Replacing rear bearing on White Westinghouse stackable dryer

[bibico]

My stackable dryer is showing all the squeaky signs of a rear bearing in need of replacement.

I believe the part number I need is 5303281153

I've found information on how to get at the bearing on a conventional stand-alone dryer, but can't figure out how to get at it on this stackable.

If anyone knows whether I need to pull the drum from the front or get at the bearing from the back of the unit, I'd be grateful for guidance. I can't tell if the screws on the inside of the drum are what's holding the thing in place. I hate to start unscrewing stuff only to find out there was a more direct route!

Model MLXE42REW0

Also, if you know of any special precautions for the disassembly / reassembly, I'd be happy to hear them.

Thank you for any help on this.

[BrntToast]

rear bearing can be changed with dryer stacked on washer(you need enough room above the dryer to tilt the lid open)
there are 2 spring clips under the front of the lid(push them in with a putty knife) then lid tilt up, the front panel is held on by 2 screws on the inside, then the front panel pulls away and lifts off 2 clips on the bottom
once front is off you reach in on the right hand side and disconnect belt from the idler pulley, drum will now lift up from the back(the rear bearing is a round ball that sits inside a reciever)
drum pulls out from the front
remove bearing from the dum and reciever from the cabinet
tips....  if the drum doesn't wanna lift up you can remove the 3 center screws from the drum and pull drum out then wiggle old bearing apart
tip2... the lil steel ball bearing in the kit goes into the back of the white plastic socket(beveled on the back) use a dab of greese to keep it from falling
last tip... the replacement that goes on the drum does not have the holes pre-threded, so thread them first(with the old screws)throw away the ones in the kit if they are phillips cause they strip before they ever tighten enough

to clarify one thing you said earlier.... your dryer is a free standing dryer, its just stacked on a washer, all the instructions you have for a free standing one are identical(with the exception of the dryer being 4 feet in the air)

[bibico]

Wow, thank you for the great information BrntToast. I'm actually sort of looking forward to giving it a shot.

I'll make sure to take some good photos of the process in case they might be of interest to anyone in the forums. I know that this is a fairly common problem, so if I can post any pictures in a subsequent reply I'll do that. Otherwise I'll look at posting in the photo galleries.

Thank you again for the fast reply!

[BrntToast]

one tip i forgot... do NOT use the whole tube of greese!!!!  you need only fill the cup to the bottom lip

save the extra greese, once a year if you can reach behind the machine you can push the tube against the metal bracket that holds the lil ball bearing in place(this is where you will see all the wear and where the squeak usually starts

[AJ]

It would be awesome if you could include some photos.

Only the AJ Team members can add photos to the gallery at this time, but you can add them as attachments to your topic right here.

You could also email them to me if you would like and I can add them to the gallery and then to your topic here.

Will be looking forward to seeing the photos. 

[RegUS_PatOff]

this may be a close model number

MLXE42REW6 Parts Manual

[bibico]

Hi again,
It looks like the manual is a bit closer to what I have than what BrntToast was describing. This is going to be a bit of an adventure, since I already managed to take off the front of the dryer, though it wasn't secured the way most dryers are. There are a number of screws to remove, the control panel to move out of the way, the power switch cord to disconnect, etc. I'm sure with full size floor models there's a bit more room to maneuver, as well.
I'm saving the attempt to remove the drum for tomorrow, since it's late. I think I know what the idler pulley looks like, but I'm having some doubts about it being easy to replace when I go to reinsert the drum...not sure if the belt comes out with the drum. I'm actually wondering if this could have been done from the back side of the dryer instead, because I think the idler would be easier to reach then. Before taking out the drum I'll probably pull out the unit, get behind it, remove the back panel and have a look.
Heck, I'm doubting it'll ever run again at this point, so why not! I'll post some photos tomorrow if I get some that show clearly what I'm talking about. I'd guess that anyone who ever owned a condo (like me) or an apartment has run into this.

More on this as it develops. Thanks again for the information!

