Losing my marbles? Rattling sound from Fisher Paykel DEGX1

13 years ago

I have a Fisher Paykel DEGX1 dryer purchased in July, 2006. I have had several issues with it, all post-warranty, but all repairable by me with the purchase of parts. Currently a new sound has developed. I was drying a load of clothes, and I heard a loud "pop", for lack of a more sophisticated term, that came from the laundry room. I then noticed that when my dryer is tumbling the clothes in one direction, it sounds normal for this dryer; when the drum reverses, a sound similar to marbles tumbling and rattling around in the drum presents itself. The reverse-direction tumble seems to have a much shorter duration than the other direction, although I have never paid much attention to this; just know that the drum does a series of reverses while drying, and I noted the durations as I was trying to determine the location of the rattling noise. Seems to be coming from lower right of the unit as best I can tell. Does anyone have suggestions as to what may be producing this sound, and perhaps whether attempting to repair it myself is a reasonable task? I replaced the bearing ass'y once at about 30 mos of age on the unit; this sound is not the screeching, scraping, grinding sound that resulted from failure of that mechanism. Functionally, the unit presently performs as usual; just noisy on the reverse tumble. Glad for any input.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

dadoes
13 years ago
Forward tumble is approx 4.5 minutes, reverse is 40 seconds.

The drum is belt-driven, with the belt wrapped around the extreme right side. The motor and a dual-pulley idler/tension assembly is at the lower rear of the machine on the right side.

I'd suspect the idler assembly. Access to it requires disassembly of the machine, which is different than other dryers. I have a service manual if you're interested. A replacement idler (two pulleys, two axles) is unreasonably expensive for what it is, but surely is cheaper than a new dryer.
katflagge
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for responding, dadoes. I almost emailed you directly rather than posting, having seen your comments often regarding these machines, but decided to post since I have benefited multiple times from the open info on this website, and might benefit another--though do not wish the maladies I have experienced on anyone else with this dryer!

I would definitely like the service manual. I already have the machine "shell" partially removed, snooping around hoping I might see something obvious to account for the marble-rolling sound. I do not know how to get the side and back panels off--the front is pretty obvious--and I don't even know if I will embark on trying to do the replacement, but I may. I looked on the searspartsdirect website and saw the exploded view of the pulley/tensioner ass'y. I am curious how a component like that becomes affected to the point that it noisily begs attention, yet still seems to work acceptably allowing the belt to drive the drum. Without the noise, I would not know anything is defective. If the manual gives some insight into getting the remainder of the walls off, I will probably at least take that portion apart, see if I can find the offending piece, and determine if I think I can do the disassembly and subsequent reassembly myself. If not, I can possibly arrange to have someone with more expertise do the installation, maybe paring a bit of the cost by having everything accessible and the part in hand.

Please do allow me access to the manual. That will help me know how to best proceed.

