How To: GE Dryer Drive Belt WE12M29 

OMG....I am a 60 year old woman and I easily replaced the belt by watching this video. Keep in mind I'm battling cancer and have rheumatoid arthritis, and I still got it done. Not as quickly as the guy in video, but I did it..... THANK YOU SO MUCH 😊

Being a single woman I depend a lot on these kinds of videos to explain how to get a job done...that I KNOW I can do! You got right to it without blathering on endlessly..with clear and concise instructions and angles of the camera so I could SEE what you were doing! Thank you!

Hint. The belt tensioner lever can be pulled back and held in place by placing the end of it under the small hook on the corner of the motor housing. You can then more easily put the belt in place now that the spring tension is held back and you don't have to work against it while installing the belt. When the belt is in place, just move the tensioner lever toward the front of the dryer to release it. This will reapply the spring tension to the belt. At 3:23 in this video you can see the metal hook just to the left of the white plastic idler roller. This "hook" is not used in this video, but it was a great help to me when I replaced a dryer belt recently.

Just replaced the belt on my dryer for the second time using y’all’s video. You also taught me how to replace the heating element in my vintage (1965) oven. You offer my absolute favorite repair tutorials and save me a TON of money!

I have this same exact model and when I tell you she's beat up with how many times I've had to take her apart and do repairs she looks pretty rough, but thanks to you guys she's running as good as when I first got her many years ago. Thank you!

I’ve used this video twice in the past few years to replace dryer belts and it has been super helpful. Thank you for making this

My arm got stuck when doing the tensioner. It was so awesome.

I just replaced the belt on my 20+ year old GE Hotpoint. I did not order the belt from these guys, but from Amazon. I was in a hurry and, although I don't have Prime, I have family that does and the belt was here in two days. I had already disassembled the dryer using these instructions, which were handy. The belt arrived, but installation was far from easy. I find it easy to get thrown off by the way the belt is to be installed. I thought I had it right the first time and, after several failed attempts at no drum turn, thought the belt was too loose and proceeded to my local Lowe's, who were supposed to have a generic equivalent. I tried the generic belt too and still seemed too loose. After carefully watching a couple more videos, I finally figured out that I was not threading the belt correctly around the tensioner. This is easy to overlook and I was just about ready to go buy a new dryer, but decided to try threading one more time. It was not easy- I had to do my best to get both hands in there and then really push the tensioner while at the same time threading the belt. After 10 minutes or so of trying to find the right positioning, I got the belt installed, and the dryer works once again. I DID have to remove quite a few screws from the one side so I could push the side enough that I could reach the tensioner better. Because I ended up bending the side slightly, reassembly of the dryer was not fun because it was no longer aligned. So, I don't recommended this unless you absolutely have too, and be prepared that you may have to use either a mallet, or brute strength to get it together again. All in all, a difficult, 4 hour job, but did save me the cost of having to shell out for a new dryer. While in there, I took a peek at the motor, drum, etc, and it seems a simple enough design that I may try repairing it in the future if something goes out again. I am currently out of work and in all honesty, had I been working, I would have bought a new dryer due to lack of time for this job. Maybe other dryers are easier, but this one sure wasn't easy!

Great video. The most useful part for me was at 2:36. My old belt was snapped, so seeing how the new belt is supposed to be threaded to create tension between the motor and the idle arm helped a lot. Thanks a million.

Everything else I get it but you made putting that belt on there look so easy. It’s hard for me to get my arm between the drum and that metal plate. The hardest belt replacements that I have to do

Great video of how to repair the belt! Used it today and it worked like a charm! The only thing is that with my model of GE Dryer, it was an absolute pain to reset the tensioner pulley on the new belt. Had to do it blind through a space barely big enough for my arm with how it is assembled. Thankfully, I still got it.

Thank you so much ! I had to figure out why the machine was not working. Once I opened up the top and one side, i spotted pieces of the belt. It was broken. Your part # was right on. I replaced the belt and everything is back to normal. Wife gave me more than a thumbs up ....Thanks again !

Glad I found this. Great way to start but impossible to get both hands in, which you need to pull the belt. After a couple hours of struggling and lots of bloody scratches, we finally took the side panel off.

