My dryer makes these brutal high pitch squeaking sounds. Does anyone know what might be causing it and how to fix it? It`s about a 5 year old Frigidaire


Thx

Probably a roller going bad. At Lowes/Home Depot they've got a good selection of Appliance and Misc. I can't walk you through a troubleshoot, but Home repair/troubleshooting books that I think every homeowner should own if they have a few basic tools and are willing to try stuff themselves.

Hope this helps!

Four possible areas:

There is a small roller that tightens the drive belt for the drum. They can squeak. Remove the lower front panel and you should see the small roller near the motor and belt.

Another is the two larger rollers that support the drum. You will see this if you remove the front lower panel.

A another is where the drum rides on the upper round part of the door/opening and it has a plastic guide that separates the metal drum from the metal door/opening. Over time this wears out and the two metal pieces will squeak.

The motor bearings may be worn. Remove the drum drive belt and then start the dryer. If it squeals with the belt off then the motor bearings are likely worn.

Greetings. After working on Frigidaire dryers for the past 15 years, I would bet you have a bad rear drum bearing. These bearings, when they fail, they make the most shrill sound you can imagine. Usually support rollers and idler pulleys don't make this noise, and chances are, your front panel is a solid panel, not a split one. These bearings get packed with dirt, dust and lint which causes them to become dry and fail. It's inherent in its design, which you will understand if you decide to fix it. Trust me, you need a rear bearing. The only hope you have is that you have noticed it before the bearing cradle is fried. If not, it doesn't really matter, because all the related parts come in the same package. If you're interested in doing it yourself, I can help you change it. Just let me know.

My dryer ( Frigidaire FDE546RES1) has this exact problem: Unbearable squeal that goes away in 1 or 2 minutes. I would like to repair it if I can.

I bought a belt, thinking that was it but you (applguy) say it must be bad rear drum bearings.

How do I find them? How do I replace them? I am able to get the front of the dryer off but I do not know how to remove the back.

Thanks for you help!

I don't see why you couldn't fix it yourself... it's not really that difficult, but it can really be a bonus if you can have someone help you hold things together at one point. It (the dryer) is serviced from the front. The part number you will likely need is 5303281153. This is a kit that contains every part that could possibly need to be replaced when dealing with a rear drum bearing. First, unplug the dryer from the outlet or remove power at the breaker/fuse panel. To raise the top of the dryer, insert a putty knife into the crack between the top and the front panel and push against the spring clips to release them. There are two clips, anywhere from 23 to 8 inches in from the sides. You should be able to feel the spring tension when you push on them. Push one in slightly, and raise that side, then the same for the other end of the main top. Once the top is up, you will disconnect the wires to the door switch (right side, on the backside of the front panel), if there are 3, mark them somehow to get them back correctly, if only 2 wires, no need as location makes no difference. Then remove the phillips screw holding the yellow tab-looking plastic thing front and center in the top of the front panel. Then remove the 2 screws holding the front panel to the side panels, screw heads are inside the cabinet, screws pointing towards you. Pull the front panel away and lift off the bottom clips to remove. Now remove the belt from the idler pulley. The idler is located right behind the blower/motor unit. Make sure to note how the belt goes around the idler so you get it back on right. Once the belt is free, slide the belt to the back edge of the drum and, using it as a handle (on the top side of the drum), lift straight up to disengage the rear bearing from the cradle. This can be a very tight fit, especially if it worn badly. You may have to pull relatively hard. Once done, the drum will pull out through the front of the cabinet. Now you can see the drum support ball on the back of the drum and the cradle that holds it. Simply keep note of how you remove the cradle from the back wall to reassemble it correctly (this is where 4 hands are better than 2 and don't loose track of the ground bearing from the back). Using a small drop of supplied grease to keep the bearing in the plastic cradle makes reassembly much easier. As far as the post on the back of the drum is concerned, if the new and old parts look ABSOLUTELY identical, leave it alone and just clean it up good. If you must change it (another place where 4 hands are better than 2), be very careful with the new screws, because they are cheap and the heads strip almost instantly. Put a generous portion of supplied grease into the cradle and reassemble the dryer. Good luck, and if you see something that doesn't look right or confuses you, let me know.

