Maytag DE806 SN 607108 HU (Something's burning)

[gerry]

I have a Maytag DE806 dryer in good shape, but last night we did a load and got a strong burning smell - like burning hair. In the load my wife found a brownish/blackish 3" strip of something that looked like compressed glass insulation in with the clothes. I checked and made sure the lint trap and hose were clear, and then took the back off the machine today. I found more of the insulation-type material on the bottom of the inside, and saw still more cought between the rotating drum rim and the housing around it. From what I can see, this must be the remnants of the felt spacer mentioned in other threads here that keeps change from falling inside the unit.

My problem is that the ring is in the front of the machine and I only have the back off. Is there a way to get the front off, or do I have to take the whole assembly out through the back? Is it likely that the smell might be from the broken felt coming into contact with the heating element? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[qsd-dan]

the load my wife found a brownish/blackish 3" strip of something that looked like compressed glass insulation in with the clothes.

That would be the front felt seal. I'm surprised it has held on in place this whole time. All of the HOH's I get usually have the felt seal lying on the base, all disintegrated.

The machine can be run without the seal as its only purpose is to keep metal objects, like coins, from getting past the drum and shorting out the heating element that surrounds it. Ya just got to make sure ALL pockets are free of loose items.

The seal is still available, but you have to pull the cabinet off to install it, as there is no frontal access. But if you go that far, might as well tear the machine down and lube the critical areas, like the drum, fan, and pulley bushings. The drum bushings and fan are NLA.

Is it likely that the smell might be from the broken felt coming into contact with the heating element?

Yeppers

 

[gerry]

Great, thanks!. but how does the case come off? Do I have to unbolt the pulley/drum/motor mount from the bottom of the inside of the unit and pull the whole thing out through the back, or is there a way to get the front off, or maybe lift the whole shell off over the top?

 

[qsd-dan]

I'm doing this by memory, so don't take each statement as fact. It goes something like this:

Remove the rear panel. Tag and disconnect the wires leading to the cycling and cool down thermostats, motor, heating element, and high temp thermo (high temp thermo is located near the front and is a little awkward to get at). Hit all of the base screws with a penetrating fluid (it'll make those stubborn screws come out MUCH easier). Remove the screws all around the base of the cabinet (use a very wide Philips screwdriver for those), and slowly remove the cabinet while looking for any other attached wires that may need to be removed.

Once the cabinet is removed, you'll see where the old seal was once glued. You'll need a new seal and some high temp sealer.

The following thread should help answer most questions.

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?24452

 

[gerry]

Excellent! I eyeballed the unit along with your instructions and it's clear now. I just need to take a picture of the wires for insurance against my own stupidity. There are quite a few wires for what seems like a simple action - heat and spin. Thank you much for your help!

 

[qsd-dan]

There are quite a few wires for what seems like a simple action - heat and spin.

The DE806 was Maytags flagship dryer, literally loaded with all of the bells and whistles. It also drys by sensing moisture, which is why there's no physical timer (hence the need for a cool down thermostat to shut the machine off). Lower end models are much simpler, but don't have the nicer features either.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask anymore questions!

BTW, "HU" = September, 1969. She's almost 41 years old!

 

[volvoguy87]

This one too.

Here's a thread of mine on the same subject.
Dave

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?28312

 

[redcarpetdrew]

While we're at it...

Here's another thread when I took my CDE906 apart. By the way, I'm STILL hunting for the matching washer... Hope this helps as well. Just be careful with the little carbon brush for the sensor circuit when taking the drum/spindle out... Good luck!

RCD

http://www.automaticwasher.org/TD/ARCHIVE/VINTAGE/2009/22497x48.htm

 

[gerry]

You folks deserve a medal. I got the outer casing off of the unit tonight, thankfully without ripping apart any wires. I did indeed find more remnants of a burned felt ring in the bottom of the unit, and more tell-talingly, laying on top of the heater coil. Just to make sure, I burned a piece of the remnant with a match and sure enough, that's the smell we were smelling. My intent is to just purchase the glue and new felt, fix it, and call it a day. I'm tempted to follow some advice I got here and grease/oil the shafts, but it looks like a project to get the unit apart. Any comments from you Maytag gurus about how much of a project that is?

Once again, thanks folks.

 

[duet83]

I've had something similar happen to a Maytag gas dryer. Instead of disintegrating all around the edge, it was just in the area where the gas port connected to the ring.
It wasn't the worst to repair.

Good luck with your project. It sounds like you have a good start.

 

[goatfarmer]

If you have it that far, check the element carefully. Make sure it's in good shape, not ready to break, etc. And check the wires going to the element.

 

[gerry]

Success! The dryer is working for the first time as I type with the new felt seal and no burning smell. One thing I wasn't careful enough about was using the little metal clips to clip the wires up high away from the turning drum, so one of the wires from the front heating element was drooping on the drum and clacking with each revolution. I realized the issue immediately though before any damage and clipped it up.

The funniest part - The adhesive tube: "HIGH TEMP ADHESIVE" and a little further down: "DANGER EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE"

Thank you folks for the help!