Yep this video saved the day! Thank you so much. It helps to have someone else holding up the drum while you use both arms from the front (on your knees). Still got pretty bad scratches/indents in my arms from the sharp front metal on this dryer. Spin the drum after you’ve reattached the front panel and make sure the belt sits in the groove of the drum otherwise you got it on the wrong wheel.

Just replaced my dryer belt with help from this video. Note that if you have large forearms such as myself, it is safer & easier to simply pull the dryer from the wall & remove the access plate located in the back of the dryer.This allows easy access to the pulley for removing & replacing it. Not sure all dryers have access thru the back, but mine did.

You guys are what RU-vid was made for! Thanks!

If your belt is worn out, there's a good chance that your front "bearings" which are just four slippery teflon strips attached to a plastic arch across the top of the door might also be worn out. There's a kit available online that includes the new belt, the plastic arch piece the bearings attach to, the four teflon bearing strips, and the 3-4' strip of thick felt that the bottom 2/3rds of the drum is held in place against. Once you remove the front assembly, flip it around and if your top two teflon strip "bearings" are worn almost through, consider doing this slightly more ambitious update while you have it apart...or at least replace the worn out bearing strips. Great video though, as always, kudos to APP.

Thank you.........! 9 years later and your video still helping...!

I've already used this video 3 times because the GE profile that came with my house loves to destroy belts and make awful squeaking noises. Thank you! Almost got it memorized now :P

That shot of the belt tensioner at 2:33 saved the day. Thanks for this video. 👍

awesome video! if you're watching though, make sure to take pictures of the wire arrangement and the belt placement. It'll save you a nightmare later trying to put it back together!

Well, I give up trying to find where on your website to leave a review. I bought the drive belt from your company (ordered on Friday and received this afternoon on Tuesday) and used your video to install it. I finally have my 15 yr old GE dryer working again like new! Thank you!

Great vid, very helpful. Needs more swearing though.

Note that the tensioner can get caught on a sharp edge of the back of the motor and not tension the belt, like mine did. Before reinstalling check the tensioner moves freely and the belt grips the drum.

Had to replace a broken belt for the first time ever today. This video helped a lot and helped me realize how easy it was to do

This video has helped me twice. I’m very thankful. The tensioner was just not going well for me so I paused and took a screenshot to stare at for a minute and orient myself…then got it.

Very informative!!! I'm 24 never did maitenance of any kind on things like this. Now that I have my own house and things and started to learn how to fix stuff instead of throwing it away and getting a new one like most millennials, I looked up this video, it was short, sweet, and to the point! I had to take off the side panel to put the band on the motor and tension wheel but I got it apart and back together working in less than 30mins! Glad I didn't have to watch a 30min video on how to do it, this 5 minute video was perfect! Thanks for showing me how to fix my dryer! :) ~one happy 24 year old single father of 2 happy boys now that their clothes will be dry :D

Great video. I could do every step EXCEPT for reaching in and getting the belt on the gear and the tension pulley. That space was just too small for my arms. My wife actually could reach in and get that portion done. So now it works perfectly and we saved the money of a pro service call. TY

Thank You for sharing this !! Just got done fixing mine even though I got a few scratches on my hands and arms It still beat's paying for a repairman or buying a new dryer !!

Oh i jist did it and its a pain in the butt..no room for my big handsand seems like now the drum is hard to turn i did replace the drum felt im sure its got to ware in i got a new dryer my old one will be a back up i got a new maytag and the door is so hard to open and close

I just fixed my GE, total cost was $8 for the belt and one 3 inch cut on my arm. Wear long sleeves and gloves for the job

This was great vid! I need to replace my broken belt but I was approaching it from all the wrong angles. Thanks for the very simple How-to vid. Saves me a lot of trial and error!

THANK YOU!! I just had to replace my belt. I refuse to pay the high service call fees because I live far from town. My husband is out of town, so I was on my own. Your video was perfect.

Great video! Seeing how to thread the tensioner pulley saved the day for me. Had to take out the two screws at the bottom of the left side panel to get a little extra arm room (and I don't have huge arms). Couldn't begin to get both arms in there.

Great video. I followed the instructions for a new model GE Profile dryer. While particular pieces and parts were different, the overall process was spot on. Now to order the replacement belt. Thanks!

Great video! Watched and followed along with the video, fix the dryer in only a few minutes. Save lots of money on a repair person or a replacement. Thanks again!

