A dryer whose motor clearly runs while the drum does nothing has one overwhelmingly likely cause: the drive belt has snapped. It is a thin fabric-and-rubber loop that wraps the entire drum, and after a decade of heat cycling it lets go. The test takes five seconds and the part is under $45. Everything else on this list is worth checking while you have the machine open, because the labour is the same whether you replace one part or four.
Read this first
- Unplug the dryer and shut the gas valve on gas models before removing any panel.
- Sheet metal edges inside a dryer cabinet are sharp enough to cut through a thin glove. Wear proper work gloves.
- Never bypass the door switch to run the machine with the drum out — the motor and belt are exposed and moving.
- Photograph the belt routing before you remove anything. A belt fitted the wrong way round the idler will shred within a week.
Step by step
Spin the drum by hand — the five-second test
Open the door and turn the drum by hand. A drum with an intact belt resists noticeably and coasts to a stop when you let go, because you are dragging the motor pulley and idler through the belt. A drum that spins freely with almost no resistance and keeps rolling has nothing driving it, and that is a broken belt with near-certainty. Do this before you buy any tools or parts.
Confirm the motor is actually running
Press start and listen. A dryer with a broken belt on most designs will not run at all, because the idler pulley releases and opens a belt switch that kills the motor circuit — that is a deliberate safety feature. On models without that switch, the motor runs normally and the drum sits still. Knowing which behaviour your machine shows tells you whether you are chasing a belt or something else entirely, so note it before opening anything.
Open the cabinet the way your design expects
There are three common layouts and forcing the wrong one bends panels. Many Whirlpool-family dryers open by popping the top with a putty knife pushed into the front seam, then unclipping the front panel. Many GE and Frigidaire models come apart from the front only. Some open from the rear. Search your model number plus 'disassembly' first, and take photographs at every stage — reassembly is where people lose an afternoon.
Inspect the belt and find why it broke
With the drum out or tipped forward, look for the belt lying in the base of the cabinet. Check whether it snapped cleanly, frayed along one edge, or came off intact. A clean snap is age. Fraying on one edge means the belt was running misaligned, usually because the idler pulley is seizing or the drum is riding low on worn rollers. Replacing the belt without fixing that cause just buys you a few months.
Check the idler pulley and the belt switch
The idler is a small wheel on a spring-loaded arm that keeps tension on the belt. Spin it by hand: it must turn freely and silently, with no side play. A seizing idler is the most common reason a belt fails early, and because it is a few dollars alongside the belt, replace both together as a matter of course. While you are there, check the belt switch the idler arm operates — its plunger must be released when the belt is on.
Check the drum rollers and the rear bearing
Spin each drum support roller by hand. They should turn silently with no wobble and no flat spots, and their shafts should be smooth rather than grooved. Then check how the rear of the drum is supported: some designs use a shaft in a bushing, others ride the rear of the drum on rollers or a felt-lined bearing. A worn rear bearing lets the drum sag, which drags the belt off line. Replace rollers as a complete set, never singly.
Fit the new belt with the correct routing
The belt goes around the drum with the grooved or ribbed side against the drum, then down under the idler pulley and around the motor pulley. Getting the idler wrap backwards is the single most common reassembly error and it destroys the new belt quickly. Check your photograph, or the diagram printed inside many dryer cabinets, and rotate the drum by hand a couple of full turns before closing up to confirm the belt tracks straight and stays centred.
Check the motor pulley if the belt is intact
If the belt is on, correctly routed and in good condition but the drum still will not turn under power, look at the motor pulley itself. On some designs it is a separate part pressed onto the shaft, and it can spin on the shaft or lose its retaining clip. Also check that nothing is physically jamming the drum — a sock or a small item wedged between the drum and the front bulkhead will stall it, and that shows as a motor humming and cutting out on its thermal overload.
What this repair costs
Doing it yourself
$12–$80
Hiring a technician
$150–$350
Prices are general estimates for typical US jobs, not quotes. What you actually pay depends on your appliance's brand and age, the part required, your region, and each shop's labour rate. The DIY figure assumes you supply the labour and buy the part yourself.
Parts you may end up buying
| Part | Install | Typical price | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal Fuse | easy | $5–$20 | One-time (blows when overheated) |
| Heating Element | moderate | $20–$60 | 8–15 years |
| Cycling and High-Limit Thermostats | easy | $10–$40 | 8–15 years |
| Drive Belt | moderate | $12–$45 | 8–14 years |
| Drum Rollers and Idler Pulley | moderate | $20–$70 | 7–12 years |
| Gas Igniter | moderate | $20–$65 | 6–12 years |
| Gas Valve Coil Kit | moderate | $20–$65 | 8–15 years |
| Door Switch | easy | $10–$40 | 8–15 years |
| Blower Wheel | moderate | $20–$70 | 10–15 years |
| Moisture Sensor Bars | easy | $15–$50 | 10+ years |
Still not fixed
When to call a pro
If the belt, idler, rollers and pulley are all sound and the drum still will not turn, the drive motor has failed and it is a $80–$180 part with significant labour behind it — reasonable for a confident DIYer who already has the cabinet apart, and a fair service call for anyone else. On gas dryers, any work that means moving or disconnecting the burner assembly is licensed work in most jurisdictions. If the rear drum bearing has worn into the drum itself, price a replacement dryer before committing to the repair.
More dryer guides
- Dryer Not Heating — Electric and Gas, Diagnosed in Order45–120 minutes
- Dryer Takes Too Long — Restore Full Drying Speed45–120 minutes
- Dryer Squealing or Thumping — Find the Worn Part60–150 minutes
- Dryer Won't Start — Complete Diagnostic Checklist30–75 minutes
- Dryer Shuts Off Mid-Cycle — Overheating and Sensor Faults45–120 minutes
- Dryer Smells Like Burning — Stop and Find It Before the Next Load60–120 minutes
- Dryer Trips the Breaker — Find the Fault, Not a Bigger Breaker60–120 minutes
- Dryer Getting Too Hot — Scorched, Shrunk and Damaged Loads60–120 minutes
- Dryer Tearing or Snagging Clothes — Find the Sharp Edge45–90 minutes