Turn the drum by hand and feel what happens — it tells you almost everything. Spins freely with no resistance: the drive belt has broken. Stiff, gritty, or will not turn at all: a roller or bearing has seized. Either way, the motor itself is usually fine — this fault is mechanical, not electrical, in the large majority of cases.
The hand-spin test
Always disconnect the dryer from power before reaching inside or turning the drum by hand.
Open the door, reach in, and turn the drum. What you feel tells you where to look:
| What you feel | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| Spins completely freely, no resistance at all | Broken drive belt — the belt normally provides the resistance you feel |
| Turns but with a rhythmic squeak or grind | Worn drum support roller or a glazed, slipping belt |
| Very stiff, or will not turn past a certain point | Seized roller, worn bearing, or an obstruction caught between drum and cabinet |
| Turns normally by hand but the motor still hums when powered | Idler pulley not tensioning the belt correctly |
If it spins freely: the belt
The drive belt loops around the motor pulley, an idler pulley, and the outside of the drum, and it is what actually turns the drum during normal operation. Belts wear out — they glaze, stretch, and eventually snap, usually after years of use rather than suddenly failing for no reason.
- Confirm the belt has failed
With the drum spinning completely freely and the motor humming when powered, a snapped belt is by far the most likely explanation.
- Check for a burning rubber smell
A belt that has been slipping rather than fully broken sometimes gives off a faint rubbery smell before it finally lets go — worth noting if this has been building for a few cycles.
- Access and inspect it
Reaching the belt means removing the front or top panel, which varies significantly between manufacturers. If you are comfortable following a model-specific guide and the machine is unplugged, this is a straightforward, inexpensive repair. If not, this is a very common and quick job for an appliance engineer.
If it is stiff or will not turn: rollers and bearings
Most dryer drums sit on a set of rear support rollers (or a rear bearing on some designs) and slide against a front glide. These wear down gradually with every load, and a worn roller eventually flattens on one side, seizes, or develops enough play that the drum drags and strains against it.
- Squealing that gets worse over weeks points at rollers wearing down before they fully seize.
- Sudden stiffness or a drum that will not turn at all suggests a roller has seized completely, or something has fallen between the drum and the cabinet.
- Grinding combined with visible wobble when you push the front of the drum can indicate a worn rear bearing rather than just a roller.
Before assuming a mechanical failure, check nothing has worked its way between the drum and the cabinet — a stray sock, a wire, or a small toy. This is a genuinely common and completely free fix that gets overlooked in favour of ordering parts.
Common causes
| Cause | How likely | Typical sign |
|---|---|---|
| Broken or snapped drive belt | Very common | Drum spins with no resistance, motor hums |
| Worn drum support rollers | Common | Squealing that worsens over weeks; eventual stiffness |
| Object caught between drum and cabinet | Common | Sudden stiffness with a specific sticking point |
| Seized idler pulley | Occasional | Motor hums, belt intact but not tensioned |
| Worn rear drum bearing | Occasional | Grinding plus visible wobble at the front of the drum |
| Motor coupler failure (some models) | Occasional | Drum turns freely, motor runs but does not engage |
When to call a professional
Belt, roller and pulley replacement are standard, comparatively inexpensive appliance repairs, but they mean opening the cabinet and working around a motor and drum assembly that is awkward to access safely without experience. Call an engineer if you are not confident dismantling the front or top panel, if the fault turns out to be the motor itself, or if you find a worn rear bearing — that repair is more involved and worth pricing against a replacement machine on an older dryer.
Stop and call a qualified appliance technician or electrician if you find scorched or melted wiring, smell burning, see water that has reached electrical components, or if the fault returns immediately after a repair. Never bypass a safety device — thermal fuses, door interlocks and flood switches fail for a reason, and defeating one converts a broken appliance into a fire or flood risk.
