I'm stumped as to what is causing a noise in a Maytag dryer, SDE4000AYW. This is my neighbor's machine, and of course it wouldn't make the noise when I was present.
However, based on her description I replaced the following parts:

• Drum support rollers
• Belt
• Idler pulley wheel and bearing
• Drum glides (supports front of drum)

It turns out that an important aspect of the problem (unknown to me previously) is that the noise only occurs when the dryer is hot. I had been testing with a cool dryer. When I had the heat going I did hear the noise and I noticed that it was not periodic, but did come and go. When the noise was occurring the belt vibrated rapidly on the side not riding on the idler pulley. The motor did not seem to be vibrating, however. Then things would quiet down and the belt would ride smoothly. The noise is not a squeak or rattle, but more of a groan.

After some more research, I pulled the motor and blower assembly and inspected the blower for any damage. It was fine. I spun the motor by hand and it was very free, so I blew all the lint out and put it back in the dryer. The noise still persisted. Thus, I am at a loss as to the cause. My only suspicion is motor bearing wear, but I sure don't want to buy a new motor on speculation.

Any advice would be highly appreciated!
WallyH

Hi Wally, I use this site as a guide for trouble shooting appliances.

https://www.repairclinic.com/RepairH...ise-SDE4000AYW

You can compare what you have done against the list of the top 9 causes for a noisy dryer.

Check out these videos, starting with this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6614TVugVc

Worn bearings causes alignment problems and noise is a symptom. LOL, all that seems left is the motor.

Let me know if this helps

Thanks for the advice. It looks like I've either replaced or inspected everything on RepairClinic's list except for replacing the motor, so it's encouraging that I've covered the likely candidates.

That video you linked, funny thing is I just watched that one last night!

Thanks again,
WallyH

I was able to capture a video of the intermittent noise. Note how the belt vibrates when the noise is present, and smooths out when the noise goes away (around 20sec mark).

https://youtu.be/3dJWHjU0TJk

Stumped,
WallyH

One thing you can do is run the motor without the belt, or drum, another examine all the rollers when running (Be CAREFUL), and examine the back and front of the drum for rubbing, though I saw no evidence of tracking, or back and forth from the drum at all. I check motor bearings or bushings with a heat sensor gun. I believe there is also a rear bearing for the drum that almost never gets checked for wear.

I removed the belt to eliminate all the moving parts except for the motor and blower. There was more noise than expected, but more of a looseness and not the groaning sound.
With the belt back on, I watched from a distance the back rollers which seemed to be tracking smoothly. The drum rides against a felt ring on the front and back edges and that seemed smooth as well. I also inspected/cleaned the outer surfaces of the drum where the rear rollers and front "glides" touch it. Nothing surprising here. As you say, the video accurately shows the drum moving pretty nicely.

I'm pretty sure there is no other bearing to be replaced on this model dryer, but I know the one in back of some models you're talking about.

I'll do some more thinking and see if any other ideas pop up... thanks for yours!
WallyH

You can almost bet a change in (excessive?) noise from the motor, with the load removed indicates the motor is under stress, probably normal wear. Not unusual at all for bearings, or the thrust plate for the shafts to wear. Coupling loose, or the fan itself. They all tend to transfer sound. Sorry I should have told you to decouple the fan while you had the belts off to further isolate the motor.

Just wondering about the years of service this dryer has on it?

I don't want to over-play the noise of the motor. There was some noise, but I was expecting nothing but wind noise. I tried briefly to remove the blower, but it was super-tight and I didn't want to risk breaking it. I may get more brave and try to get it off next time. I can take this dryer apart in just a few minutes now!

My guess is that this is around 20 years old. More of a personal challenge to me, but I would like to save my neighbor some money if I can.

Back to a previous comment regarding the bearings and a temperature gun... will bad bearings get hot enough to be noticeable? That's something I'd be willing to try if so.

Thanks again!
WallyH

There should be a plastic coupling connecting the motor to the fan assembly. I think that same guy showed that in another video, "how to change the motor" and "how to change the fan". It's easier to get to with the dryer on it's side with the fan facing up, (Any excuse to eat popcorn and watch videos 8D). A heat sensor gun is cheap (One of my favorite toys, but may be insufficient for such a small motor, on further thought.).

A more useful tool would be a sound level meter if you could establish a baseline with a quieter dryer for comparison. Also fairly cheap, but you don't need a tool to compare them, just a good ear to judge if it's excessive or not. For the money though, you shouldn't hear the motor or fan over the drum turning, at least I never have and its likely the motor is showing it's age. That doesn't mean it's ready to die, but you already know it's an easy fix.

Okay you got me, I love to putz and tinker with stuff, and play with toys.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by talaniman

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Okay you got me, I love to putz and tinker with stuff, and play with toys.

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Me too!

I think the dryer I've got is different than the YouTube guy's. The blower is screwed directly onto the motor shaft--very, very securely. This picture I found is just like mine.
Attachment 48963
As you can see there is a 7/8" hex head (plastic) to facilitate removal of the blower, but my sockets topped out at 13/16". Also, the photo shows a metal insert in the blower, but the one I'm working with is completely plastic--which makes me MORE nervous about breaking the thing. A crescent wrench just wasn't cutting it.

I think I'll come up with a proper socket and try again to remove the blower.

On another note, I have an app for my Android phone to measure sound levels. Not sure of the accuracy, but it would certainly be good for comparison.
It is Sound Meter by Smart Tools (https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...=kr.sira.sound).

Until next time,
WallyH