Easy
15-30 minutes
This high-quality part is supplied by the original equipment manufacturer. It is specially designed for Whirlpool dryers. A dryer's idler pulley helps to apply tension on the belt that rotates the drum. Unfortunately, over time it may wear out or get damaged eventually requiring a replacement. Make sure to refer to the owners manual and the appropriate diagrams of your model for the exact location and the correct installation of this part. This assembly includes one durable plastic pulley, a tri-ring and a washer. To perform this repair you will need a wrench set, a screwdriver, and pliers to take apart and reassemble the housing.
Dryer Idler Pulley 279640
OEM part for: Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Inglis, Maytag, Admiral, Amana, Crosley
Part Number: 279640
$40.81
In Stock
Ships within 1 business day 
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Compatibility
This Dryer Idler Pulley will fit the following 1442 machines. Confirm this part works with your model, and view the detailed model diagrams and repair help we have to offer.
Whirlpool
KitchenAid
Inglis
Maytag
Admiral
Amana
Crosley
Show More Compatible ModelsThis item works with the following types of products:
- Dryer Parts
- Washer Parts
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Customer Repair Instructions ?
All our customer repair instructions are solicited directly from other customers just like you who have purchased and replaced this exact part.
Squeaking noise during operation.
Michael - December 2, 2017
👍 4 of 5 people found this instruction helpful
Tool Type
Dryer
Difficulty
Easy
Time
30-60 minutes
Tools Used
Screwdriver, Pliers, Power Drill, Wrench Set, Nutdriver
Using instructional video recommended by online repair tech, I disassembled the unit, removed drum, replaced all pulleys ( main drove pulley and drum guide pulleys).
Most interesting discovery was dryer manufacturer embedded a complete repair and calibration guide within a pouch at front of unit. Not mentioned in user docs, but probably known to all onsite repost techs.
Unit has been working flawlessly a month after repair. Saved probably $150-200 in repair service labor.
Most interesting discovery was dryer manufacturer embedded a complete repair and calibration guide within a pouch at front of unit. Not mentioned in user docs, but probably known to all onsite repost techs.
Unit has been working flawlessly a month after repair. Saved probably $150-200 in repair service labor.
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Tub made a lot of noise.
james - July 21, 2017
👍 2 of 2 people found this instruction helpful
Tool Type
Dryer
Difficulty
Easy
Time
15-30 minutes
Tools Used
Screwdriver, Nutdriver
Parts Used
Removed old pulley from shaft. The bushing was shot. Slid new pulley on put on new retaining clip. Put panels back in place. Attached dryer vent. Sounds and works like a new dryer
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This was a combo washer/dryer unit. The washer still worked, but the dryer didn’t turn on.
Wesley - July 22, 2021
Tool Type
Dryer
Difficulty
Medium
Time
15-30 minutes
Tools Used
Screwdriver
Parts Used
Turns out that the wobbling tension arm wheel let the belt slip off. For those who don’t know, dryers are built to stop working if the belt slips off or breaks.
The inside of the pulley wheel bearing had become excessively worn larger. The new part came with a washer and the retaining key that keeps it in place.
Slide off the old wheel, replace with the new parts, route the belt and the dryer works again.
Quick note about dryers: Clean the excess lint off the inside of the unit every so often. It will kill the motor from excess heat and it could also become a fire hazard.
The inside of the pulley wheel bearing had become excessively worn larger. The new part came with a washer and the retaining key that keeps it in place.
Slide off the old wheel, replace with the new parts, route the belt and the dryer works again.
Quick note about dryers: Clean the excess lint off the inside of the unit every so often. It will kill the motor from excess heat and it could also become a fire hazard.
Did you find this story helpful?
Thanks for voting and helping fellow customers!
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and means the part you’re buying is sourced directly from the manufacturer who made your product. At eReplacementParts, we sell only genuine OEM parts, guaranteeing the part you’re purchasing is of better design and of higher quality than aftermarket parts.
Our product descriptions are a combination of data sourced directly from the manufacturers who made your product as well as content researched and curated by our content & customer service teams. This content is edited and reviewed internally before being made public to customers.
Our customer service team are at the ready daily to answer your part and product questions. We have a dedicated staff with decades of collective experience in helping customers just like you purchase parts to repair their products.
All our part reviews are solicited directly from other customers who have purchased this exact part. While we moderate these reviews for profanity, offensive language or personally identifiable information, these reviews are posted exactly as submitted and no alterations are made by our team.
All our customer repair instructions are solicited directly from other customers just like you who have purchased and replaced this exact part. While we moderate these reviews for profanity, offensive language or personally identifiable information, these reviews are posted exactly as submitted and no alterations are made by our team.
Based on data from past customer purchasing behaviors, these parts are most commonly purchased together along with the part you are viewing. These parts may be necessary or helpful to replace to complete your current repair.
All our installation videos are created and produced in collaboration with our in-house repair technician, Mark Sodja, who has helped millions of eReplacementParts customers over the last 13 years repair their products. Mark has years of experience in selling and repairing both commercial and residential products with a specialty in gas-powered equipment.
This data is collected from customers who submitted a repair instruction after replacing this exact part. Customers can rate how easy the repair was to complete and how long it took. We aggregate this data to provide a repair rating that allows customers to quickly determine the difficulty and time needed to perform their own repair.
