# Maytag Model# LDE7600ACL loud clicking noise



## ghh3rd (Aug 26, 2010)

I have a Maytag Model# LDE7600ACL dryer that runs and heats OK but started making a noise like a small jackhammer; rapid loud ratcheting noise.  I took the front off and ran it and it *seems* to be more on the left-hand side.

Any tips appreciated.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Aug 27, 2010)

Well, on a front loading Maytag dryer, the motor and blower wheel are both on the left side of the machine (when viewed from the front).

Depending on the speed of the clicking noise, it could be anything from a loose clothes lifter causing a noise with each rotation of the drum to the vanes on the blower wheel hitting against something causing about 20 clicks with each rotation of the motor.

On the back of those dryers you should find an inspection cover on the lower right side, opposite the lower left side of the dryer when viewed from the front.  If you remove that inspection cover, you can observe the operation of the idler pulley to see if it's doing anything strange.

Typically, on a Maytag front loading dryer, the first thing to go are the rear drum rollers, and when they go, they make a chirping noise that fairly quickly becomes a loud squeeling noise if you don't replace those rear drum rollers.  So, the fact that it's not the drum rollers means that it's either something peculiar (like something having fallen down past the lint filter and hitting against the blower wheel) or maybe a broken idler pulley, or maybe something inside the machine resting against the rotating drum and bouncing around as it hits the bolts that hold the clothes lifters in place.

At this point, your best bet would be exploratory surgery.

Maybe before you do that, go to some websites that are run by appliance repair techs and see if that noise you're describing is indicative of anything.  For several of those web sites, go to the Refrigerators Forum and read a thread entitled "GE Refrigerator Problem" by EJ1948.  (It's the 4th thread down in the list.)

If appliance repair techs can't identify that clicking as indicative of any one part going bad, then about the only thing you can do is take the front panel off, take the front bulkhead off, pull the dryer drum out (along with the drive belt) and run the machine without the drum inside it to locate the source of that clicking noise.  (You will have to jumper the two wires that go to the door switch to get the machine to run without the front panel and bulkhead in place.)  It's really that easy to take the drum out of a Maytag front loading dryer, but it takes a bit more patience to put it back in.

Also, if you go to any place that sells automotive tools, you should be able to buy a mechanic's stethoscope for under $20 (and often for less than $10).  A mechanic's stethoscope has a metal probe on it that is attached to a large diaphragm.  When that probe is touched against something that's making noise, it will cause the large diaphragm to move in the same way and make the same noise, so that the noise you hear through the ear phones will be considerably louder when the probe is in contact with the part making the noise.  In this way, you can pinpoint the source of the noise.







A mechanic's stethoscope costing less than $20.  The extension rod screws on to the end of the stethoscope for greater reach.  Mechanic's stethoscopes can cost anywhere from $5 to $500 depending on quality, but even a cheap one will give good results.  I've been fixing cars and major appliances for well over 20 years, and mine cost me about $10 when I bought it.  Mechanic's stethoscopes are excellent for locating the source of a noise in any machinery, and well worth their cost, especially for the cheapest ones.

To use a mechanic's stethoscope you simply put it on your ears and touch the metal probe against any part you think might be making the noise you're hearing from the machine.  The closer the probe is to the source of the noise, the louder the noise will be when heard through the mechanic's stethoscope.

Also, Maytag factory authorized service manuals for your model of dryer are not expensive, and can be ordered from Maytag Publications at 1-888-547-8279.  Maytag has recently been purchased by Whirlpool, so Whirlpool might be running things differently now, but you still should be able to get Maytag factory authorized service manuals from Maytag or Whirlpool.  They might even have the manual for your dryer available online for downloading at no cost.


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## Cork-Guy (Aug 27, 2010)

MAYTAG LDE7600ACL (07 - THERMOSTATS) | Bell Parts Appliance Model Lookup

That diagram might help you with your exploratory surgery 

*Note:* _The left hand side has diagrams for the rest of the dryer._


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