Step by step

1 Open up and pull the drum

Same teardown as a belt job: top up, front off, belt tension released, drum out. (See the belt guide for detail — you’re replacing that too, since it’s off anyway.)
2 Spin every wheel

Rollers should spin freely and silently with no flat spots; the idler should spin without squealing; front glides (if fitted) shouldn’t be worn to metal.
3 Swap the rollers

Pry off the triangular retaining clips (they love to fly — cup a hand over them), slide off old rollers, slide on new, new clips from the kit.
4 Swap the idler

The idler arm usually lifts out of a slot; transfer the new pulley or replace the whole arm per your kit.
5 New belt, drum back in, test

Route the new belt, reassemble, and enjoy a dryer that sounds five years younger.

Whirlpool WED4815EW notes & error codes

The 29" platform is the easiest dryer in America to fix — a maintenance kit (belt, rollers, idler) plus element and fuse covers nearly every failure it will ever have.

Code	What it means
(Mechanical/basic control)	No digital codes on most units — symptom-based diagnosis

Full details for this machine — common problems, causes, and costs — are in the Whirlpool WED4815EW repair guide. The general version of these instructions is here.

🔧 WHEN TO CALL A PRO

Grinding from the very back center after new rollers points at the rear drum bearing — some models make that a genuinely miserable job and a fair thing to hand to a pro. If you'd rather skip it entirely, find a dryer repair pro near you →