel.

Passo 8

Lift the control panel up and tilt it away from the chassis to remove it.
Make sure to thread the cable through the hole in the chassis.
During reassembly, thread the cable through its proper hole before reinstalling the control panel.

Passo 9

Use a small flat blade screwdriver or a spudger to unlatch both sides of the door switch connector.
Unplug the connector.

Passo 10

Remove the upper front panel sheet metal screws.
Tilt the machine backwards and prop it securely, or have a friend hold it.
Remove the sheet metal screws on the bottom edge of the panel.

Passo 11

Remove the screws inside the door area below the drum opening.

Passo 12

The panel is heavy and awkward. You may want to have a friend help you with this step.
Pull the bottom of the panel away from the chassis about two to three inches.
Lift the front panel off the small tabs on the chassis near the top of the panel and remove it.
Make sure you don't snag the door switch wire harness as you remove the panel.

Passo 13

Remove the cover plate screw.

Passo 14

Remove the cover plate.

Passo 15

Remove the screws securing the cord cables.
Mark the cables with a permanent marker if needed and take a picture or draw a diagram.

Passo 16

Pull the cord carefully down through the round hole.
Make sure you replace the connections correctly when you reassemble.

Passo 17

Remove the green ground screw.
Remove the cord terminal block screws.

Passo 18

Move the cord terminal block behind the rear panel.

Passo 19

Remove the rear panel screws.
Throughout this guide, keep track of each screw and reinstall it exactly where it came from.

Passo 20

Remove the screw holding the main board bracket to the chassis.
Remove the screws from the top rear of the machine.

Passo 21

Put on gloves before continuing, as the rear panel is sharp.
Lift the panel about 1/2 inch and tilt it to the rear to release it from the vent pipe.
Slide the panel off the vent pipe and remove it.

Passo 22

During reassembly, perform the following:
Make sure that the vent pipe is fitted into the collar on the panel.
Make sure the tabs at the bottom are aligned to the bottom rim of the chassis.
Position the panel so its screw holes match with the chassis.

Passo 23

Pull the lint filter up out of the lint filter slot to remove it.
These photos show the front panel in place, but the procedure is the same if the front panel is already removed.

Passo 24

Remove the mounting screws securing the lint filter housing.

Passo 25

Pull the filter housing outward from the chassis and down to remove it.

Passo 26

The blower cover is the round plate that serves as the inlet to the blower.
Unfasten the blower cover screw.

Passo 27

Lift the blower cover slightly and slide it to free the tabs which hold it in place.
Remove the blower cover.
The photos show the lower front bulkhead in place. The bulkhead doesn't affect the blower cover removal and reassembly.

Passo 28

Move to the rear of the machine to access the drive shaft.
Hold the drive shaft with an adjustable wrench on the hex portion of the drum drive pulley.
The threads on the blower wheel are left-hand threads. The wrench must be installed to the left of the pulley to keep it from rotating counterclockwise.

Passo 29

Use a socket wrench with an extension bar and no socket to fit into the square hole on the blower wheel.
Turn the wheel clockwise (to the right) to free it enough to remove it by hand.