AEM497W2 Amana Dryer - Instructions

remove bottom two screws on lower front panel, remove panel. remove two screws on lower portion of door panel, pull bottom panel towards yourself to release pins at the top. Disconnect wiring for light and door switch (make sure to note what wires go where. Complete removal of front door panel. Remove 4 screws holding cylinder frame in place, lift to remove. remove remnants of old felt seal, use rotary tool to remove excess glue, etc. apply glue (used rubberized gorilla super glue), apply felt seal - allow glue to set up. reinstall in reverse direction from removal. Be sure to use glue as there are no clips or other retaining pieces for the new felt and it will not hold in place. overall pretty easy.

took frount off ,then filter, pulled drum out, then blower plate & spun impeller off. went back together easy ,except belt . that gave me a little problem but finally got it thanks

I first unpluged the dryer. Then I
Removed two screws and removed bottom cover, Then removed the door assembly.Here I had to unplug the light and door switches. I then removed the four screws that holds the tub mount in place, Then I removed the eight screws that hold the blower cover in place, then removed the blower. replaced blower and reassembled in reverse. I started the dryer and it worked fine.

I removed the access panel on the lower front. Then I removed the front door panel (noting where the wires went; 1 for red, 2 for black, 3 for grey). Then I removed the 2 screws holding the top down and lifted it up. Then I reached underneath the drum and took the belt off the tensioner. Then I removed the front drum panel with the lint filter, guides, and front felt seal. Then I took out the drum. Then I replaced the roller and post (with bracket). The old post was worn, so it was a good thing I got the new post (thanks to someone else's reccomendation). Then I put it all back together. It was surprizingly easy. I just wish these parts weren't so dad gum expensive. I paid $20 for one roller and post. I wish I could have also replaced the felt seals ($17 each), the other roller (another $8) and the sliders and felt pads ($20 per side). And a new belt. By then, you might as well buy a new dryer!

unpluged the dryer,and removed the top.
took the front of the dryer off,release the belt and removed the drum.
unbolted the idler lever.

then I put it back together.
the bolt that holds the idler lever will be a little hard to replace for some.

unplug appliance.removed 2 screws @ the rear of dryer top to tip lid back. unplugged the door switch wires.took out 3 philip screws that hold lint screen to inside of drum.removed 2 screws @ dryer front top. lifted dryer front panel off. the drum was now loose. slipped off old belt - replaced with new. set drum back into place. made sure new belt was on motor pulley & behind tensioner pulley arm. replace & reconnect items in reverse order. plug back in & test. after seeing the wear on the plastic tensioner pulley i regret not ordering that part for replacement also.

I followed the instructions and it went very well. The only confusing part was the drive belt for the tumbler barrel I just had to visualize the threading arrangement to get it right. Much like a car fan belt.

I first watched the video and disassembled the dryer to see if I could determine what part was squeaking. All looked good except the wheel on the Idler lever which was tight. I vacuumed up the years of lint and reassembled the dryer and waited for the parts to arrive. I ordered the idler lever and also the 2 drum support wheels, belt and 2 drum guides since I thought that is was a good idea to go ahead and replace these parts once I had the dryer disassembled again. Good choice on the belt as once I removed the old belt there was a crack on the underside of the belt. I bought snap ring pliers at home depot but the tips were too big to fit the holes on the snap rings on the drum rollers. I bought another snap ring plier set from an automotive store that came wth 5 snap ring attachments - but again all were too large to fit the snap rings on the drum support rollers. I used a nail and small screwdriver to expand and pull off the snap rings but this approach was frustrating and time consuming. Not sure where to get snap ring pliers that are small enough to fit the holes on the snap rings - so hope that you have better luck locating a set thats small enough! I was able to return the pliers that I purchased - so all good. I was surprised at how easy the dryer came apart and how easy it was easy to work on. When disassembling the dryer - we took pictures of the wire connections before we disconnected them, however at one point we tilted the dryer back to clean behind it and the top slipped a little away from the side panel of the dryer and one of the wires that was connect to the wire block that is up by where the power cord connects cam loose - and it took some time to find and figure out a wiring diagram for this connection. Suggest that you take a pictire of this wire connection block once you lift the lid - just in case a slip occurs and a wire may disconnect. When replacing the idler lever -
have a little grease available when you install the new idler lever (between the arm and the bolt area as it constantly moves and the old brease has probably worn away) . After making these repairs I dont think I will ever buy a new dryer as any part , including the heater and motor would be easy to replace and cheaper than a new dryer.

I removed the dryer front and replaced the door switch.
Next I replaced the drum glide reassembled the dryer.

I watched the repair video and followed the instruction given to replace the belt. The instructions were easy to follow and to the point. The one thing that was not covered was to vacuum the interior prior to closing the dryer up.

Replaced the two drum rollers and the tensioning arm roller. NOTES: 1. There are two drum rollers, the diagram seems to show only one. Recommend replacing both drum rollers and the support bracket shaft assemblies since the shafts might be scored. 2. The tensioning arm roller was actually much worse and frozen, so once you are in it is best to replace ALL three rollers. 3. I also replaced the belt since it was worse for wear from the frozen rollers. 4. The PartSelect video for the procedure is for the Whirlpool branded version of this dryer. The internal parts and construction are identical, however, the initial steps for opening up the dryer are different. On the Amana the top also tilts up, but is held down by two bolts, and not just the spring clips. Steps are: a) Remove bottom kick plate which is held in by two bolts on the lower front edge. b) remove the retention bolts that are now exposed on the front panel and remove the front panel by pulling it down from the top spring clips. c) Unbolt and remove the front drum retention panel. d) The two bolts that hold down the top can now be removed and the top panel tilted up so the drum can be lifted out after the belt is loosened. The whole process is very quick and easy. Only tricky part is fumbling around behind the motor to move the tensioning roller and arm to remove and re-install the belt. Also, I had cheap spring clip pliers so I was fumbling with the spring clips that hold the rollers on their shafts.

Dryer stopped tumbling, so bad belt was my first thought. Dryer is in vacation home so did not have immediate access to it to diagnose. Ordered belt and discovered that the poorly designed motor pulley had broken and the belt jumped onto the motor shaft and burned through the original belt. Week 2 after ordering pulley, installation went per YouTube video. Glad I also replaced the belt because it was brittle and cracked. Suspect it had been slipping because sheets would ball up into a log, possibly because the drum wasn't spinning fast enough. Anyhoo, after repair all seems OK.

The belt tensioner was the problem and the belt had very fine cracks in it so I ordered four parts: the belt tensioner, belt and the two drum rollers. I had to work to clean the fan and the LARGE dust bunnies. I'm writing this to encourage others to consider installing new duct work, mine was becoming a fire hazard. At a minimum clean all the duct work. Your dryer will work so much better. Thank you for your printable help!??

Idler was the noise source. Drum support rollers were failing also. I almost spent $500.00 on a new dryer, glad I replaced the parts instead. Sounds and works like new. Watch the video,its very helpful. Thanks Parts Select. You should advertise your services on TV or radio. I am glad I found you.

I took out the old worn out part and replaced with the one I order.