Dryer Making a Loud Scraping Noise — Worn Bearing or Something Rubbing?

An Electrolux dryer started scraping loudly every time the drum turned. It still heated and still tumbled. The rear bearing was fine and nothing was stuck in the drum. A loose metal panel inside the cabinet had bent in and was touching the back of the drum. The repair came to $290.

Job details

Symptom: Loud scraping and screeching while the drum turns
Suspected: Worn rear drum bearing, or an object caught past the drum edge
Actual cause: Loose internal metal panel contacting the rear of the drum
Fix: Panel straightened and secured with a screw
Cost: $290
Location: Hartford Way, Beverly Hills, CA

What the client reported

The sound started out of nowhere and got worse over about a week. It was there through the whole cycle, not just at startup, and it followed the rotation of the drum. Heat was normal and clothes came out dry, which is why it went ignored for a while.

Why a bad bearing is the usual guess

Metal-on-metal noise from a dryer points to the rear of the drum, and the rear drum bearing is the part that wears there. It is a fair guess and it is right a lot of the time. The other common answer is an object that has slipped past the drum edge: a shoelace, a zipper pull, a metal button from a pair of jeans. Those get caught between the drum and the housing and grind on every turn.

The trouble is that both answers assume the drum is the moving part causing the problem. It is not always. A dryer cabinet holds several sheet metal panels and ducts, and they are held by screws and tabs. Years of vibration can back a screw out. Once one side of a panel is free, it flexes, and it only has to move a fraction of an inch to reach the drum. The noise it makes is close enough to a failing bearing that it gets replaced by mistake, and the scraping comes right back.

What it actually was

I pulled the laundry center out and removed the drum. The rear bearing surface was in good condition with no scoring or play. The front felt seal was intact and there was nothing lodged anywhere around the drum edge. With the drum out I could see the real problem: an internal metal panel had come loose on one side and bent inward. The tip of it had a rub mark on it, and there was a matching mark on the back of the drum.

The repair

I straightened the panel back to its original position and fastened it with a screw so it cannot flex again, then reassembled the dryer and checked it through a full cycle. No noise. Nothing was replaced because nothing had failed.

What it cost

$290 for the visit, the teardown and the repair. A rear bearing replacement on the same machine would have cost more and would not have fixed anything.

Frequently asked questions

My dryer is loud but still dries. Can I keep using it?

You can, but the noise means something is rubbing. That wears down a part that is currently fine, and a cheap repair turns into an expensive one.

Does a loud dryer always mean the bearing?

No. Bearings, rollers, belts, and loose internal panels all produce similar noise. The drum has to come out to tell them apart.

Why does the noise follow the drum rotation?

Because whatever is making contact touches the drum once per turn, or drags on it continuously. Either way the sound is tied to the drum speed, which is why it is easy to blame the drum itself.

Dryer problem in West Hollywood?

See dryer repair in West Hollywood or call 323-747-7098.