SQ Dryer Problem

[chrisgaw]

Model number: STB30CG, single pocket 30#.

Was working fine. Appears to be getting power. Drop coin, power light comes on. Push the button to start and there is a loud buzzing sound coming from the back, and the drum doesn't turn. I'm thinking it is one of the relays/contactors in the electrical box on the rear of the machine.

Any help/thoughts appreciated. Btw, does anyone have a PDF parts manual?

Chris.

[Adamski]

Chris,

This sounds like a jammed basket. I think the drive motor can't turn the basket because something is stuck in the holes. How old is this dryer? Check and see if the loud buzzing is coming from the motor.

[MrMachine]

I agree with Larry. Something is holding back the motor from turning.
It could also be a jammed motor fan.

Last possibilities....a bad capacitor if your motor even has one, or a bad centrifugal switch inside the motor.

[chrisgaw]

Thanks guys. I will look at the motor. The basket moves freely. It happened all of a sudden, with no warning. One moment working, the next not so much.

[joeb]

Had a similar problem on a speed queen stack dryer. No turning on the motor at all. After about 3 hours, was able to track down that the door safety switch was bad. You may be able to find a pdf of the parts at pws.

[chrisgaw]

Thanks Joeb. I will look at that. However, there is a definite buzzing sound coming from the motor when the start button is lighted and then pushed. Some else suggested to me that it could be a capacitor or relay on the motor???

These units have not been cared for very well. I took the back cover off and vacuumed all kinds of lint off the components. I suspect the lint is at the heart of the trouble.

Besides this problem, the drive belt probably needs to be changed as well. Attached is a pdf figure of the back of the units. Not sure how to proceed to get at the motor or how to change the belt.

Can any of you guys give me a little direction? This is new territory for me. But, I got nine more of these things and I am bound to have this problem again. I think it might be worth the time to learn something here and save a few $. Appreciate any help.

[DaveLevenson]

Originally Posted by chrisgaw

Not sure how to proceed to get at the motor or how to change the belt.

Turn off the electricity to the dryer. Stand behind the dryer. Remove the rear cover assembly (it's held on by four sheet-metal screws in its corners). This will expose the motor and belts as shown in your drawing.

Look at the idler assembly (it's labeled on your drawing). Loosen the nut on the shaft of the upper one of the two small pulleys on that assembly, and slide the upper pulley to the right, reducing the tension on the poly v-belt. Slip this belt off the two pulleys on the idler, leaving it hanging from the large pulley on the basket shaft.

Loosen, but do not remove, the idler housing bolts (left and right side of the idler assembly).

Turn the adjusting bolt to reduce the tension on the drive belt. Slip this belt off the large pulley (it's easier if you turn the pulley by hand while you force the belt out of the groove). You can now replace the poly belt.

Now, look at the two vertical members that support the idler housing assembly. At the bottom of these, you'll see a bolt, five or six inches long, that passes through both of these members and through the bracket that supports the motor. Remove this bolt by removing the nut on one end and pulling the bolt out from the other side.

Loosen, but do not remove, the bolts at the top of these two vertical members. Then pull the lower end of the two members away from the dryer, allowing them to pivot around the two upper bolts you just loosened. You can now remove the drive belt by passing it between the bottom of the two verticals and the top of the motor mount bracket.

Remove the sheet metal screws which hold the disk that's in front of the motor, leaving the disk loose on the motor shaft.

Remove the four bolts which hold the motor-mount bracket on to the rear of the dryer. As you do this the motor will come loose, taking the aforementioned disk and the fan (which is inside, in front of the disk) with it. Holding the motor, lift it upward and out. (Be careful not to break the electric cable if it's still connected to the motor.) You can now replace the motor, by removing the fan, disk, and motor-mount bracket. It's usually difficult to remove the fan from the motor shaft. Alliance makes a tool for this purpose, but I'm too cheap to buy one. I place the disk and fan on top of two metal rods supported by a couple of boxes, with the motor hanging below by its shaft. I then hit the motor shaft where it comes up through the fan, using a rubber mallet. (Apply some anti-seize compound to the motor shaft before reassembling it, and it will be much easier to take it apart next time.)

On my dryers, the fans are made of aluminum and are slowly crumbling. I'm told that they are attacked by the chemicals released by Bounce dryer sheets. Replacement fans are relatively inexpensive, and the new ones are plastic (with metal hubs) and should last longer. If you're removing the motor, you might as well replace the fan. If you're replacing the motor and the fan, and if the old fan won't come off the motor, just cut it off (so you can save the disk).

[chrisgaw]

Thank you Dave. I am going to give this a try. This really helps. No way would I have figured all that out.

[DaveLevenson]

Originally Posted by chrisgaw

Thank you Dave. I am going to give this a try. This really helps. No way would I have figured all that out.

You're welcome, chrisgaw. My place was flooded by a hurricane last fall. I had to remove, disassemble, and clean the motors, replace the motor bearings, and lubricate the idler assembly on 17 dryers similar to yours. By the time I'd done about ten of them, I was spending two to three hours per machine on this process.

You can probably get a service manual from Alliance which will describe most of the maintenance procedures, and provide part-numbers for anything you want to replace.

[chrisgaw]

Dave, ...

Got the motor out and have your directions to thank. Lint buildup in the motor was the cause of the problem. The motor repair guy said that the lint buildup was inhibiting the one of the contactors in the motor. He cleaned it up and did some additional motor maintenance. It set me back about $200, but the doing the pull myself saved a bunch of $$$, ... and I was able to replace the belts, which was much needed.

Now, I got nine more of these that are operating, but could easily come down with the same malady. I know that they all need to have the belts replaced, so that I can do now. But, how do I address the years of lint in these motors???

Any recommendations on motor maintenance for these units would be appreciated. I am not yet versed in motor repair (maybe one day soon). If I have to bring the remaining nine dryer motors to the motor repair shop, it is going to cost me $200 per. I would like to minimize that expense ($1800) and my dryer down-time.

You guys rock. Thanks.