How to Troubleshoot & Replace Ge AP2043227 / WE12X83 Idler Pulley

I ordered a mess of parts that I thought were the culprits. With teenagers in the house, I was not able to take it apart early and determine what the issue was. I used most of the parts ordered and had that bad boy back up and running in less than an hour. The shipping and delivery was fast and accurate. Thanks 

Replaced the belt and pulley 

Replaced drum belt and idler pulley. Decided to replace idler pulley as dryer is 7-8 years old and had belt residue on it. 

The dryer was making a "horrid" noise while tumbling. I ordered the rear drum bearing kit and replaced it. When I removed the drum, I noticed that the Idler Pulley had lost one of its flanges and the drum drive belt was rubbing on the belt tensioner. I replaced the Drive Belt Idler Pulley and as a safety measure replaced the drive belt. The drive belt was showing its age. Appliance Parts Pros shipped the new parts quickly and I repaired the dryer twice in that weekend. 

Followed video directions on appliance parts pros. Disconnected power. Removed screws as instructions showed. Removed panels. Lifted dryer drum to reveal tension pully. Removed dryer belt from pully. Removed nut and removed pully. Put new pully on and reversed directions. The hardest part was installing the belt and getting the belt back with tension. It took me a while to vacuum the dryer lint. Wanted to remove all the lint. Everything went back in place and the video instructions were easy to follow. I could pause and rewind the video to make sure I was doing it right 

With the direction of appliance parts pros and video. 

I replaced the Bearing Slides and Rear Drum Bearing. Since the dryer is 25 years old, I replaced the Drive Belt and IdlerPpulley as preventative measures. When the unit opened, I found Drum Front Support Bearing worn beyond usability, so I ordered that part and Felt Seals also. 

I replaced the idler pulley. 

I did this repair for a senior neighbor of ours. Just removed the top; one side and the front panel of the dryer to gain access to the pulley area. Then removed the broken one and put the new pulley on. Fastened the dryer panels back together and tested, the dryer operated perfectly with this new part. This was a very easy repair because the correct part was exactly what we ordered from Appliance Parts Pros Steve P Texas 

Google search for reasons, one might be a broken belt. I removed the top section of the dryer, did not see a belt, removed the drum, also the pulley was split in two. Ordered both items, came in 2 days, installed them. Saved on a new dryer purchase!