The drum is sagging at the door wall creating a gap in which the loose ends of clothes get trapped. The clothes get twisted and stained from the felt that the drum is supposed to rotate on. I am not sure what parts need to be replaced. The drum is also hard to turn.

Chances are you had a noise before that. Your rear bearing has gone out and the glides at the front and the front seal will probably need replacing. Get back to us if you need instructions.

Jim, thank you for the advice. How can I be sure the main (rear) bearing is bad? In the free state, the drum rotates fairly smoothly, but with high effort. If I lift the front of the drum it rotates smoothly with much less effort. Is it unusaul to wear out the front glide support and seal without the rear bearing going bad? The drum has worn down the felt on the front support aroung 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch.

Usually the rear bearing goes first as it is either just a flat strip of teflon or (depending on the age of the dryer) a cylinder shaped piece of plastic. When that wears it allows the drum to run crooked and takes out the front glides. When you remove the front and the drum to replace the front glides, you will be able to see the condition of the rear bearing. Chances are it is bad. On that, you can buy just the plastic bearing or an entire kit which will also include the shaft attached to the drum. Usually just the bearing is sufficient. While you have it apart don't forget to clean out all the lint you can find and inspect the belt, if it is cracking you'll want to replace that too.

Thanks again Jim. I have the door wall off and have vacuumed away as much lint as I could reach. I don't know how to remove the drum... please advise. I see three screws accessible from the inside of the drum in the rear plate. Will these release the drum. The top glide is completely worn out. The plastic pads fell off and the felt is worn away not only on the top but also further along perimeter of the drum on one side.

No problem. Glad to help. For you to remove the drum you will have to disconnect the belt. I do it from the front, but I recommend you remove the lower panel at the rear and observe how the belt is attached. Then swing the idler pulley to loosen the belt and remove it from the motor pulley. From there you can go back up front and remove the belt. Then the drum will simply lift at the front and pull out of the dryer. Now you can access everything. I have to go fix my mower, so I won't be on for awhile, but I'll check back later.
Good luck.

I got the drum out and found the rear bearing. There is a flange on one side to which the drum fastenes with the three screw I mentioned above. The other side looks like trailer hitch ball captured in two pieces of plastic. I can't see how to get that out. Will you please advise how to get the main bearing out. Thanks.

That piece with the flange IS the bearing. If it is okay and the shaft on the drum is okay, that's all you have to worry about... reuse them. If the shaft is okay and that bearing is worn, just replace the bearing. Sometimes something gets caught between the drum and the front seal... such as a coin, a bobby pin, etc and that may have caused your problem rather than rear bearing failure.

I went and picked up the parts I needed today. I decided not to replace the main (rear) bearing. I took mine apart and cleaned it thoroughly and examined it. It didn't look worn out to me. I looked at a new one at the appliance store and it had the same grooves in it that mine did. They must be in there by design. I have another question for you: What can I use to lubricate the main bearing when I put it back together? I think I am going to go to a reputable auto parts store and ask for a grease that is compatible with plastic and rated for high temperature. Do you have any suggestion as to what might be available and where I can find it? Also, you mentioned that you release the belt from the front. I know how it is routed around the pulleys. I want to avoid having to pull the dryer away from the wall. Any suggestions for stringing the belt from the front? Thanks again for your help.

Using a lubricant on that bearing is not recommended but you could, I suppose, use a LIGHT coating of a silicone based grease available in small tubes at a hardware store. I do the belt from the front, but I always had skinny arms. I reach my left hand in and pull the pulley back and hold it while positioning the belt with the right hand, first onto the motor pulley and then up over the idler pulley. The right arm usually is no problem, it's the left one that is really tight and be careful because you can get cut easily on these things. While you have that silicone lubricant, you might want to look at your refrigerator door gaskets and maybe lube the hinge sides of the gaskets, LIGHTLY, and across the bottom (especially if you have kids prone to spilling things) of them. They'll slide into place more easily and not have a tendency to twist and across the bottom keeps them from sticking and tearing when you open the door. Good luck!

It is most important to clean the drier well while you have it apart and to replace the belt. The parts that handle air should be washed out including the blower fan. Vacuum out the motor, also. Dirt in a drier will cause a fire and can get two inches thick in places, Driers are the number one cause of fires in the US because of dirt and lint buildup. DrTom4444

Everything is cleaned up, put back together and so far looks like it's time to declare victory! Thank you for your help. I can now probably do this in my sleep, but by the next time the dryer needs service, I will have completely forgotten how it all goes together. Next time, I will plan the job better and allow myself time to diagnose and order parts ahead of time. I way overpaid for the part because I couldn't wait for the long shipping time for an internet order due to the glue being included in the kit. I don't want to have to do that again.

There was a significant build up of lint inside... easily and inch. I cleaned everything with the vacuum the best I could. The unit is working fine now. Thank you for your helpful comment.

Just vacuuming out a drier will NOT clean out enough lint to help much. You have to remove the parts, scrape them out, then wash them out while scrubbing them with a brush. This is especially important with the blower fan and air ducts carrying air into drum and under lint filter. Not removing it thoroughly will cause a fire. Driers are the number one cause of fires year round in the US. Make sure to clean exhaust vent, too. DrTom4444