How To: GE Dryer Rear Drum Bearing Kit WE25M40 

The hardest part about replacing the rear bearing was re-attaching the belt to the motor and pulley. There is just no space and I had to stick my right arm in all the way to my armpit! So I devised a trick that may help other first timers. I used a few strips of scotch tape to hold the belt in place at the top of the drum then I laid the dryer on its back and was able to be in a much better position to attach the belt. It also relieved the weight of the drum from being on my arm and gave me just a touch bit more space since I wasn't fighting gravity. Don't forget to remove the tape. Overall the repair was fairly straight forward and simple.

There are a couple RU-vid videos demonstrating this repair. Watch all of them to get confident, although I think this is the best one. The total job seems a little scary, but it's not so bad once you get started and follow the steps. The rear bearing is most likely your problem if the dryer makes a loud off-and-on squeaking noise. I just completed this repair and can add some tips to this helpful video. 1) At time 7:20, it shows the new drum bearing kit. Check to ensure you have ALL the parts shown, as I was missing several screws from the "sealed" parts bag! 2) Place a tarp on your floor to make space for the front panel and drum which you will have to remove and set aside. 3) Have your camera ready to take photos of anything you remove BEFORE you remove it. You may need these photos for reference during reassembly. 4) At time 4:22, he removes the rear panel inside the drum. Before removing it, place a small piece of masking tape at any corner of the panel, and another piece of tape at the same spot on the drum. This will make it much easier to realign when you reinstall the panel. 5) At time 6:05, you will need a very short stubby Phillips screwdriver, so have one handy. 6) At time 7:29, you have to manually thread screws into the new mounting plate. This can be much more difficult than demonstrated in the video. You may need a vise to hold the bracket and a large handle screwdriver with heavy gloves for leverage and power. 7) At time 8:01, he inserts only one of the four screws and then remounts the heater assembly, inserting the remaining three screws afterwards. Instead, I suggest you insert all four of the screws while the heater assembly is still off so you can ensure all four screws are tight and the bracket lays flat. This will not be possible to check if you remount the heater assembly before replacing all the screws. Good luck ... you CAN do it!

this video is spot on, thank you! It took me about two hours for the repair because I spent some time cleaning everything before putting it back together. For holding the bearing in place, I thread one screw in from the outside in to hold the assembly in place, then threaded the other 2 screws from the inside out to get them in place, then went back to the 3rd and put it on the inside, then tightened all 3 down. This is easier if you don't have long arms to hold everything in place yourself, or don't have an assistant to hold that bearing in place on the backside. Thanks again!

Super helpful video. Replacement parts great. Took me longer than 2 hours. There was a retaining clip on the nose of the old bearing (GE DDE1630 and 30 years old). I could not lift the drum out until I removed three screws inside drum and just let old parts drop in the back. Take picts on your phone of fasteners you remove and it's easy to retrace steps to put back together.

Great Tutorial! Had a small noise in the dryer that drove my wife nuts....This help find the noise, a piece of plastic banging on the drum. Put back together, but now the bearing is going but thanks to your tutorial I know how to take apart the dryer and fix it.

First of all: WOW - what a SUPERB (understatement) job in the quality and clarity of these videos. If there were Oscars for this movie category - you'd win!!! Second: allow me to share a discovery. The step at 11:32 where the belt is placed back onto the idler/motor pulleys is my most GRIEVOUS part of the repair. I DISCOVERED GE's SECRET!! If you look at the bottom of the picture, you'll see a funny little "horn" or hook on the sheet metal. Its purpose is to hold the idler arm (with what seems excessively long by the pulley), as instructed - to the center of the machine. That then gives you both hands to navigate the belt over the two pulleys - but with right arm through the hole, (not under the drum as shown).

Helped that my GE dryer was same or very similar model to one in video. Video and instructions were great - although made re-assembly seem a lot smoother than the reality. I’m not the handiest guy, so took me about 2-hours start to finish in a cramped laundry room (half an hour of profanity interspersed), but video and instructions were dead on. Allow half an hour and a shop vac to clean the enormous amount of lint you will find everywhere. Helps if you have someone around to hold things in place while you initially mount the new drum bearing. Pay attention to instructions on how to reattach the top cover - it can be a real @&4/! - I gave up and took off the control panel cover and then re-attached after getting the top cover back on, but you lose ‘cool points’ doing it this way. Highly recommend this video.

You are the beast lecture because you are the only one giving the reason of the change you fanes from saudi arabia

My dryer has an access panel on the rear holding up the vent. By removing that you have a lot more room to install the belt. The spring was very hard to press down going in from the front and you can't really see what your doing. It was easy from the back, more room for your hands and you could see what your doing. Also the sheet metal is very sharp, I covered it with duck tape to save my arms.

