Lady Kenmore needs attention

[gmoneeighteen]

Hey folks,

My '70/'71 Lady(?) Kenmore electric dryer has a couple issues:

1) The fluorescent light no longer ignites. It tries, but only flickers now.

How is the console disassembled to reach the tube? Is it one of those rare and spendy tubes? If so, I might just remove it.

2) The bearings on one of the drum rollers finally seized up and broke the roller.

The repair seems straightforward; I've replaced the belt before, but I don't recall how I removed the top panel.

I have the bottom front panel off, and going by what I can find, the rest of the front panel is held on by two screws on the bottom, and two clips on top which also serve to hold on the top panel?

My understanding is to remove the screws adjacent to the lint filter, then just pry/pop or slide the top panel to free the top clips?

And with regard to the roller. Consensus is that the full kit (4392065) with both rollers, idler, and belt is the best choice. Any issues with the generic parts, or is OEM the way to go? Any preferred vendor?

Though the kit implies that the two rollers are identical, the ones in the dryer now appear to be different, but I assume it's because they were replaced at different times with different parts, not because they are different diameters.

Thanks.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Hey gmoneeighteen -

It would be nice to know your name so we know who to address, but here's a couple answers for you:

1) In my 1972 Lady Kenmore, I didn't take apart the console at all to replace the bulb (the 72s use the same console as yours). If I remember correctly, I just tilted the panel door halfway or so to get access to the bulb, twisted the bulb like you do in most florescent applications, took it out, and did the reverse for the replacement.

This may be an easy replacement bulb to get at a lighting store (I don't know for sure), but I got mine through Whirlpool. You can get the part number from Searspartsdirect.com. Just get your model number before you start.

As to the rollers, they are both the same, or should be. I recommend Whirlpool/FSP parts, but using an off-brand would still improve your situation. The dryer maintenance kit you mentioned will make a world of difference in your dryer. Try for the OEM parts if any way possible.

Gordon

 

[whirlcool]

I agree on the FSP parts. They usually seem a little heavier duty than the original part they are replacing and should last longer.

 

[revvinkevin]

I also agree on OEM parts!

Last year I bought 3 NON-OEM belt-roller-idler pulley kits off of flea-bay because they were 45-50% less the the originals. I FINALLY got around to installing them in two of my dryers earlier this month.

So far the belts and rollers "seem" to be OK, though I think the new rollers MAY be getting flat spots when not in use (I very rarely use these dryers).

The idler pulley is a different story however. After installing the idler and the belt, I could NOT use or run the dryer because the idler pulley was RIGHT AGAINST the motor pulley and rubbed. I did briefly start the dryer before final assembly, but it made a horrendous noise. I ended up re-installing the original idler pulley and throwing away the "new" ones because they were usless.

Moral of the story, don't go cheap and buy non OEM parts!

Kevin

 

[gmoneeighteen]

Thanks, folks.

I tend to stick with Genuine OE parts, but I do find there are times when OEM, or aftermarket is OK.

The lamp appears to be a 26" 18W T8 medium bi-pin. Nothing special about it, so it can probably be found from other channels for less. I'm still at a loss as to how it goes together, but I'll take a closer look when I receive everything and get down to business.

Pete

 

[mattl]

When replacing the bulb you have to work blind and by feel. More than once I got the tube in and found it not working since one of the pins was not in the socket. It's a little annoying, but you replace the tube so rarely it's not an issue.

 

[gmoneeighteen]

Update:

Finally got the parts kit and did the job.

After some searching, discovered that Amazon sells the full rebuild kit for a good 30% less than anyone else--about $20, and a much better value than purchasing each part separately.

Genuine Whirlpool/FSP factory parts packaged for retail sale that comes with instructions as well. And in a new twist on the much-hated blister pack packaging, it was sealed tight by metal rivets!

The repair task itself was straightforward and took little time.

What took much longer was the task of cleaning out forty years worth of detritus inside the machine, which yielded: some buttons, some safety pins, a couple of those little clips that hold new dress shirts folded in their package, some collar stays, a few paper clips, a couple dimes (1973 and 1985), and lots of lint.

There might have been some other stuff that was sucked into the vacuum before I noticed, but the most of the items were collected in the half-moon adjacent to where the motor shaft enters the base of the lint duct.

There's also a ledge on the other side of the grill that goes from the drum to the lint filter that forms a nice trap for lint, right about where the filter ends when fully inserted.

In a good bit of "they don't make 'em like they used to," it turned out the bottom roller is probably the original. Compared to the new replacements, it's much beefier, with all-metal construction, and the hard rubber tread is wider.

On the flip side, I never knew that folded cardboard served as shims between the cabinet sides and the rear inner bulkhead. Looks just like someone cut up part of a box, folded it over, and glued the pieces in place.

Removing the console for access to the fluorescent tube turned out to be easy--just two screws on each side and the whole front panel flips out.

After removing a piece of ill-fitting paperboard, the tube comes out easily. Though the parts catalog calls for an 18 watt tube, the one installed was 16 watt, and the only one I could find locally so far is 19 watt.

 

[combo52]

OEM PARTS

I do agree that the OEM parts are generally better but there exceptions. On any 29" WP built dryers 1974 and later I often use the HD 5 rib drum belt PT# 349533 instead of the WP # 341241 4 rib belt. WP used to use the 5 rib belt on all super capacity dryers and commercial machines, but discontinued it 5 or more years ago because they wanted the machines to be serviced more often. If you want the heavier belt you can get them from Larry @ Modern Parts in Ohio Ph # 216-661-6966.