Well, I did it! I understand why it costs so much to have "the repair guy" fix it! Thank you very much for saving me so much.

It was NOT easy getting it back together.

There is a slight knocking sound that wasn't there before... I am going to go with it for now!

Thanks again.

Kathy

Happy to be able to help. If you had to change the rear support on the back of the drum, you might want to look that over once more to make sure it's together right and tight. The rear of the drum runs very close to the heater and its ceramic insulators and I would hate to see you short out your heating element because you overlooked something. It could also be the belt tracking wrong in the idler pulley. I don't remember off the top of my head if there is an inspection cover on the back of the dryer that you could check that without too much trouble. By the way, thanks for the "cost" comment. Some people just don't get that just because I may make it look easy, doesn't necessarily mean that it would be easy for them. Sometimes experience and time is worth more than money. Oh, and I assume your noise is gone... Cheers.

Thanks applguy! My wife and I completed this in under an hour and the dryer does NOT squeak. Yahoo!

Thanks so much Appleguy, you ROCK! We fixed our dryer using your excellent post. You saved us some cash, and our sanity!

Just fixed mine in about an hour also. Thanks Appleguy much appreciated.

Another Thank You to the Appleguy. This is a pretty simple fix thanks to your advice

Fixed my dryer today as well. One suggestion I have is to use #10 x 1/2" Hex Heads instead of the crappy, easily stripped screws that are included with the repair kit. Good luck - boy does my quiet dryer sound sweet !

I registered for this site because of APPLEGUY. I did a Google search for horrible sqeual in clothes dryer and this site popped up first. I could actually hear the squeal outside my home. I read APPLEGUYS reply on how to replace the rear bearing. I went to a Sears with a Parts area with my model # and the parts # he suggested. Paid $28.00 for the kit, went home followed his directions and replaced all the pieces in a little over an hour by myself I am fortunate to have long arms to reach some of the areas. Though I was able to do it myself, it would have been MUCH easier to have a couple extra hands. Closed everything up and NO SQUEAL. And NO MORE LAUNDRYMAT!:) THANKS APPLEGUY!!

I have a Westinghouse dryer and I have now replaced the bearing/housing twice now within a year and a half. I assume the grease is drying up and frying the joint because the drum is "out of whack" and putting more pressure on that joint - if the drum rotates in a large irregular circle, the joint will have to do more work. If it rotates in a nice tight circle, it shouldn't have too much friction and strain - Or so I was told by the guy behind the counter at the parts store.

To alleviate that potential problem, this time I also replaced that piece of felt that separates the drum from the inside of the front door. Specifically I replaced the top piece of felt. The new piece had 3 plastic spaces that I am told will help keep the drum from having too much wiggle room. Hopefully that helps prevent any unnecessary stress on that joint and it will last longer than a year. Any thoughts Appleguy? I hope the parts store didn't sell me an extra $20 part that won't help.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Appleguy --

I have a White-Westinghouse model dryer that is squeaking like a car needing a brake job. I think that I need to replace the rear bearing. Any idea what part number I would need? :confused:

Thanks
Dan

Hey there!

Im SO incredibly happy i found this site!! lol

Im having the same problem with my dryer.......and its driving me nuts! Its been squealing now for months n months........it started with one high pitch squeak.....now its making 2 different sounds.

My dryer is a Beaumark...

could this mean it could be the bearings aswell?

I just followed ApplGuy's suggestion on fixing the squeak in my Frigidaire dryer.

It now works perfectly - no squeaks!

Thanks.

Thank's for the information.

The installation kit also came with the instruction's as well. It was no problem at all fixing.