This video was a life saver. My belt snapped and this video made it so much easier. Thank you very much

Thank you for the easy tutorial. It saved me a lot of money and time while I was in a pinch. My dryer is as good as new again!

Very well done. I was dreading having to replace the dryer belt on my Mothers dryer. I now have the answer thanks to this video.

Very helpful video. 28.00 and about an hour of my time to resolve the problem. Thanks for your help.

It is a great video that helped me out a lot . You kept it simple and right on. wish I had more room for the tensioner too . A little blood never scared someone trying to do there own repairs . thank you guys

Thank you this video was very useful and easy to understand the steps you showed on taking apart the dryer and finding my issue was a broke belt i even order my new belt on the link below it arrived fed ex quickly thank you for your video it was cheaper doing it DIY than calling a repair man out and paying a arm and leg for them to do it.

This video saved me $175 and the instructions were so exact and easy.

Fabulous, this is my exact dryer. I pulled the whole drum out to clean everything but now I see how to get the new belt on which is exactly what I needed. Thanks!

I cut my arm on very sharp sheet metal and really struggled to get the belt over the tension wheel. Beware. Great video. Thanks

Its a little tricky to get it aligned as that big tumbler is all in the middle and careful w wires. ALWAYS ALWAYS disconnect power! Took me about an hour to figure it out, mine was pretty dirty dusty, so vacuuming besides the belt replacement. Just make sure the plastic spacers on the door side that touch the outer lip of the tumbler are sitted properly and a small spray lubricant or even small amount of vaseline to help quite things down - on the tumbler lip, NOT on the belt.

this video saved me the cost of a new dryer! thank you

The coin Op Dryer that I was fixing is a much older Model: DDC4400AELAD SN: 00039G. No way to get the belt onto the motor pulley from the front. Spent 20 minutes trying. So I put the belt around the drum loose first and reassembled. Then I removed the rear vent panel to put the belt on the motor pulley and to position the tensioner. This belt is tight to start with so don't waste your time forcing your hands in through the front. Removing the rear panel gives you easy access and will save your hands. Only takes a few minutes extra.

Thank you. Be prepared to shed some blood and sweat attempting this

The video "How to diagnose / fix GE Dryer that runs but doesnt heat Easy fix (solved)" shows how to temporarily hook the belt tensioner on a bracket (at about six minutes into the video). You can do this easily when the drum is out of the way. Once the drum was back in place with the belt on it I laid down on my right side in front of the dryer and propped up the drum with my right hand and then reached in the lower left corner underneath the drum with my left arm. Then put the belt around the motor pulley and put it on the tensioner, then unhook the tensioner rod. Triple check that everything is in it's proper position by feeling with your fingers. It's a pretty easy thing to do if you know these tricks.

I'm in the middle of this and found it impossible to wind the belt around the motor pully and tensioner with just one hand AND not being able to see anything because my one arm was stuffed in the only opening. I figured I need to take the side panel off. Thanks to one of the commenters for confirming. Back to the job... EDIT: Heck I give up. Tried to remove the side panel but it wouldn't budge. This is not an easy job at all. Appliance Repairman is on his way. Oh well...at least I tried.

Nice instructions, they saved me some trouble, but on the model I was working on, it was impossible to get my hands around the belt tensioner. How did you fit your arm in there? (And the camera?!)

Yep my dryer quit turning this morning. Gets heat but no turning. So I hope this is what is going on. Time to investigate. Thanks so much.

Wonderful video! Video presentation and instructions were top notch. Thank you for saving me the pain of buying a new dryer!!

Thanks for the video! Helped save so much money. And being a female you aren't taught these things so it was nice you getting right to the point! Good job!

Great video. Helped me replace my dryer’s belt so easily. Big time money saver

Yeah, about that tensioner...the tip can catch the edge of the motor because where the nut is, it sticks way out towards the front., be mindful, everything will seem fine, but the drum will not turn because the tensioner is not fully engaged...can be hard to tell until you test it.. Also, when accessing it front the from, with limited arm space, it is not as easy as the video shows. Also very sharp edges where your arms go in...Still, very helpful, I'm just going to go bleed out now.

Man! And I always thought you just chunked the old dryer out the back door and went to the easy finance appliance store and got a new one. I'm going to go get a new belt right now. And a twenty torques head screw driver of course.

