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A broken drum belt is the single most common reason a dryer drum won't turn. The belt wraps around the drum, motor pulley, and idler pulley to drive rotation. When it snaps, the motor runs normally but the drum stays completely still. You can confirm this by opening the dryer door and trying to spin the drum by hand — if it spins very freely with no resistance, the belt is broken.
Symptoms: Drum spins freely by hand, motor runs and makes noise, no tumbling, sometimes a burning smell just before failure.
The idler pulley maintains tension on the drum belt. When the pulley bearing seizes completely, it locks up and prevents the belt from moving — which either snaps the belt or stalls the drum. A seized pulley often produces a burning smell and may trip the thermal fuse from the heat generated by belt friction.
Symptoms: Belt intact but drum won't turn, burning smell, pulley won't spin freely by hand, may have blown thermal fuse.
If the belt and idler pulley are intact but the drum still won't turn, the drive motor may have failed. A failed motor may hum loudly without turning (seized windings) or may not run at all. Motor failures are less common than belt failures but do occur in older dryers or after a thermal event.
Symptoms: Dryer hums loudly but drum doesn't move, belt and pulley are intact, no heat, motor hot to the touch.
If the drum glides (front support pads) or rear drum bearing wear through completely, the drum can bind against the cabinet and resist turning. This is more common in older dryers and usually presents as a drum that turns with difficulty rather than not at all.
Symptoms: Drum turns with effort by hand but stalls under load, grinding noise, visible wear on drum rim or front bulkhead.
The door switch signals the dryer that the door is closed and it's safe to run. If the door switch fails, the dryer may appear completely dead — no drum, no heat, no timer advance. Test the switch with a multimeter before replacing any mechanical parts.
Symptoms: Dryer completely unresponsive when door is closed, start button does nothing, light inside drum may still work.
Open the dryer door and try to spin the drum by hand. If it spins very freely with almost no resistance, the belt is broken. You can also open the cabinet and look — a broken belt will be lying loose in the bottom of the dryer. See our drum belt listing for OEM and XPart replacement options.
Yes — strongly recommended. The belt and idler pulley wear together. If the belt broke from a seized or worn pulley, replacing only the belt will result in the new belt failing quickly. Replace both at the same time for a complete, lasting repair.
No — do not run the dryer if the drum isn't turning. The heating element will continue to heat the stationary air inside the drum, which can cause overheating, fire risk, and damage to the thermal fuse, high-limit thermostat, and other components.
A drum belt replacement typically costs $10–$25 in parts. An idler pulley is $15–$30. Replacing both together is the most cost-effective approach and usually runs $25–$50 total in parts. DIY repair saves $150–$300 compared to a service call.
Yes — XPart Supply ships OEM and aftermarket dryer parts Canada-wide with fast, reliable shipping from our Canadian warehouse. We've been serving Canadian appliance repair customers since 1996. Contact us if you need help finding the right part for your model.
