Dryer belt replacement

Are you sure the belt is routed correctly? From front of machine, the belt comes down left side of drum, then clockwise around spring loaded idler pulley, then around motor drive and back to right side of drum.

The drive belt around the drum may be misaligned.

Hello;

My name is Peter. I am a retired field service appliance technician.

If your drum is not turning, dryer belts are rubber and dry rot. It will be obvious if the belt is broken. When installing a new belt make sure you turn the drum counter clockwise. If you do not it will come off the drive pulley. Broken dryer belts are common.

However, if your dryer belt is fine, then you either have a bad drive pulley or drive pulley contact switch preventing your drum from turning.

You made the belt come loose.
Replace the drive belt.

This photo is from a Samsung DV409AEW, but I assume they are quite likely the same. I also turned the drum (clockwise, which is the wrong way) and the same thing happened. The thud in my case was the spring that holds the tension pulley arm in place falling to the bottom of the dryer. If your situation is the same, spinning the drum caused the belt to come off of the idler pulley and the tension spring fell off. It seems to happen frequently based on web searches.
Again, assuming the DV409Axx is the same, you can get at it from behind. There should be 3 screws (2 on the top and 1 on the bottom) of the plate that holds the vent pipe output assembly. That assembly can then be removed. There will be a vent pipe extension that comes out with the assembly.
Once inside, see if the spring is off, and if so re-attach it per the photo below. It is counter-intuitive that the spring pulls the arm down, rather than to the left. Hopefully this will be your issue.
Putting the pipe extension and outlet assembly back in can take a bit of fiddling... but if you lay on the floor, you can actually shine a flashlight in the crack to see what you're doing.
Hope this helps!

If the dryer is heating, but the drum fails to turn, this is usually caused by a broken dryer belt. To replace the belt on a Whirlpool Duet series dryer, you need to follow these steps:


1. UNPLUG the dryer before servicing. Dangerous voltage is still present inside the dryer even when it is turned off.

2. Remove the top panel of the dryer by locating and removing the screws holding the panel in place in the rear of the dryer. With the screws removed, the panel will slide back, then come off. The belt should be present tightly wrapped around the drum. If not, its likely the belt is broken and lying in the bottom of the cabinet.

3. Open the door and remove the lint screen. IMPORTANT: You will not be able to remove the air blower cover with the lint screen in place.

4. Remove the lower toe panel directly below the door. The panel comes off by locating and removing the screws under the bottom front edge. With the screws removed, the panel will drop down, then come off.

NOTE: Propping the front feet of the dryer up can provide you better access to the screws (a 2x4 works well for this).

5. Disconnect the auto dry sensor plug (usually yellow wires with a white plug to the right of the blower assembly) and any ground wires that may be connected to the front panel.

6. Remove the air blower cover by locating and removing the mounting screws.

NOTE: This is a good time to clean the blower fan housing, squirrel cage motor and dryer interior cabinet.


7. Locate the two screws that hold the operator console in place. There should be one on each side under the top panel. Remove the screws and carefully lift the panel straight up.

NOTE: You do not need to disconnect the ribbon cables. Carefully lay the console across the top of the dryer out of the way.

8. Disconnect the door switch connector plug and remove the dryer front panel by locating the four screws that hold it in place. Loosen the two screws along the bottom of the panel and leave in place. Remove the top two screws and lift up and turn the whole front panel slightly counter-clockwise to release the drum supports from the dryer drum.

NOTE: Make sure the dryer door is closed when removing the front panel to avoid damaging the door hinges.

9. Reach in behind the air blower with both hands and pull the idler pulley to the right with your right hand to release the tension and remove the dryer belt (if still attached) from the drive motor.

10. Install new belt around the dryer drum making sure the ribbed side faces towards the drum.

11. Reinstall the dryer belt by releasing the belt tension pulley again (as described in step 9), then, with your left hand loop the belt over the drive motor pulley. Release the idler pulley making sure the belt rests on the drive motor pulley. You should feel the belt tighten with tension.

NOTE: If you need further clarification on how to properly route the dryer belt you can go to repairclinic.com and click on the "Repair Help" link at the top of the page. On the following page, locate the "Dryer Belt Diagrams" link under the Special Features section. Refer to diagram K.

12. Reinstall the front panel by turning it slightly counter-clockwise and aligning the front drum supports under the front of the drum. Once the supports are under the drum, turn the front panel clockwise and lift up, placing it on the bottom two screws. Reinstall and tighten the top two screws.

13. Reinstall the door switch connector plug and reinstall the operator console. Use caution not to put too much stress on the console ribbon cables.

14. Reinstall dryer top panel.

15. Reinstall air blower cover and reconnect the auto dry sensor and ground wire.

16. Reinstall toe panel by inserting the top portion first and pushing up. Push lower portion of the panel in place and reinstall screws.


Replacement parts (if required) can be purchased at any of the following web sites:

searspartsdirect.com
pcappliancerepair.com
appliancepartspros.com
repairclinic.com

Prices will vary between sites so shop and compare. The drive belt part number for the model you listed this question under is 661570.


NOTE: This model dryer has a broken belt switch mounted on the belt tension puley. If the pulley loses tension form either a broken belt, or a tension pulley spring that has come loose, the dryer will stop tumbling. So, if the belt is still intact, check the tension pulley for a loose or missing tension spring. The first three web sites I listed have exploded view parts illustrations to assist you locating and properly identifying any part you may need. Refer to the "Cabinet Parts" section for an illustration of the belt and drive components. The belt is listed as item 30 and the belt switch is listed as item 5.


I know this may seem like a lot, but its actually fairly simple if you follow the steps provided. Read through everything before attempting any repairs. If you have any questions, please post back and let me know. I hope this helps you.

have you try to rotate the drum when belt is attached or installed, unplug your machine and try to spin it manualy at the back opening where you can access the mechanical part

try to use the belt when turning it counter-clockwise see if it will turn the drum, if not then the fproblem is the bearing

either the belt is broken that turns the motor or thr idler tension pulley is bad, if it were a motor problem the breaker most likely will trip

When installing new belt the belt comes off the right side of the drum and through the idler and around the motor shaft, then up the left side

I dont think you broke the belt, I think it may have just come off the belt tensioner. Take the bottom of the back panel off and I think you will see it hanging in there. Just put er back on.