Am I the only one who had a 20-year-old dryer drum support roller fail silently?

I was at a job in Spokane yesterday, and the homeowner said her dryer was just getting too hot and taking forever. I pulled the drum and found the front support roller had completely disintegrated, but the machine never made a peep. I replaced all three rollers and the belt as a set. Has anyone else seen a failure this quiet on an older unit, or is a loud squeal usually the first sign?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_moore22h ago

Holy cow, a twenty-year-old roller just turned to dust without a sound? That's wild. I've only ever heard them scream for mercy first.

drew_jones3119h ago

Pat's right, they usually make a racket. Gotta hit the bearings with a mix of acetone and ATF first, let it sit overnight. Breaks down the rust so the whole thing comes apart quiet.

pat78117h ago

Yeah that acetone and ATF trick is solid, I use it on seized trailer rollers all the time. You gotta get the mix right though, about a 50/50 blend in a little squirt bottle. The key is hitting every seam and giving it a full 24 hours to creep in. Sometimes you still need a torch on the housing if the bearing race is totally welded to the shaft.