How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6010626 / WP697770 Blower Housing Seal

First I watched videos about squeaking Kenmore dryers. Then I used that information to open the dryer, diagnosing the fact that the roller on the drum belt tension arm had broken and actually fallen off the arm. The dryer was filled with lint and dust/dirt, so I also saw that the seals on the dryer had deteriorated greatly. AppliancePartsPros website is outstanding, far better than its competitors. This made it easy to find the parts and videos that I needed. It took hours to pull everything apart, clean the dryer thoroughly, replace the rollers/belt, remove the remains of seals and then replace them. I was up past midnight and enjoyed every minute of the effort. The dryer is running well and should continue to do so for years to come. 

Replaced the ducting seals. Found the parts numbers on the diagram. They fit perfectly, excellent quality. 

Replaced the ignitor. Works like a charm better than it had in awhile, so I guess the ignitor efficiency was diminished for some time. Should’ve changed it sooner, so will know this for next time. The repair took longer than it should have because I didn’t recall how the bracket went in and it is difficult to get to allowing only one hand. Once I figured out the bracket it only took one hand though. Tips: General - take pictures before you remove something and keep all of the hardware. Needed a sheet metal screw from original bracket. Ignitor - attach ignitor to bracket with long screw provided and screw in 1/4-in sheet metal screw to bracket a turn or two to stay in bracket. Bracket has a tab that goes in a slot and a sheet metal screw. Place bracket in position inserting tab into slot and hand tighten screw. Then use small socket wrench to finish tightening. In the end only needed to remove two sheet metal screws on lower front dryer panel and the two screws for the ignitor. The ignitor plug is shaped so it can only be plugged one way, which helps a lot. The dryer had a lot of lint build up inside, which took a long time to clean out. Really need to do this regularly. Manufacturer recommends every two years. 

Replaced the bumper rollers and belt 

My original plan was to hire a repair person to come in and repair the dryer. My wife found a video, on the internet, of someone repairing the model of dryer we own. The first step was to test the dryer's thermal fuse. I used an OHM meter to test the fuse, and discovered that the fuse was bad. The second test I performed was to temporarily by pass the fuse, and when I did that, the dryer start to work properly. In addition to the fuse, noticed, when I removed the blower cover plate,that the seal was worn away. I purchased a thermal fuse, and a blower cover plate seal. It cost $13.00 plus shipping for the two items, and I received the items in two (2) days. The installation of the items took less than 30 minutes. I was able to save some money by performing the repair myself. Prior to attempting to make the repairs myself, I contacted a repair person, and he indicated that I would be charged $150.00 to have him come to my house to look at my dryer, and there would be additional charges based on the required repairs. 

Easy repair took off bottom panel dryer vacuumed out lint replaced gasket put panel back on. Unscrewed lint filter housing replaced gasket and reinstalled.Bought exact parts from you great price and doing business with my home state would definitely buy from you again. Thanks RGF 

Youtube is a time saver for sure. I found a video that gave step-by-step instruction to replace the motor. Appliance parts pros.com made it simple to locate the part based on the Maytag dryer model number. Ordering was easy and the parts were delivered quickly. I also changed the belt and cleaned it while I had it apart. 

I took the dryer apart (front, back, top off and drum removed) to get access to the gas valve assembly. (No video available that I could find.) It was only necessary to remove the back panel and front kick panel to get access to the screws that hold the valve assembley and igniter in place, pull the assembly, remove the gas fitting at the pipe end, clean it up, install it on the new valve assembly, install the igniter assembly on the new valve assembly, and install the full assembly in place. The one advantage to my approach was that I could vacuum out all the years of lint from around everything and do a 1st class safety clean on the dryer interior plus inspection of felt seals, drum roller, idler wheel, and belt. Regardless of how far you disassemble the dryer to replace the gas valve, if you haven't changed the igniter recently, do so now while the assembly is removed. Critical note: You will need some expertise in working with natural gas line compression fittings and NPT gas fittings and how to check for gas leaks. If you have not worked with natural gas fittings, don't attempt this repair. Changing a BBQ propane tank does not count!! 

Replaced the motor, seals and blower fan 

Tore machine apart to see what was wrong. Ordered parts which I received in 24 hours GREAT. Watched the video on your page about gluing felt on(very helpful) Gave it a good cleaning before putting back together. I left top off for first run to make sure everything worked right ,belt tracked ok then finished. Word to wise use a magnetic dish to hold screws as a plastic doesn't hold screws when you knock it over. Now off to hardware store to buy a couple new screws that crawled under washer , opps Overall pretty straight forward project especially if mechanical inclined.