Old machinery is ugly, strongly made of metal, is serviceable and lasts a long time. This is the case of my Viking Auto dryer, made by the T. Eaton Company (long defunct), model no. EDX22RW1181. This dryer came with the house and has been working pretty well until recently. Ten years ago or so it stopped heating, so I took it apart and fixed the broken heating wire. Now it runs but the heat shuts off after about 20 minutes, so our clothing takes 3 hrs to dry. Why did I wait this long to repair the dryer? Because others in the house did not tell me of the problem until recently. Now that I cleaned out all the lint from 10 years it should run well again.
The Viking Auto dryer is actually made by GE and comes apart like a GE-style dryer, and this slide show tells you in detail how to take the beast apart. There are 3 screws that attach the top to the unit. There are two screws that attach the front door to the unit. There are 2 8mm screws to remove two access doors, one in the middle (dryer drum axle), and one on the bottom (access to the pulley and lint vent). There is one C-clip in the back to remove at the drum axle. Once the drum comes out the guts of the dryer are exposed, including the heating elements. There is not much to this unit.
Small Heating wire repair
The wire broke at a connector, so I used the connector to reconnect the two wire ends. Since I fixed the dryer heating element about 10 years ago I have not serviced it. There was a huge amount of lint built up that compromised the function of the dryer. This is also a major fire hazard, but thankfully there is a thermostat that shuts the unit off so no overheating can occur. Thanks to some smart engineers.
Print these instructions and attach to the back of your dryer for future maintenance.
Drum Glides Replacement
Addendum October 16 2012: So after I cleaned the dryer of lint we noticed it was noisier. Further, we were getting streaks of black on our clothes, along with small tears in the material. As I did not add any oil or grease to the machine, there was something else afoot. Appliance Aid really do know their stuff. The drum glides support the drum as it spins. They have some teflon plastic to reduce friction, and this teflon had worn down badly, allowing clothes to get caught between the drum and the door, scorching and creating the black streaks and small holes. Oh well, live and learn.
I replaced the drum glides at the front of the machine for $24CAD from Universal Appliance, in Scarborough. It comes in pairs, they call a kit, WE25X60, and all you do is simply unbolt the old one and bolt in the new one. They initially told me I needed two kits, but corrected themselves when I called back to confirm. Another parts store in Ajax said I only needed a single kit. The guy at the counter is a little gruff, but Ok. The kit bolted on with no issues and the dryer glides much better now.
Links: GE Dryer Parts for reference
GE Dryer Troubleshooting
Dryer Heating Element, Complete Replacement
Addendum: 2016 Oct 24 Viking Auto Dryer: Heating Element Replacement
Sticking Motor, Lube and Clean
Addendum 2017 Dec 14: Last weekend the dryer refused to start. We would hit the switch, there would be a click but no start. After a couple of tries the dryer would not even click.
It turns out that the dryer motor was stuck and could not rotate. I removed the lower cover and removed the drum belt from the motor and roller. I could not turn the motor with my hand. I had to remove the drum and take apart the front cover in order to vacuum the motor area and lube one of the bearings.
From the top cover, remove the c-clip. This will allow the drum to be removed. Open the door and remove the 4 philips screws from underneath the lip. Then lift the top and rotate it up, leaning against the back wall. Remove the two philips screws holding in the front door. Remove the drum. Vacuum everywhere.
The motor is connected to the fan blade at the front. I used the fan blade to move the motor and get it unstuck. Use a toothbrush to clean all the fan blades, around 14. Vacuum the fan blades and area. On the fan blade there is a 10mm bolt that you can remove, but this only holds the fan blade to the motor spindle. You cannot easily remove the fan blade without a lot of trouble, so I cleaned the area and rebolted the fan blade. Vacuum the motor body. I added motor oil to the rear spindle, which loosened up the motor. I also removed the plastic pulley and added some axle grease. Before reinstalling the drum add some grease to the drum spindle at the rear. Reinstall the drum, take care to install the belt properly with the ridges towards the drum. Reinstall the front door, then the top. At the rear, reinstall the c-clip and upper door. At the bottom reinstall the drum belt on the motor and pulley. The motor should move very smoothly when turned by hand. Reinstall the lower door.
You are done. Tell the wife, who will ignore you. In her view the dryer should just run for 20 years, right? No matter, I congratulate you, sir, for a job well done.
Thanks. I really just need to replace the belt. This thing works well and really not worth replacing even for the power savings. If you ever come across a decent online parts place, I have a few Viking appliances that came with the house. Going to the local parts store has been frustrating.
Dryer ED716W459
[Don: Hey Dave, my appliances also came with the house and I have been maintaining them for the last decade. Most fixes are pretty simple. These appliances are not computerized so understanding them is much easier. Good luck on getting your parts. I had to do some internet research to find the parts I needed. Cracking open the appliances and doing the repairs was easy when I followed online instructions. Thanks for stopping by.]
Thanks for your helpful advice and links. Perhaps you may have some ideas about my old beater Viking Dryer model ED142GC191 – the model number may be slightly incorrect as the label has been worn. The dryer has a rough rattle when it rotates. The rattle is not constant but follows a cyclical pattern. I have an mp4 of the sound if this would help. Otherwise, the dryer seems in good working order. Thanks again.
Stan
[Don: Hi Stan, there is not much to go wrong with these old dryers. Go through ApplianceAid.com and determine your type of dryer. Start to take it apart. There are few moving parts for dryers. They really have good instructions.
Good Luck, Don]