Home Repair Center Clothes Dryer Repair Tips, DIY Help, and Information Common Questions About Dryers (FAQs) Why doesn't my dryer drum tumble?

Parts of a dryer

Enter the model number of your appliance below to get a breakdown graphic of your appliance.

Locate the model number on your appliance.

More Dryer Resources

• Common Questions
• Maintenance Tips
• Dryer Parts

[Back to Common Questions About Dryers]
[Why is my dryer running too long?]

There are a few things that will keep the drum from tumbling, the belt being broken or slipping badly, the motor being seized, or worn support parts.

Dryers have a belt that turns the drum. If the belt is worn or broken, it can't move the drum. Just replace the belt, and while you're doing that, you may want to check the idler pulley. Wear on the idler pulley can cause the belt to break. Worn out glides and rollers can also create extra stress on the belt by making the drum harder to turn. If the drum is harder to turn, the extra stress could have broken the belt.

Normally, you can hear the motor running, especially if it's the belt or idler pulley that's the problem. If you don't hear the motor, and you hear a buzzing sound instead, the motor may be seized and you'll probably need to replace the motor or motor start capacitor. Remove the belt, then check for any blockages in the blower fan housing and try to turn the shaft on the motor by hand.

If it's too hard or impossible to turn the motor shaft, and the blower fan housing has no obstructions; odds are that you need to replace the motor.

If the motor turns easily, run it for a few seconds. If it runs good without the belt, you may have a problem with the idler pulley or the drum rollers. Try rotating the drum by hand. If it's hard to move, fix any problem with the idler pulley, glides, or drum rollers, reassemble the dryer, and test it again.