A dryer drum is held and turned by a small number of wearing parts: a belt, idler and rollers or glides that carry the weight. Each of them fails with its own sound, so what you hear is genuinely diagnostic. Before assuming a part has worn, rule out the cheapest cause of all.
Check the Drum Is Empty of Hardware
Switch the dryer off at the breaker, then feel around the inside of the drum and the seam at the front. Coins, buttons, zip pulls and hairpins escape pockets and rattle exactly like a failing bearing. Also lift the machine slightly at each corner to confirm it sits level and is not drumming against a cabinet or the washer next to it.
Matching the Sound to the Part
- Rhythmic thumping that speeds up with the drum: often a flat spot on a support roller, or a belt with a set in it after standing unused.
- Steady squeal that rises as it warms: usually the idler pulley or a dry roller bearing.
- Scraping or grinding metal: worn drum glides at the front bulkhead, letting the drum rub on the cabinet. Worth acting on quickly, because it wears the drum itself.
- Rattle that changes with load size: usually something loose in the drum or a light fitting, rather than the drive.
- Loud hum with no rotation: a snapped belt or a seized motor. Stop using it.
Why This Is Cabinet-Open Work
Reaching rollers, glides or the idler means removing the front or top panel, releasing the belt and taking the weight of the drum. There is mains wiring behind those panels, and on gas machines a burner assembly as well. It is straightforward for a technician with the machine on a bench and awkward and risky on a laundry-room floor.
Record the noise on your phone during a cycle if you can. It sounds trivial, but a ten-second clip often identifies the part before anyone arrives. Bring that to a Maytag dryer repair booking along with how long it has been building.