How to Change a GE Dryer Belt

A Phillips screwdriver is all you need to change a GE dryer belt.

Changing the belt on a GE gas dryer is pretty much the same, no matter how old the machine. Follow all commonsense safety precautions when changing a dryer belt, such as unplugging the dryer before beginning and wearing work gloves to protect your hands. Always use a factory-authorized replacement belt or a replacement belt certified as equivalent to an original manufacturer's belt.

1. Unplug the dryer and open the dryer door.

2. Unscrew the screws under the top lip, where the dryer's door closes, with your screwdriver. Once these screws are removed, lift the top off of the dryer. On older models, the entire top will hinge upward out of the way, and on models made after 1997, half the top will pull off.

3. Remove the screws on the inside-top corners of the front panel so the front panel of the dryer can be removed and set aside. On models made before 1997, the front panel should be carefully set to the right side; on newer models, the panel should be set to the left side of the machine. Be careful not to damage the door-control wires.

4. Locate two screws approximately 6 inches off the floor on each side and remove them, allowing you to push the sides of the dryer slightly apart so the drum can be removed. Pull the drum slightly toward you and reach around to remove the dryer belt from the motor pulley. If the belt is broken, this step should not be necessary. Once the belt has been removed from the motor pulley, the drum should pull up slightly and out of the dryer toward you.

5. Remove the old dryer belt and put the new one in place, with the ribs of the belt facing the drum. The slack part of the belt should be placed near the motor. Reverse the previous directions to replace the drum, replace the screws that hold the sides in place, replace the front and replace the top.

6. Pull the dryer out from the wall and remove the four screws holding in the panel near the bottom of the back of the dryer. You will see the motor, the drum and the belt you just set in place. Loop the belt around the motor pulley and the idler pulley, and turn the drum by hand to make sure that the belt is straight and will stay in place. Screw the panel back on and push the dryer back into place against the wall.

Tip

Older dryers will have a dark drum; newer dryers will have a light-colored drum.