I done it by myself in little over 45 minutes. Work's like a charm.

I own a Frigidaire Gallery Heavy Duty stacked washer/dryer combo that is experiencing the same problem. I have purchased the rear bearing kit but disassembly of this unit seems to be different (no top to pop off). Can you help?

Appleguy,
As has been said by many... Thanks! Our machine just started Screaming last week. My first thought was to use some belt dressing on the belt... thought that did the trick... for about five minutes:rolleyes:
I decided to Google "clothes dryer squeak" and hit on this thread. Again, excellent advise, with great results. Thanks again, Appleguy! And, as previously mentioned, you rock! :cool:

I need to replace the Drum Bearing on my dryer also. I purchased the kit, but it did not come with any grease. What type of grease I need to used? What is the best grease to use for the rear drum bearing?

I was curious where did you guys purchased the Frigidaire rear drum bearing kit? Online? From a Frigidaire dealer?

Thanks,
Darren

Quote:

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Originally Posted by quantafer

My dryer makes these brutal high pitch squeaking sounds. Does anyone know what might be causing it and how to fix it? It`s about a 5 year old Frigidaire


Thx

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Oil might be all you need! My Kenmore dryer (about 20 years old) developed that loud squeal recently. I didn't want to spend the time to do the bearing replacement myself or invest any money in such an old machine. Before I went to purchase a new dryer, my daughter (a 21-year old college student) took a look at it, found a small, round opening in the middle of the back panel, saw "something turning" when the dryer was running, and oiled it - the squeal went away! She said the sound was like metal-on-metal so she just went looking for access to the inside of the dryer, and found it. Hope this unbelievably simple solution works for you, too.

We also have a squeaking (squealing) Frigidaire stacked washer / dryer combo. Does anyone know where to access the pulley, idle arm, bearing area? Thanks.

Hi folks! I registered here because of THIS thread and all the good advice I've read here.
I own Kenmore Stacking Laundry Unit model# 417.94802301.

I can CLEARLY hear the squeeking outside the house. It's driving all of us insane! It started weak at first and would then die out after 2-3 minutes. Now it's constant! Arrrgh!

Here is the exploded view of my drum/parts:
http://tinyurl.com/ytkd47

I suppose I need parts #12 and #32?? And maybe #30?)

A separate Google search told me I have to take the front and top off to get at the drum... Correct?

PLEASE HELP ME! :(

Hi guys just registered once I read appleguys post too.
I have a 5 yr old hotpoint dryer with a squeak when you first load the dryer and stops after a few minutes would this also be the same problem (bad drum bearing) Please help want to get this solved before it's too late. Thanks

Right on the money!

Applguy is the man - the rear bearing in my GE was shot and his instructions were spot on. Super easy 30 minute fix! It would appear that Frigidaire makes this same unit for a variety of brands. Anyway, I bought the kit from partwizard.net and paid $29.15 total. GE wanted $75.00 for the kit so be sure to shop around. I just Googled 5303281153 and found the kit on eBay for less than $12. Oh well, you win a few, you lose a few. Have fun!

I just unscrewed 2 bolts there were holding a little panel on the back of my dryer and sprayed some WD-40 on the metal piece that was spinning and my horrible squeaking noise went away. Took about 2 minutes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dkent

I was curious where did you guys purchased the Frigidaire rear drum bearing kit? Online? From a Frigidaire dealer?

Thanks,
Darren

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Since this was asked a while back it may be irrelevant, but it may help somebody else to know where to get the parts. I was able to find the part needed at the local Appliance Parts store that deals in just this sort of things. In fact the store here was actually called 'Appliance Parts'. Look in the local yellow pages (or do an online search) for the brand of your dryer and Frigidaire and then looks for parts or repair. The part cost me less than $22 and on the phone I just had them check if they had it in inventory and to confirm that it was labeled as a rear drum bearing.

