The tools you will need to complete do it yourself clothes dryer repair

Please follow all safety precautions.  This is a description of the simple tool kit you should assemble in order to work on dryer repair. You will need two nut drivers, an oven thermometer a flat blade like a putty knife, both a phillips head and slot screwdrivers.

For the home workshop, these tools are adequate and quite serviceable. You do not need top of the line tools to perform most of the tasks required for Do It Yourself repair. These inexpensive tools will do the job.

It is important to have the correct lubricants for a dryer.

First, cleaning bearings, rollers, and pulleys is important. Use a penetrating lubricant for this purpose such as WD40, or another lubricant with a spray application and penetrating properties. This will clean the used parts and restore many of them to like new condition.

Second, the idler pulley must be lubricated with turbine oil. Turbine oil is inexpensive and good for hundreds of other uses. It is designed to be used in heavy duty applications with heat and steam where a light oil is needed.

And finally, the drum supports (rollers, wheels) need to be lubricated with a high temperature grease. The many applications require a high temperature grease that will last over time. Don't cut corners here. Typical grease used in automotive applications will fail early and you will have to do the job again. Choose a grease that is specifically formulated for heat and heavy use. Syl-Glide is a silicon based grease that can be purchased at an appliance parts store. You may substitute other silicon based grease for this brand. Also, if you are repairing a Frigidaire Dryer by replacing the bearing, the manufacturer will supply the grease. Be ready for high prices. Very good grease will cost quite a bit, $10 or so for a small amount.

Standard Oven Thermometer

A dryer on set for normal/high heat should cycle at 155 degrees F. The dryer air temperature should reach 155 degrees then the thermostat will shut the heat element off and the temp will fall until a temperature of about 125 is reached. Then the thermostat will turn back on and will stay on until the high temperature is reached again. This cycling on and off of the heating element keeps the clothes at the optimum drying temperature. Also, the cycling tests should be conducted with an empty dryer.

CAUTION: The dryer may be over heating. If the temperature reaches 175 to 180, place the dryer on a fluff or air only setting and let it cool off. Over heating can be caused by several things, the most common cause is a thermostat that has failed. Usually this conditions causes a no heat condition, however, there are times that it does not shut the heat off as required.

A volt ohm meter (VOM) also called a multimeter is an absolute necessity for appliance repair. You can test the electronic parts with this tool without electricity. It is used mainly for testing continuity and resistance. You can easily tell if many of your dryer parts are good or bad. I am writing a separate hub on the use of a multimeter.

A voltage detector is so much fun to use that you may think it is a toy rather than the indispensable tool that it is. It is a very handy tool and made for the novice repair person. The reason I say this is that this tool can be used without opening any machine, without unplugging any appliance or worrying about knowing anything about electricity. You just turn it on, and then you put the tip near anyplace where there should be electricity, like the place where you plug something into the wall, or inside a wire that runs something. Just like that, through the insulation, plastic coverings and so on, you get a audible tone and a flashing light. It is so fun to use that you will be attempted to run around the house testing everything you can think of. It is safe to do so and so much fun.