XT Appliances · Warren
Dryer drum won't turn
Most of the time the drive belt has snapped, so the motor runs while the drum sits still.
When you press Start, the motor turns two things: the blower that moves the air, and the drum, through a long thin belt wrapped around it. A spring-loaded idler pulley keeps the belt tight. So when the drum won't turn, the first question is whether the motor is running.
The motor runs, the drum doesn't
If the motor sounds normal and the drum stays still, the drive belt has snapped most of the time. Belts stretch and break with age. With the dryer unplugged, a drum with a broken belt turns by hand with almost no resistance, while an intact belt pulls back against you. Because the motor also drives the blower, you may still feel air at the vent.
Sometimes the belt broke because something else failed first. A seized idler pulley grinds against the belt until it shreds. The clue is a squeal in the days before the drum stopped, and in that case the pulley gets replaced along with the belt, or the new belt goes the same way. Less often, a seized drum roller holds the drum still even with a good belt.
On some designs a broken belt also opens a safety switch that cuts the motor, so the dryer goes dead instead of running with a still drum.
The motor hums, nothing turns
A hum or buzz with nothing moving, and an intact belt, points at the motor. Either it has seized or its start circuit isn't working, and the pattern tells you which. If the dryer starts fine cold but only hums after a cycle until it cools down, the centrifugal switch on the end of the motor is the usual cause. A motor that runs, gets hot and quits partway through a cycle is tripping its own overload, often because the blower or a bearing is binding. Don't keep pressing Start on a motor that only hums.
Our technician checks the belt, idler and rollers together, and if the belt is intact, tests the motor and its switch, so the repair matches what actually stopped the drum.
What it usually turns out to be
- PartDrive beltThe thin belt around the drum stretches and snaps with age. The motor runs normally, and with the dryer unplugged the drum spins by hand with almost no resistance.
- PartSeized idler pulleyA pulley that locks up shreds the belt. If the dryer squealed for a while before the drum stopped, both need replacing.
- PartDrive motorIf the motor hums but can't turn and the belt is intact, the motor may be seized. A motor that gets hot and quits partway through a cycle is tripping its own overload.
- PartMotor centrifugal switchA switch on the end of the motor that helps it start. Worn contacts show up as a dryer that starts fine cold but only hums after a cycle, until it cools down.
Try this first
- With the dryer unplugged or its breaker off, turn the drum by hand: if it spins with almost no resistance, the belt has most likely snapped.
- Press Start and listen: a motor running smoothly with a still drum points at the belt, and a hum with nothing turning points at the motor.
- If it won't restart right after a cycle, let it cool and try again, and tell us whether it starts cold.
Stop using it and call now if
- The motor hums but nothing turns. Don't keep pressing Start.
- A burning smell, or the top is too hot to touch.
Other dryer problems
- Dryer runs but won't heat
- Dryer takes too long to dry
- Dryer squealing, thumping or grinding
- Dryer won't start
Or go back to dryer repair in Warren.