I was replacing the same dryer belt every six months until I started checking the idler pulley arm

For a long time, I'd just swap the belt when it snapped and call it done. Last fall, a customer in the Southside area kept having the same issue, so I looked closer. The metal arm for the idler pulley had worn a slight groove, creating extra drag. I filed it smooth and replaced the pulley at the same time. That dryer hasn't needed a belt since. Has anyone else found a worn arm causing repeat belt failures?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.brooke8d ago

Oh wow, that's a great catch. I read a forum post once where a guy had the exact same problem with his washer.

paul3468d agoMost Upvoted

Forum posts have saved me more times than I care to admit, @carr.brooke. My own washer made a sound like a dying robot last year, and I was totally lost. Reading some random person's fix from 2012 felt like finding a secret map. It's a little funny how we all become amateur repair people thanks to those old threads. I probably looked just as confused as that guy did.