Neglected 26 year old dryer full of lint finally quit for good. Only a buzzing sound and burned wire smell when start button pressed.
I knew from previous DIY service that it had been in need of a good cleaning. Property management does sh*tty work and would probably botch a service or replacement so I risked throwing a couple hundred away to keep them out of my bunker.
Replaced motor, belt tensioner, and rear drum seal after cleaning out a mass of accumulated lint the size of a small animal. The upper foam blower housing intake seal had disintegrated completely so I replaced that too.
That was the cause of all the trouble. Should have replaced it long ago. Dryer is really hard to get to otherwise would have, etc etc
Wasn’t 100% sure that the current production motor would work as the drive pulley and electrical connection is different. Could not get the pulley off the new motor to swap the original, even sheared teeth of a Vice-Grip wrench in the attempt. Fortunately, it worked with the narrow belt (replaced previously by yours truly).
Soldered two connections rather than crimped.
Printed instructions that came with motor were good but the printing was not clear. Took a little effort to figure wiring connections because of low resolution diagram. Definitely manageable though.