sbf timing belt

Photo credit to YourMechanic

There are a lot of different things that can go wrong with your dryer, but don’t give up if it stops working. Instead, just move forward and do your best to fix up the machine.

Dryers are surprisingly complicated, so you’ll need to be careful when you are doing the repairs or else you might make the machine – or yourself – worse than before.

That’s why studying repair techniques is so important.

One key component of your dryer that you should be prepared to repair is the drive belt, as it performs a critical function for the dryer as a whole.

Repairing the drive belt may seem challenging, but once you understood the processes of the drive belt and the maintenance steps then the repairs should be fairly easy to carry out.

Why the Drive Belt is Important

The dryer belt is essential to the dryer’s work because it is what moves the interior drum and thereby rolls the clothes for drying. The mechanism functions through applied friction and tension in the belt, which then moves the belt and as a result the dryer’s drum and the clothes inside.

The spinning cycle of the dryer is a fundamental part of how it works, and it is unable to spin would be a considerable problem.

In fact, a broken dryer belt is one of the most common problems that can afflict electric drying machines. That’s why knowing how the drive belt works and how to fix any damage to it is important when applying responsible maintenance to your dryer.

Photo credit to pitstopadvisor.com

Features of a Drive Belt

There are several different components that make up the drive belt and allow it to function properly.

First, there is the drive motor pulley. This mechanism serves the purpose of rotating the belt via a pulley system.

Then there is the tension pulley, which is another important part of the drive belt. It is responsible for inducing the tension that empowers the drive belt’s motion.

As for how these different pieces fit together, most of them such as this one sold by the Repair Clinic are arranged in this way:

  • The drive belt goes around the drive motor pulley and the tension pulley and coils around the entirety of the dryer drum.
  • The motor then causes the pulley to move the belt.

This set-up ensures that each part follows in sync once one of them starts moving accordingly to start the rotation process.

How to Repair a Drive Belt

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As with all materials, drive belts and their individual parts are susceptible to wear over time.

Eventually, the belt will begin to crack. This is a warning sign that it will break soon, so you should take action promptly to remedy the problem. However, before you go through the extra trouble of replacing the device entirely, you may wish to consider if you can feasibly repair what you have.

To determine whether or not to make repairs to the drive belt, examine the belt carefully and see if the damage is minimal enough such that you could feasibly repair the cracks.

Also, see if any of the individual parts of the drive belt such as the tension pulley can be replaced rather than the whole thing. Even so, unless a professional does the repairs, your fixes will likely only delay the breaking of the belt somewhat.

Replacing a Drive Belt

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When you finally need to replace the drive belt, Sears PartsDirect has several suggestions on how to undertake the process.

First, unplug the dryer and take steps to remove the front panels and other components of the dryer so that you can reach the drive belt.

Once you can reach the drive belt, you should carefully remove it from the cabinet.

After you have successfully removed the old drive belt, you should place the new one atop the dryer drum and thread the drive belt through the drive motor pulley to link up the pieces properly.

When the drive belt has been looped around the pulley, you can put the disassembled pieces of the dryer back on and plug it back it to resume laundry duties.

All the Repair and Fix Tips You Need

Photo credit to AutoGuru

Repairing and replacing dryer parts can be confusing and trying at times, but it is a necessity if you want your dryer to work right. By working to understand the diverse parts that makeup dryers and how to fix any problems with them, you can better prepare yourself for whatever challenges your laundry throws at you.

We, at Dryernotheating.net, recognize the importance of understanding your dryer, and we want to help you learn everything you need to know about the machines. From repair hacks to how to guides to various other tips, we have it all and can help you fix your dryer. Check out our website for more information.