I too have a squeaky Kenmore Dryer, 417.91142000. The squeak isn't constant, so I'm hoping the noisemaker hasn't degraded too badly. Guessing a rear bearing problem, I found and bought the bearing replacement kit at the Sears web site, but it arrived without directions.

Applguy's response helped me get the drum off, (Thanks!), and I have the parts in hand, but I'm concerned that I've got the wrong parts. The ball shaft on the old part has a flat head with a recessed center for the ball bearing to fit into. The new ball shaft is not recessed. In fact, it has a slight bulge where the recess is on the old ball shaft. Is that a problem?

Also, the parts kit (5303281153) came with a tube of lube, but it is some sort of oil, not grease. The old bearing drum support has grease in it, mostly black due to age and use, but with hints of white here and there. Did I get the wrong lube, or is using this oil a better solution than grease?

I'm guessing that the ball bearing and clip on the rear are there just to make it easier to apply more lube, as others in this thread have done to solve their squeak problem. Is that true? I wish I'd read this thread before buying the parts.

I have a 5 year old Whirlpool dryer that just started doing the same thing.

Can I assume that the same part needs replacing and do it?

I just registered and this place is great

Lizzie64, I don't know whether your dryer is at all like my Kenmore (previous post), but you might want to check to see if there is a lube access door on the back. Had I read this list first, I would have tried adding lube first, before bothering with replacing the rear bearing. As it turned out, I didn't replace the bearing, since the new parts were slightly different, and instead removed the drum, cleaned off the old grease, applied new grease, and put everything back together. So far, so good.

Thank you Bparent. Actually I have a GE profile. LOL

I'll ask my husband to take a look and see. Stupid question, what do you grease it with?

Thanks again!
Liz

HELP! I found this forum and was hoping to add a "it was a snap" comment, however, I've got a problem. After picking up a rear bearing kit at a Sears Parts Outlet ($23) I followed appleguy's advice. I replaced everything and finally put all the pieces back together (hint: work on pulley/belt from the back for an easier angle) AND NOTHING HAPPENS! Everything is plugged in (I 10X checked my color coded wires and fuse box), but I push start and NOTHING! Help! I'm +7 hours into this project and DO NOT want to give up! Any advice on what might be causing the lack of power?

Hoping for Good News,
JOSH

Well, my Maytag is only a few years old and has progressively gotten more squeaky, now it is shrill, this thread seems right on, but the part 5303281153 is for Frigidaire and their genre, will this work also with a Maytag as I cannot find a separate part elsewhere

I just replaced the rear drum bearing on the dryer and then heard a thumping noise. You also need to replace the Front drum glide $30. ( a piece of foam with 3 plastic tabs ) if one wears out so does the other.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by quantafer

My dryer makes these brutal high pitch squeaking sounds. Does anyone know what might be causing it and how to fix it? It`s about a 5 year old Frigidaire


Thx

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Glad I found this place and thanks for all the replies.

I have a 10 year old White Westinghouse that was making the same high-pitched squeal about 30 minutes into the drying cycle. I lubed the rear bearing with WD-40 and the squeal ceased for about a week but I had to reapply because the squeal started again.

Can anyone recommend a good, long lasting lube (probably a grease) that they've had success with? My WD-40 can has a straw which is nice because I can lubed without moving the dryer however it looks like its drying out too fast. I would guess an automobile grease would be long lasting and resistant to the high temps.

BTW, I believe White Westinghouse/Electrolux/Frigidaire at some point were all the same company as my mom worked there for many years and the plant name changed among these three during her employment. In other words, the designs may be very similar so try one of the cheap suggestions (even if your brand isn't the same) before buying any parts.

:) Done! And the squeak is GONE! :)

It took me an hour with the help of my 8 year old. If it can help someone, the bearing kit I bought for my Frigidaire dryer is made by Electrolux and is also good for the following brand: White Westinghouse, Kelvinator, Gibson, Tappan and Philco.