Great video, super helpful... I only wish it was as easy as yall made it look! Thanks.

Use the hook on the end of the motor housing to hold down the belt tensioner pulley while putting the new belt in place.

Great tutorial and excellent speed/service ordering direct from you. I would highly recommend Appliance Parts Pros. I do agree with a previous comment though... there is way more swearing involved on the DIY side.

Was a little confusing your camera angle was in the back. Clarification belt around ribs down and over tumbler then under motor gear or pulley then push the idler pulley which is on far left, push it to the right and route over it and since it naturally wants to go to the left that creates the tension. Smooth side runs over the smooth idler pulley. ( belt runs under motor pulley and over the idler, takes a little bit of force to pull the idler towards the right side) 1 unplug dryer, belt ribs face down belt runs over the tumbler and under the motor pulley 2 the idle is naturally on the left side if belt breaks, then pull idler towards the right (right and down towards motor) then put belt on left side of pulley smooth side to idler pulley.

This is a nice video that I used around 2 years ago to replace the same belt, but they don’t make clear how to move the pulley to be able to attach the belt correctly and that is difficult. Otherwise good video. I have to replace the belt again.

For my GE dryer (DDE7109V) belt replacement, it's easier if you also REMOVE LOWEST PLATE FROM REAR OF DRYER. You will be able to access the pulleys much easier.

My belt does not fit over the pulley nearly as easily as the one in the video. Still fighting it 10 minutes later...

Thank You ... with no belt, the tension pully "flexes back" to around 12 o'clock position, needs to be around 3 o'clock to have enough slack in belt to place around motor pulley. Should have used Francis Flynn process. Otherwise, it takes a good bit of (rotation) torque, with one hand, to get enough slack to place around motor pulley.

Thanks for saving me so much money teaching me to do this myself!

Great video!! Thanks for posting this. You saved me a lot of money and time!

Very helpful! Much appreciated and saved me repair cost!

Fantastic and super easy to follow instructions, John! Thank you!

Thanks to this video, I repaired mine today. Well explained!!!

Very helpful and easy video to fix the belt

This helped me out big time! Thank you so much!

very helpful video thanks.

This video was a huge help. Especially on how to position the tension pulley. Thankyou.

This was sooooo helpful!! Many thanks.

thank you sir, this video has just help me repair my 9 year old hotpoint drier machine👍👏👏👏✌

I have the same dryer on vid and engaging the tensioner was definitely not as easy as shown on this video. There's simply not enough room for both arms to get inside. Saw another vid where the drum was removed, and then holding the tensioner in place with a hinge on the motor housing that makes it easier to run the belt around after.

Extremely helpful thank you

Thank you so much for this video I just fixed my dryer thanks to you.

You saved me at least a $100.00. Thank you!

best video on this model

Thank you for the great video! Just fixed my dryer.

Thanks for making this video.

This video was super helpful, thanks dude

Excellent information! Fixed my dryer!!!

Thanks for creating this video!

i think this would also be a good opportunity to replace the bulb.

They always do this on an electric dryer where there’s more room and you can do it with 2 hands . A gas dryer you only have enough room for one hand. It’s not as easy as it’s made out to be if you never did it before

Perfect video, thanks for the help

I have been a Appliance service technician for almost 30 years lately the new belts dont seam long enough for the ge hotpoint dryer any one else having this issue

Kind of an inadvertent "cheat" that the side panel had been removed for the tight shots. Still...very helpful video. Thanks.

Very informative, and while my dryer belt was broken and the site is easy to navigate through, I can't find a way to fix my dryer better. Even changed out the door button and start button. Belt hangs loose so no clue if the hanger isn't positioned right, but can't move it anywhere to 'fix' the position. Wondering if belt is longer than 89in

I have a very similar model so this helps a lot, thank you.

Overall gd video except the part to put the new belt on tensioner. It is important to explain how the belt goes on the tensioner since for someone that never done it before difficult to visualize well. I had difficult time to know which side belt gets over the tensioner. It was the right side of the motor belt .

Tilt dryer back if your on your knees to get 2 hands back there to get belt back on easier

Thank you. Just replaced my belt

Thank you so much for this, saved the day that's for sure!

Thank god you took this video from the opposite side so everything you do you have to try to do opposite