Thanks so much!
Related Discussions
Speed Queen vs. Fisher Paykel TL
Q
Comments (37)
Plumorchard, we considered SQ, as we too like their simplicity of what they have to offer. We settled on Miele as a friend of ours runs an appliance store that sells them. However, we are still awaiting their arrival as they sold-out at the end of the year and they have received our washer, but no dryer, so we are still waiting as we would like both delivered at the same time. We are replacing a Fisher & Paykel Smart Drive washer model L03 and dryer model D04; both purchased new in November 1996 as F&P was starting to establish itself in the US. The washer has been flawless except normal wear as the agitator blades there are three) have a relief line in them (I suspect to prevent the drive mechanism from locking should a situation arise where a bundle of clothes binds against the drum and the agitator) and one fatigued to the point that it broke-off with another showing fatigue signs so a new agitator was in order (approximate agitator cost is $215 with shipping, and a DIY project). The other issue was, and still is, the one-piece plastic control fascia cover with all the button selections that cracked once and was replaced, and has since cracked again. I do not like this method of covering buttons as it leads to the same outcome time-and-time again. The dryer did give us issues, the main issue: It would not shut-off when it should after selecting an automatic selection (e.g., cottons, permanent press, etc.) causing the clothes to get super hot. At the time I contacted F&P providing a very detailed description of the issue, and F&P worked directly with me under the condition that I send them back the parts I replaced, I did. All functions worked well for about two years, and then the same problem reoccurred. Again, I contacted F&P and they had a record of me so they sent out the same replacement part only this time the part was made by GE versus F&P, I sent them back the old parts as instructed. All worked well until the five-year mark where the same issue occurred. By this time F&P had become established in the US, and they no longer allowed me to fix it, as they sent a repairman. The same part was replaced, and it too was made by GE; on each occasion the part had changed (as I photographed the parts each time). Since that time the dryer has worked without fail. There is simple workaround if the automatic selection does not work and that is to run the manual timer versus the automatic selection. The plastic fascia control cover also cracked over time, twice. Both the F&P washer and dryer are going to a needy family when our new ones arrive. The reason we chose not to go with F&P again is that I come from a family that will not own GE consumer products (GE's commercial and industrial products are excellent, their consumer products are typically below par). During that time I do recall something on how GE became involved with F&P, but because of all the acquisitions and mergers it is hard to put all the pieces together, but the bottom line is that I want nothing to do with GE consumer products. I can say, without equivocation, that I enjoyed interfacing with F&P as they were very accommodating.
...See More
Holes in clothing - HELP?
Q
Comments (287)
Wow, so many theories! I also have had 4 tops purchased at a local boutique, and very expensive. All of them had pin holes, either before or after I washed them on delicate in mesh bags. And, all of the pin holes or larger are located at the bottom area or around or under the belly area. I am clueless. The fabrics are mostly cotton, very thin fabric. One brand name is, XCVI and the other is Free People. So, we are talking anywhere from $58 to $65 for a stylish very thin summer top. I have returned 2 XCVI tops and will be returning another one today as well as the Free People top. I cannot see wearing something once and washing it on delicate and in a laundry bag in a front loading newer washer and resulting in having holes. I don't wear a belt or lean on the counter when I wash dishes. As far as laundry detergent, I usually use Tide and have used it for several years. I am baffled and bummed out, I love this one top. But, seriously, I do feel that the fabric is cheaply made or this problem of pin holes would not occur. We live in Northern CA and do not have bugs in the house. My boyfriends $5 Walmart T Shirts do not have holes! And, I pay like 10 to 15 times more for mine and they do.... This is just crazy. I will purchase new laundry detergent today, in the event that may be a deterrent. But, I believe it is the fabric being thinner and doesn't wear well. This may be coupled with the fact the manufacturers wish to have us replace clothing like everything else in our disposable world!
...See More
Our final plans . . . a grand unveiling!
Q
Comments (50)
Why did we go with Kvanum Kok? Easy answer - because we pass their showroom frequently, and my wife fell in love with them the first time we saw them. Plus, we both wanted as much wood as possible, including in the drawer construction etc...we looked at Siematic also, for example (which would honestly have been far more practical, in terms of efficiency for the space),but the metal drawers really turned my wife in particular off - plus they were even more expensive. Kvanum has a lot of nice details...hand painted on-site finish, dovetailed drawers, interesting shelving and detail options, nice internal organization options, and they also fairly recently added the option to have the interiors of the cabinets and shelving all be oiled oak veneer, which is very rich looking with the painted exteriors, instead of white or painted. In person, everything about them screams quality, and they are just put together really well with a lot of attention to detail. The fact that they are so unique and uncommon is also selling point, if I am being honest with myself...but I like to think it is more than that. Finally, I love the fact that they are scandinavian...we have a lot of Danish Modern furniture in the house (for example, our dining room table and chairs), so its kind of a theme for the house. The biggest downside is the cost, both monetarily and ecologically, of shipping cabinets halfway around the world. I am sure we could have saved a lot of money going more local, and I am 100% positive that we could have gotten 90% of the look for 2/3 of the price. I can't really justify going with Kvanum other than by illogical gut desire. Our current floor is really bad square ceramic tile...contractor grade, chipped, ugly color. We have wood floors in the rest of the house. I don't have a problem with standing on the hard surface, and it is worth it to me for the increased durability and water-proofness of the tile floor. The reason wood is a backup is because our floor is currently quite uneven, and our KD is worried about the cost of levelling it enough to use such big tiles (the current are like 8" square, but the Xylem boards are about 36x8). We are waiting for the contractor to give us a firm opinion/estimate on it. If it is too expensive, we will do probably oak planks stained/died a similar dark Wenge-ish color.
...See More
Wolf rangetop installation. Losing drawer depth.
Q
Comments (39)
Honu... "If they have to notch the drawer they only notch a portion. Enough to accommodate where the appliance plugs into the gas and elect. The 16" length just means your plugs have to be within that space. " So, it looks like the first drawer can be full length on the left side and notched on the right! And the bottom drawer full length all the way across if the services come out of the wall as Dan and Fori mentioned. Thank you. btw..thanks for clarification on the gas shut off
...See More
dadoes
13 years ago
I can't send the manual (.pdf file) without an e-mail addy. You'll have to contact me via GardenWeb's form on my user profile and include your address.

The side and rear panels do not come off. After removing the top deck, front panel, door grabber mechanism and a few wires, the inner chassis of the dryer tilts/rolls forward out of the cabinet.

The idler mechanism is a couple pulleys on axles that snap into a yoke that maintains tension on the belt via a spring-mount. The pulleys and/or axles wear over time, as moving pieces are apt to do. Could be a light oiling would take care of the problem for a while, depending on how much wear has occurred (VERY light, keep oil away from the belt!). The idler on my DEGX1 was chattering for a while a couple years ago. I bought the parts in preparation for doing the repair, but the noise settled before I got to doing it.
katflagge
Original Author
13 years ago
I'll communicate thru the profile page to send the email address. I may already have everything off that you mention; I'm not in front of the unit right now so I am not sure if I have the "door grabber" mechanism removed; I did disconnect a few wires. Thankfully I do not YET have a photographic image of the dismantled machine in my mind...

Admittedly, this dryer has seen a great deal of use in the 4.75 years I've owned it, with four kids and myself running it probably daily, sometimes more than once a day, so perhaps I am harsh in my complaints about these mechanical failures. I suppose I am too familiar with the generation of machines available when I grew up, and my mother's ONE Kenmore W/D set that never seemed to fail, even when my sisters and I taxed it beyond typical tolerances. Having gotten this far, I think removal and replacement are the best options. Do you know if I will be able to manipulate the part once I find it to see if I can create the noise, just to be sure I am not replacing the wrong thing?

Thanks, once again dadoes.
dadoes
13 years ago
Wear (if there is wear) on the part(s) should be apparent when having a look-see at it. You should be able to rotate the drum manually (although not up to full operational speed) which will in turn spin the motor and idler pulleys.

The belt, idler, and drum support rollers on those old dryers did also wear and need replacement ... but newer machines of any brand may not be as robust due to the manufacturers' need to cut costs in order to maintain a market price point.

Losing my marbles? Rattling sound from Fisher Paykel DEGX1

Comments (5)

dadoes

katflagge
Original Author

Related Discussions

dadoes

katflagge
Original Author

dadoes

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Losing my marbles? Rattling sound from Fisher Paykel DEGX1

Comments (5)

dadoes

katflaggeOriginal Author

Related Discussions

dadoes

katflaggeOriginal Author

dadoes

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

katflagge
Original Author

katflagge
Original Author