How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6024203 / WPY54414 Dryer Belt Tension Pulley

Long story short, my belt was cracked and stretched. But the root cause of the symptom was that the idler wheel, which was 13 years old (original) was totally worn. It disintegrated when I tool it off. I also replaced the two roller wheels that the drum rides on. Dryer works great now. I also vacuumed the motor and inside the dryer and duc twork in the dryer. She's awesome now. 

I removed the front panel and confirmed where the symptoms originated. All I needed were a couple nut drivers to remove and reinstall the motor. I inspected other suspected maintenance items and replaced the drum belt and belt tension pulley. The repair didn't take long, however, I elected to spend an hour diligently cleaning the interior of dryer including the exhaust tube and exterior outlet and scrubbing the fan and lint trap. My wife now enjoys a very clean lint trap, I'm ensured an efficient, clean operating machine. Appliance Pros provided terrific parts breakdowns. I ordered with confidence and parts arrived in 2 Std Days Shipping, on a Saturday AM! I used this site 2 yrs ago with same satisfaction, to replace this same units' drum guides and heat felt seal. 

Replaced drum rollers,idler pulley and belt. Appliancepartspros.com repair video was very helpful. 

In all the years I've owned this dryer it's only needed 1 igniter till now, one cylinder roller failed, I considered buying a new dryer but after reading of all the complaints about all these new dryers I decided to fix my old one. Appliancepartspros.com was able to provide all the parts to restore my dryer to like new performance. As long as i was getting into it, I replaced all of the wear items, belt, felt seals and bearings. My wife is happy that her dryer is working and I'm happy I didn't have to spend $500- $1000 on a new dryer. 

I ordered drum support rollers and a belt tension pulley . The incredible part of my story is Appliance Parts Pros had these parts at my doorstep less than 12 hrs. after I ordered from the internet !!! Upon seeing the tension pulley was worn to one side I bent the tension arm to align as best I could with the motor drive pulley . The new support roller spun easily compare to the old ones . Success ! 

I ordered and replaced the idler arm, belt tension pulley and dryer belt,and lint filter, Should have done it sooner, Our old lint filter was broken and not catching all the lint. I cleaned enough lint out of the dryer alone to fill 1/2 of a 5 gallon pail! This is a gas dryer and if this was not dealt with it could have caught fire! easy fix, took 3 hours total including removing the ducting under the house and cleaning it also. 

Ordered the parts from appliance pros, which came very quickly I might add! And proceeded to replace the offending pieces. Add some elbow and wheel bearing grease to the mix and presto, I hope to get another 15 years out of the old girl! Thanks for the rapid response appliance pro. 

Ended up being a worn drum roller; was missing a washer. Since I had the dryer taken apart ended up replacing the idle pulley, other drum roller, and belt. Figured I can give the dryer a tuneup, so I won't have to worry for at least another 5-7 years. Only cost $80 and a couple hours of elbow grease. AppliancePartsPros had all the parts I needed at the best price. Their model filter identifies all common wear&tear parts, was easy to navigate and order. Also had YouTube install/replacement videos. Now it's is very quiet and runs like new! One stop shop for DIY maintenance. Love it! 

Watch the video how to take the dryer apart and replace the part 

Replaced the tension pulley.