--- title: "Dryer making noise" description: "Kenmore dryer making noise — a useful symptom, because different noises come from different parts and a description on the phone gets us most of the way…" url: "https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/dryer-noisy/" date_modified: "2026-09-01" Appliance type: "Dryers" --- # Kenmore dryer making noise ### Turn the drum by hand with the power off Unplug it, open the door and turn the drum. It should move smoothly with a little resistance. Roughness, grinding, or a spot that catches once per revolution tells us it is mechanical rather than electrical before anybody takes a panel off. ### What it usually means, by the company that built it Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart. - **110 Whirlpool** — Belt, drum rollers, idler pulley and the rear bearing. All accessible, all inexpensive, all reached by taking the machine apart. - **796 LG** — LG publishes LE1 for a drum that is not rotating from a motor problem, which is the extreme end of this symptom. - **417 Frigidaire** — Same mechanical story, no published codes. ### Why we replace them as a set The belt, the rollers and the idler all work against each other and all wear at a similar rate. The parts cost very little; getting to them is most of the job. Replacing one and leaving the others means paying for that access twice within a year, and we would rather say so up front than be right about it later. ### The moment worth taking A dryer that is open for a drum repair is a dryer whose blower housing can be cleared of the lint that has packed into it. It is a few minutes while everything is already apart, and it does more for the machine’s airflow than anything else short of a duct clean. Drum rollers A rumble that rises and falls with the drum. The classic sound. The idler pulley A squeal, often worse when cold and quieter once it warms up. A thump once per revolution, or a drum that no longer turns at all while the motor runs. Something in the blower A coin or a button rattling. Sharp, irregular, and free to fix once the housing is open. The rear drum bearing A grinding that gets worse. Worth acting on before it takes the drum with it. The machine is not level A dryer walking on an uneven floor makes noise that has nothing wrong behind it. Describe the noise Squeal, rumble, thump or rattle. Each points somewhere different. Does it change with the load Rollers and bearings get worse loaded. A rattle in the blower does not care. Turn the drum by hand Power off. Roughness is a finding. Check the feet A dryer rocking on a tile floor is loud and healthy. A squeal, a rumble or a thump that was not there before What it usually means The noise itself narrows it a great deal Belt rollers and idler wear together Doing one and leaving the others pays the labor twice Turn the drum by hand with the power off Unplug it, open the door and turn the drum. It should move smoothly with a little resistance. Roughness, grinding, or a spot that catches once per revolution tells us it is mechanical rather than electrical before anybody takes a panel off. What it usually means, by the company that built it Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart. 110 Whirlpool — Belt, drum rollers, idler pulley and the rear bearing. All accessible, all inexpensive, all reached by taking the machine apart. 796 LG — LG publishes LE1 for a drum that is not rotating from a motor problem, which is the extreme end of this symptom. 417 Frigidaire — Same mechanical story, no published codes. Why we replace them as a set The belt, the rollers and the idler all work against each other and all wear at a similar rate. The parts cost very little; getting to them is most of the job. Replacing one and leaving the others means paying for that access twice within a year, and we would rather say so up front than be right about it later. The moment worth taking A dryer that is open for a drum repair is a dryer whose blower housing can be cleared of the lint that has packed into it. It is a few minutes while everything is already apart, and it does more for the machine’s airflow than anything else short of a duct clean. ### Is it safe to keep using it? A squeal, probably for a short while. A grinding noise, no — that is metal on metal and it gets more expensive every load. ### It stopped tumbling altogether. That is usually the belt, and it is one of the least expensive parts in the machine. --- **[Read full article: Dryer making noise](https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/dryer-noisy/)**