Very helpful, thank you! If only it were that easy. Since my washer is not in a big room all by its lonesome, I didn't have to disconnect the front panel wiring. Instead of just unscrewing the bracket for the high-limit thermostat (fuse), I tried to pull off the wires - connector was on too tight and I cracked the t'stat. Had to superglue it together and hope it works. I did test for continuity but not for excessive heat. Found out afterwards that you can loosen the wiring for some slack, pull out the heater element housing, then unscrew the t'stat bracket. Also, supported the heater element housing with a small stool to straddle the duct and a box on top of that. Someone else mentioned the small ear on the motor bracket so you can pull the idler to the right about 6 inches, then slightly towards you to hook it on, giving you a slack belt. You may find that necessary if the tension on the idler is too high when moved to the right. But the belt needs to be in the right position first which is on the left side of the idler as you push it and hook it on. It won't be on the motor pulley at this point. You'll have the slack for that after it's hooked on the motor bracket. It will be clear once the drum is out. One other, I placed a towel under the drum to raise it so had more room to get my left arm in there.

Helpful video because I didn't get directions. I should have bought my kit from this guy. However -- THE BELT and pulleys... Also, I should have watched the whole video before and not after. I found his "GE Idler Pulley video to be more helpful in installing the new belt. Note: My 22-year-old Fisker & Paykel is identical to this dryer except the controls, and mine is gas. Thanks!

Used to run service on the coin op's, and domestic's...Apartments had them, often in basement laundry rooms...Did many of these and almost always the source of the squeaking, dryer complaint, on GE, Hotpoint and now other type dryers using their system... Good video showing the procedure...WP/KM easiest of them all to work on, bar none...They use rollers for the rear support...Still a good product and a darn good video...Thanks for the flashbacks.

Awesome! Thank you for putting this together and posting.

Always the best tutorials, and this is my favorite tutor!!

I believe it's recommended to use lock tite to keep screws from unthreading. I used lock washers, but this caught threads over a month until they stopped, a thin split washer is best otherwise. No grease is needed for rear drum bearing. Mine was ok, but oring fell apart so I decided to do this. This was the most disappointing failure since the metal fins on the heating element. 22 years is very good though so I keep it working. Plastics failing will likely keep it from going past 35. years.

Tks - the disassembly process and image at 3:39 were what I needed. I ain't throwin' out my 1992 dryer - it works just fine! New appliances... bah...

You can thank GE for making it so complicated!

Thank you for the helpful tutorial! My dryer is sounding much better now.

10년 쓴 드라이어 이 영상으로 고쳤습니다. 감사합니다. Thank you soooo much!!

Thank u very much couldn't done it without this video...

Cant remember if i ever saw a better video

Love your vid - thanks! Quick question - my new bearing kit came with three o-rings with the three screws that hold the bearing assembly to the back of the drum. I notice you don't using o-rings. Should I use them? Where would they go? Between the screw heads and shield? Between the shield and the back of the drum? Or between the back of the drum and the bearing shaft assembly? Thanks a million!!!

Good tip to loosen the side panels to get the drum out easier. Thats always a fight

i had australia fisher and Paykel in 3 times they replaced motor and jocky wheel, just could not work it out until i was going throw away the dryer i thought let me have look and open it .today had them in brought only the nylon bush(Bearing need metal housing for it as its worn., now got wait for parts .machine 3 bit years, to get to this stage 3 months

My GE dryer requires part WE3M33 instead of part WE25M40. Is the installation for that part similar to the installation used in this video? Also when replacing that part should i just go ahead and replace the shaft and bracket, retainer bearing, rear drum sleeve, and the o ring? WE3M33 only comes with the shaft and bracket so i would have to buy all the other parts, but if its better to replace them all at once then i will

Great video, but how the hell do people work with gloves on?

Excellent video thank you

Is it 100% necessary to replace bearing retainer?

Very well explained

Would you need any type of grease on the bearing?

Why the complete tear down. Why not just replace the plastic bearing?

No lubricant on the rear shaft right?

Sir, I have a question. I have a GE dryer, model DVL223EB4WW. I cannot get the drum to come out in order to replace the bearing. Any suggestions? I've loosened the the drum belt, ect., but the drum does not want to come out. Serial number SF703412W. Any help is appreciated. Thank you, Jay

and if you use a flashlight to see inside the housing to release and reattach the belt, be sure to remove the flashlight prior to reassembling the dryer.... nothing worse then going to finish a job and realizing you left something INSIDE the dryer housing! (thank god the flashlight was still on...!)

Does the drum roller move back and forth once you put the snap ring on?

Thank You, This was VERY helpful!

0:25, "It's gonna be a very easy repair." Uhhh

Great video thank you!

I'm wondering if a Kenmore stack-able dryer rear bearing replacement would be similar? Has anyone done this?

I got the part, put it in, put everything back together and I guess two wires are touching because something zappy, burning happened. Yikes! Guess I'm taking it back apart, ugh

Thank you.

Hey thanks a lot for that video buddy 👍

thanks,,video works like a dream.

Thanks so much

Have no screws at top of door to remove GE top panel. What now

Not sure if you'll see this, but the back of my dryer's drum is scraping against the metal clips (protectors?) is there an easy fix for that, do I just bend them out of the way rofl?

Excellent! Thanks

very grat job...thanks

Very helpful

Thanks Sir

This does not even look close to my dryer!

Wow, so complicated

Dude! You look like weird al Yankovic!!!!!!!!!

Excellent video thank you