Maytag Atlantis Dryer MDE6400AYW - Loose baffle

[niclonnic]

We've had this dryer for about 14 years now, and this issue just happened today.

My dad's girlfriend was doing laundry today, and I noticed this thumping noise coming from the dryer. So I went to investigate it not too long ago, and found out that one of the baffles was loose! We were in a panic.

I looked for some solutions online, and found a YouTube video showing how a baffle can be repaired. But it involves taking the entire dryer apart. Should we try that?

Here is a pic of the loose baffle.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
It’s fairly easy, depending on how handy you are with basic tools.
Those baffles are often filled with many balls of lint. Crazy thing to see.
Look for a video on Youtube, search “Maytag dryer disassembly”. Find one with a machine close to or just like yours, and away you go.[this post was last edited: 1/27/2018-22:03]

 

[DADoES]

 
Screws that anchor the baffles are on outside of the drum which normally would be easy access by simply raising the machine top and rotating the drum until the relevant screws are accessible.  However, the design of this model requires removing the door, front panel, and then two hold-down brackets before the top can be raised.  It's not a serious disassembly, although a little more than just "raising the top."

 

[niclonnic]

So...

My dad decided he's going to order a new baffle online. He theorized that the plastic in the loose baffle is broken, and even if we found the screws deep inside the dryer, it wouldn't be worth the hassle to attempt to fix the existing baffle.

I did some searching and found the correct part on Amazon. Here is a link.

http://a.co/5NZKsIl

 

[askolover]

Cheaper on eBay

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[combo52]

Loose Baffle

You don't likely need a new baffle, just take the dryer apart and screw it back in place, you will find the screw in the bottom of the dryer, check the other 5 baffle screws for looseness while you are at it, Maytag had problems with a screw working loose on these dryers, we see it all the time.

John L.

 

[runematic]

I really doubt the baffle needs replaced, like John said above. I see it all the time. The missing screw is on the bottom of the dryer.

 

[niclonnic]

Update

The loose baffle has been slowly getting worse. It kept getting even more loose, and this morning, it broke off completely! My dad rushed into the laundry room and removed the broken baffle. But the good news is, the replacement baffle shipped today! So we can fix the dryer once it arrives.

Here are some pics. Do the screw threads look okay?

 

[combo52]

Loose Baffle

Yes the holes look fine, you may want to add steel washers to the screws because the holes in the dryer drum have become worn, unless you want to buy a new dryer drum, LOL, but seriously the only thing that is worn is the holes in the steel drum and two steel washers will fix it right up, no need to order any parts.

 

John L.

 

[niclonnic]

It's here!

The replacement baffle arrived not too long ago from Amazon. However, it didn't come with any screws. I hope this fixes the problem!

 

[niclonnic]

Update #2

My dad took apart the dryer this morning, and I vacuumed the inside of it not too long ago. I took a close look at the bottom of the dryer, but I didn't find any screws. This'll be a problem. Where can we find replacement screws for this dryer?

Here are some pics of the inside of the dryer before I vacuumed it out.

 

[revvinkevin]

Hardware store

 

 

Hi Nick, rotate the dryer drum around and remove one of the screws from another baffle, then take it to a local hardware store and match it up there.  Buy as many as you need and you'll be good to go!

 

Best of luck!

Kevin

 

[niclonnic]

Never mind...

My dad reached inside the bottom of the dryer and found the two missing screws all the way in the back-left corner. So we were able to fix the dryer after all! The old baffle had some plastic stripped off from the screw holes, and thus it would not have held in the dryer drum. So he found some metal washers and put them on the screws, and then installed the new baffle. He then reassembled the dryer. I tested it out, and it works perfectly now! We are back in business.

Taking this dryer apart and putting it back together was much easier than we anticipated!