How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP4294048 / Y303836 Dryer Blower Wheel Assembly

The dryer got noisy during the middle of a load. It was difficult to determine if the noise was coming from some contact of the drum rubbing or if it was something on the motor. The motor shaft inspected could not find any movement side to side. Next, removed belt and restarted dryer. This removed the drum movement from a list of possible causes. The noise was still present so removed the blower cover and found that the blower wheel assembly would spin on the shaft without turning motor. Blower Wheel assembly ordered and part arrived extremely fast less that 24hrs on standard shipping. Great job Appliance Part Pro shipping staff. 

Replaced the wheel. This took about 45 minutes. Small 1/4 drive sockets, a six inch extension and snap-ring pliers were needed. Be sure to unplug the drier before beginning. 

Went on the Appliance Part Pros web-site found the part real easy, ordered it, a few days later it came in. 

Replaced blower wheel 

Removed panels to assess what needed to be repaired or replaced. Used the diagrams, for my model of dryer found on AppliancePartsPros web site. All required parts were in stock. Once ordered, parts were shipped and I received them within a few days. All the parts were genuine, not cheap knock offs and the order was correct. Nothing missing or wrong. 

Replaced 

Replaced fan, drum rollers, belt and bearing set. I also use the video's shown on the site, for that dryer model. 

Installed blower wheel, drum support rollers, and belt. Though the unwelcome sounds seemed to emanate more from the front of the dryer, ordered all parts as precaution and replaced since I was disassembling the machine. Upon physical examination of the parts, the culprit was the blower wheel. Two takeaways from my repair: 1) The snap ring pliers that I had were curved, so would not fit inside the blower wheel. Did not have straight-ended pliers, so used two small awls to open the snap ring. 2) I struggled to position the belt properly on the rear pulleys via the front through the drum, so ended up removing the small rear panel to reattach. At least for me, it would have been a big time saver to ignore the front drum approach. The cost to replace all the parts was less than a service call alone. 

Replaced blower wheel assembly 

Replaced the drum roller split rings, which had stretched and fallen off. While it was opened up, I discovered the blower wheel assembly was also broken. I decided to replace the drum belt as well to be safe,