What to Do if Your Dryer Is Not Spinning

If you’ve turned your dryer on and it won’t spin, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we will give you step-by-step instructions on how to find the cause of the problem and fix it. 

When a dryer stops spinning, it’s because one or more of the components in your dryer is faulty, so they will need to be repaired or replaced to get your dryer working again.

Thankfully, most of the time this problem can be solved relatively easily. Simply start with the first component and work your way down the list until you find the cause of the problem.

1. The drive belt

The purpose of the drive belt is to help the dryer to rotate/spin around when you turn it on to a cycle. If the drive belt snaps or comes out of place, it will stop working, and your dryer will not spin.

To easiest way to check the drive belt is to:

1. Open the lid of the dryer. Once open, remove any clothes from the dryer. Once removed or if there are no clothes in it, try to turn the drum around by hand.
2. When turning the drum, there should be some resistance. If not, this is a sign that the drive belt has snapped or come out of place and will need to be fixed. If there is resistance, you can move on to checking the drum rollers (see the next point in this guide).
3. To repair or replace the drive belt, you need to remove the top and side panels of the dryer (check your user manual if you don’t know how to do this) and then locate the drive belt. 
4. Check if it has broken or snapped completely. If so, it needs to be replaced. If it isn’t broken, check that it is correctly in place in the middle of the drum and it goes through the pulleys correctly. If not, reset the drive belt or replace it if this isn’t possible.
5. Once repaired or replaced, put your dryer back together, and check if the problem has been solved. If not, move on to checking the drum rollers. 

2. Drum rollers and roller axles

Most makes and models of dryers have two drum rollers that sit on axles. The purpose of the drum rollers is to help the drum rotate around correctly and not move out of place. When they stop working or break, your dryer will not spin properly or not at all.

Checking the drum rollers is quite straight-forward; you simply need to:

1. Just like for the dryer drum, you need to check if you can manually turn the drum around. If the drum is obstructed and can’t turn around 360 degrees, you’ll need to check the rollers. If it can move around freely, move on to checking the drum bearings (see the next point in this guide).
2. To check the rollers, start by turning the power to the dryer off.
3. Remove the top and side panels of the dryer if you haven’t already (check your user manual if you don’t know how to do this).
4. Locate the drum rollers (refer to your user manual if necessary).
5. Check the drum rollers for any sign of damage. If damaged, they will need to be replaced. If there are no obvious signs of damage, check that they are not dirty or obstructed in any way, and if they are, give them a clean or remove the obstruction. 
6. You also need to check they are sitting on the axles correctly – sometimes the axles can become bent, and the rollers aren’t able to move around correctly. If the axles are damaged, replace them. If not, move on to checking the drum bearing.
7. If you replace either the drum rollers or axles, turn your dryer back on, and check if it can now spin around correctly. If not, check the drum bearing.

3. Drum bearing

The drum bearing’s job is to support the back of the dryer drum when it is spinning so it doesn’t come out of place. If the bearing becomes faulty, your dryer won’t be able to spin correctly or not at all.

Checking the drum bearing is quite easy; you simply need to:

1. Turn the power to the dryer off at the wall or the circuit breaker.
2. Remove the top and side panels of the dryer (if you haven’t already)
3. Locate the drive belt and remove it from the drum.
4. See if you can turn the drum around 360 degrees. When turning the drum, there shouldn’t be any resistance, and it shouldn’t be making a squealing noise. If there is, this is a sign it’s faulty and needs to be replaced. If it can move around 360 degrees without obstruction, you can move on to checking the drum glides (see the next point in this guide).
5. To replace the bearing, you need to remove the old one and then attach the new one.
6. Once replaced, turn your dryer on and check if it can now spin around correctly. If not, check the drum glides.

4. Drum glides

The purpose of the drum glides (or slides) is to help “guide” the drum as it spins around. If they break, the dryer will bind, which leads to the dryer motor shutting down. 

Checking the drum glides is simple to do; you simply need to:

1. Turn the power off to the dryer if you haven’t already.
2. Remove the top and side panels if you haven’t already (check your user manual if you don’t know how to do this).
3. Find the drum glides and check if they are damaged in any way. If they are, replace them. If not, move on to checking the idler pulley (see the next point below in this guide).
4. Once replaced, turn the power back on, and check if it can now spin around correctly. If not, you will need to check the idler pulley.

5. Idler pulley

The idler pulley is another component within your dryer that helps the drum to rotate properly. If the pulley gets damaged or the belt comes off it, the dryer drum will not be able to spin.

To check the idler pulley:

1. Turn the power off to the dryer if you haven’t already.
2. Remove the top and side panels if you haven’t already (check your user manual if you don’t know how to do this).
3. Find the idler pulley and check if the belt is attached correctly and that the pulley is not damaged in any way. If the belt has come off, put it back in place. If the pulley is damaged, replace it. If it is fine, move on to checking the next component.
4. Once replaced, turn the dryer back on, and check if it now works. If not, check the drive motor.

6. Drive motor

The drive motor helps to power the blower wheel so the dryer can rotate around during a cycle. If the motor becomes faulty, your dryer won’t spin. 

To check the drive motor:

1. Turn your dryer on to a cycle. 
2. After a couple of minutes, check if the drive motor is making a loud humming sound. If not, move on to the last step in this guide.
3. If you can hear a humming sound, remove the drive belt from the motor (you’ll need to turn the power off and take the top and side panels off to do so).
4. Once removed, check the blower wheel for any signs of wear and tear and if it is obstructed from turning around. If it is, remove the obstructions and then test the dryer to see if the problem has been solved.
5. If there are no obstructions, try to move the drum around manually. If the drum rotates 360 degrees without obstruction, you’ll need to replace the drive motor.

7. Dryness control board

The dryness control board is responsible for turning your dryer off when your clothes are dry – even if the cycle hasn’t ended. Sometimes, but not often, they can become faulty and will need to be replaced. The board is very hard to check, so your best bet is to simply replace it and then see if the problem has been solved. However, at this point, you may decide it’s a better option to just buy a new dryer.