[BrntToast]

i gave instructions for the model number from the last topic you posted in... if you have a machine that looks like the manual reg posted, you have a laundry center not free standing dryer 

and yes, you are correct, the only wayto get the belt on a laundry center is from the back(the small access panel) DO NOT!!! remove the whole back panel!!! i repeat DO NOT, the screws are for assembly only, not service

laundry center tip, when reinstalling front panel, loosely attach top screws, then with front panel about 45 degrees from the front of the dryer, open dryer door, reach in and push up on drum, now you can look up and inside the drum and slowly lower front panel down so the drum rests ontop of the felt on the front panel
if the drum isn't lifted enough the front will just bind on the felt

sorry i didn't catch the laundry center bit the first time, i had looked up the model from the first post you made in another topic

[JWWebster]

If that is that stack dryer washer that i think it is you can remove the idler from access of a small panel in the rear. The basic setup is the same but the way i was thinking was a friend of mine blew a fuse in hers. An I seem to remember taking something loose from the back and getting the top off and then the front came off. Hell i cannot remember. But the bottom dollar is the tub has to come out the front. The part you have to repair is a standard what we in the appliance parts business call a trailer hitch. If it is worn out it is gonna come out with no problem. if it is left to keep going it will make the tub colapse into the heating element and have a melt down(not good) The bearing will eat its way down to china and on the way it will take out the heating element with it. By gosh that is chicken soup!

[bibico]

I will post a full account of this ordeal...er...fun project tomorrow, along with some photos. Assuming, of course, that when I reinstall everything and press the start button the thing actually works!

I've learned some things that perhaps will help others who have these stackable units, or who have to work on them. The equation certainly changes when you are working on a stacked w/d with the dryer on top, in a relatively small bathroom where the w/d is installed in a sort of linen closet and you find out that you have to pull the unit out and somehow find room to yank the drum. I really wish I had a video of this, because you'd all get some laughs out of the colorful language....I know my cat won't come near me right now (long story...he'll be fine once he gets over his fear of ladders...).

The inside of my dryer is now almost as clean as the day it was made. That's one benefit of tearing this thing apart and being able to get at all the lint and stuff that collects inside your dryer over the course of years.

I have lots more to say about the engineering that goes into these things: mainly, I'm amazed they work as long as they do without simply collapsing into a heap of cheap aluminum dust and twisted metal!

More on this saga when it's over, but right now my nerves are so jangly that I think I might just go have an adult beverage to celebrate reaching the halfway point.

If any of you have ever pulled a motor out of a VW Bug, you will understand that this is a similar process: the first time you learn all the tricks, and the second time it takes 1/3 of the time to do it.

Thanks again to everyone who's contributed advice, tips, and moral support. I'll be back with narrative and photos very soon.

[JWWebster]

You can do it dude. You got people! We got yer back!

[bibico]

Hi again, everyone,

I wanted to post a follow-up on my repair of my White Westinghouse stacked dryer. And, of course, I want to thank you folks sincerely for both the technical advice and the moral support. Both of those meant a huge amount to me.

I'll try to e-mail some photos to AJ for posting in the gallery. I'll do that as soon as I get a minute to reduce the file sizes and sort through them all to see which ones show things to best advantage.

But let me tell you, there's not a squeak coming out of that dryer right now, and I've got a good-sized load of laundry in it at this moment. Plus, one of the great things about tearing that dryer apart and getting to clean up the insides is that it now takes about half as much time to dry clothes as it did before the repair. The dividend of opening that thing up and seeing how much lint packs itself into every nook and cranny is that you get to see why dryers might lose efficiency over time.

I stuck the crevice tool into every place I could reach, and just about loaded my vacuum cleaner with the lint and dust I extracted. The photos I'll send you will show some of the "before" conditions I found. Amazing. It's no wonder it wasn't drying effectively before: the exhaust manifold (or whatever you call the thing below the lint trap) had so much stuff in it it wasn't funny. Just about anywhere the hot air was meant to circulate had old lint just clogging up the works. Even if I only save a few bucks on my electric bill each year, the savings in terms of time make this a valuable project.

Knowing where that little ball bearing for the rear bearing is located will make it easier in the future to every now and then get around the back of the dryer and give it a little lubricant boost. When you see the picture of the stuff that fell out of the old one you'll understand why keeping these things lubed is not a bad idea. Even though I live in a dry climate the laundry closet is a humid area because of the washer, and it was obvious that there was some rust  that had formed on that little ball bearing - plus, it was all scored and gouged from running dry all that time. Probably wasn't even rotating any more it was so rough.

So, thanks again to everyone. I hope the photos I send will serve some sort of useful purpose. Maybe I'll even send in an account of my next ordeal: replacing the kitchen faucet. I can't help it...I just love frustration, I guess!

A great day to you all.

[AJ]

Glad to hear you got it repair. 

Thanks for taking the time to snap some photos and send them to us. They are sure to help many other visitor that will be looking for answers to the same questions you had.

Here are the photo. Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

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Job well done. 

[JWWebster]

Did ya take any pics of your front glides?

[JWWebster]

In that pic the person is holding the good part in there right hand. The bad part is the brownish looking felt on the top of the dryer front. Notice the slides are all missing?