How to Troubleshoot & Replace Ge AP2044374 / WE25X60 Slide Kit

Replaced drum guides. Also since I had it apart. I did extensive cleaning. Ugh! I also replaced the drum bearing, idler pulley, drive belt and heating elements. Now a 1976 dryer is like new. 

Replaced rear drum bearing, from slides and belt. 

This dryer is a GE and bought in the late 1970's - the belt broke- your company out of 4 I tried for parts was the only one to recognize the model number- I ordered the belt, rear bearing and slides-they arrived in a couple of days and were the proper parts--the entire repair probably took about 4 hours because I did a lot of cleaning several rest breaks and since some of the tasks require you to be laying down and getting up it took a while (I am 69 and do not move a fast as I once did) The repair was pretty easy and straight forward(I worked over 30 years in industrial maintenance) 

New rear bearing kit and front slides made it spin like new. Also installed a new belt, and replaced a crumbing thermostat while I was in there. Ordered parts one day & got them the next. 

Replaced drum bearing at rear, found one drum slide broken and replace both, put on new dryer belt which was beginning to fray along the edge. Only problem is that in the repair video, it did not show the drum bearing replacement for the exact type of dryer I have. So, the disassembly which I did prior to viewing the video didn't correctly represent the model I had. And, consequently putting the dryer back together was also somewhat different. For instance, my dryer did not have the slot in the back of the housing for the grounding strap end tab to slip into, so I had to flatten the small tab with a pair of pliers before securing the bearing housing to the back of the housing. Also, the way the drum and rear element heat shield are put together on my dryer model DDE7900GAL are quite different so I had to remember how I took it apart before I could reassemble the drum/heat shield bearing shaft assembly prior to putting the drum back in. Of course, it helps if you're used to repairing your own appliances but a novice could get confused here since the video is for a different model. It also was not easy to pre screw the screws into the unthreaded bearing plate holes - took quite a bit of force. 

Order new one from you and put them on 

Being the dryer was purchased in 1984 and the only other issue about five years ago was the gas valve. I replaced a bad solenoid coil and that was the only issue with this dryer. The dryer started to make noise and I figured it was time for bearings, slides , and a belt. The job took about an hour and half including cleaning thirty four years of hidden lint. The hardest part was getting the drive belt back on. You can't get your arm in to push down the idler. Put the belt on the motor and idler and slip it on the drum and work it in, it is a lot faster with out cutting your arm up trying to get the belt in place. 

Replaced the two front slide assemblies. That was easy. Then replaced the rear drum bearing assembly. That was more difficult because the 3 screws holding the bearing assembly at the back of the inside of the drum were siezed and difficult to remove. Also, the reassembly requires aligning the bearing assembly, the rear heat baffle, a reinforcing plate, and the correct 3 screw holes, while inserting the screws from inside the drum. Not easy for one person to do especially since the reinforcing plate is sandwiched between the other items and not visible. Finally, I also found the the blower assembly needed to be disassembled and the fine lint accumulation cleaned out because it was actually loading the motor due to friction. So basically I needed to pretty much disassemble the whole dryer. It does work well now and is as quiet as when new. 

Replaced slides, rear bearing and belt. Vacuumed out all the lint inside and wiped down. 

Replaced rear drum bearing and slide supports.