The Idler pulley does not have a wheel and rubs against curved metal. Is this one a upgrade? Also, when I checked the rear drum rollers they seem not to wobble and they moved freely on the shaft.Does the rubber wear down and if so is that the cause of a minor thumping sound? Thank you for your advice. John
John G. for Model Number LTG5243DQ3
ANSWER Hello John, The idler with a glide instead of a wheel was an attempt for Whirlpool to cut manufacturing costs and turned out to be a rework. The glides wear belts out prematurely and have to be replaced with an idler wheel assembly 691366. I strongly recommend replacing the belt so you won't have to go through a tear down again soon to replace the belt 341241. The thumping noise is caused by the wheels 349241T wearing unevenly. Changing them would also avoid a repeat tear down.
Answered by AppliancePartsPros.com | Thursday, March 22, 2012