Mechanical people - what is wrong with my clothes dryer?

[episodic]

It makes a rubber like squeaking sound on and off - just started suddenly. . . grrr. . .

I'd just use the laudrymat - but my wife will 'need' the latest 400$ dryer - crud.

Something easy to fix?

 

[EagleKeeper]

There may be a $10 belt that is wearing out or the felt padding between the drum and the frame is wearing.

Clothes lines & pins - $5 max. - no additional utility charges

 

[Uppsala9496]

Check to see if anything is loose.
is it coming from the tumbler?

 

[SmoochyTX]

Check for badgers and squirrels.

 

[uallas5]

A quick but obvious guess would be the drive belt that spins the drum.

As far as easy, I've never had to do it but I would imagine that it's dependent on the machine. My dad repaired my parent's dryer belt years ago and it was about the most frustrated and pi$$ed off I'd ever seen him. And he was a former auto mechanic turned engineer.

 

[FoBoT]

either the belt needs to be replaced or the bearing is going out and something is out of whack/so it is rubbing

check the belt first

 

[episodic]

Dumb question, a long dryer hose would not effect this would it? I mean the vent hose. The dryer exhaust in our house was broken, so I gerryrigged about 16 feet of dryer vent hose to exhaust it ouside. . .

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: episodic
Dumb question, a long dryer hose would not effect this would it? I mean the vent hose. The dryer exhaust in our house was broken, so I gerryrigged about 16 feet of dryer vent hose to exhaust it ouside. . .

Well, that's probably pushing the exhaust farther than the dryer was designed for, but unless there's some kind of restriction along the line, (lint build-up or a kink) then it should work with the only possible drawback being your clothes taking longer to dry than normal.
From your description, I'd suspect the drive belt is going bad...
What make and model is the dryer? (should be a small tag with that info on it)

 

[episodic]

It is an old Galaxy from Sears. Bought about 6 years ago for 160$ on closeout

 

[paulney]

Mechanical people...

Haha. All hail Robotica!