Dryer Drum Won't Turn: Belt, Idler Pulley, Rollers, and Motor

When the drum stops turning, what you hear when you press Start narrows it down immediately. Press Start once, listen for a few seconds, and stop the dryer again — do not leave a humming motor running.

Before you open anything: unplug the dryer. An electric dryer runs on a 240-volt circuit; a gas dryer also has a gas line — close the gas shut-off valve behind it before you move it or open the cabinet. If you smell gas, do not work on the dryer: leave the house, do not touch light switches, and call your gas utility from outside. Lint inside the cabinet is a fire hazard; vacuum it out while the panels are off.

The motor runs but the drum does not turn

This is almost always the drive belt. The belt wraps around the drum and the motor pulley; when it snaps, the motor spins freely and the drum sits still. With the dryer unplugged, try turning the drum by hand: if it spins with almost no resistance, the belt is broken or off.

Many dryers have a belt switch that stops the motor when the belt breaks, so a broken belt can also look like "nothing happens". If the drum turns freely by hand, check the belt either way.

When you replace the belt, look at the parts that wore it out:

• Idler pulley. Keeps tension on the belt. It should spin smoothly and quietly; a wobbly or grinding pulley eats belts.
• Drum rollers or glides. The drum rests on rollers at the back (and on many models, at the front). Worn rollers cause a thumping or squealing before the belt fails. If yours made noise before it stopped, replace them with the belt — they are behind the same panels.

The motor hums but does not start

A hum with no rotation means the motor is trying and cannot turn. Unplug the dryer. Then check, in order:

• Something jammed in the blower wheel. The blower is on the motor shaft. A sock or a pile of lint packed into it can stall the motor.
• A seized drum. Try turning the drum by hand; if it is stiff, the rollers or the idler are seized, not the motor.
• The motor itself. If the drum and blower both turn freely and the motor still only hums, the motor (or its start switch) has failed.

Nothing happens at all

No motor, no hum: the dryer is not asking the motor to run.

• The door switch. The dryer will not start with the switch open. Press it with your finger and listen for a click; a broken actuator on the door is common.
• The thermal fuse. On many dryers it cuts power to the motor as well as the heat. A blown fuse means the dryer overheated — check the vent before you replace it.
• The start switch, the timer or the control. Check these last, after the cheap parts.

Before you order the part

Dryer parts are model-specific, and belts, rollers and idlers differ from one model to the next. The model plate is your only reliable source. On most dryers it is on the door frame, visible with the door open, or on the back panel. If you are not sure where to look, our model number guide shows each spot.

Ask before you install. Not sure it fits? Check your model number for free before you buy. Our fit check is optional; if it does not come back as a clear match, send us the full model number through Contact us before you order. Once a part has been installed we can only take it back if it arrived defective, we shipped the wrong item, or the listing was wrong on our end, and it has to come back in the condition it went out in. Checking first is faster than returning.