The answer first
For the TL series specifically, a new noise or vibration is most often a tired idler pulley or belt. Where the brand-generic article leads on a coin, a button or a wire in the blower or the drum, this roster reverses the top two — the first check is the one you can reach on these cabinets without a teardown. 2 of the 6 causes below can be checked without a tool; the rest need a technician.
What you actually see
- A scraping from one side of the drum — A glide or a felt seal worn through, so the drum is riding on metal.
- A squeal or a chirp that rises with the drum — A dry bearing or a roller, and it usually gets worse rather than better.
- A rumble or grinding from underneath — Below the drum is where the motor, the blower and the idler live.
- A rattle that only happens sometimes — Something loose, most often in a pocket or caught in the blower.
- The whole machine walks across the floor — Levelling and floor, not the machine, and it is free to correct.
- NEAR MISS — noise plus a burning smell — Stop the machine and unplug it. That is not a noise complaint and it should not wait.
Causes, most likely first on the TL series
- A tired idler pulley or belt — A belt that has begun to fray slaps rather than squeals, which is the one-per-revolution thump people describe.
- A coin, a button or a wire in the blower or the drum — The blower wheel is downstream of the lint screen and catches anything that gets past it. A coin in there is the classic intermittent rattle.
- Worn drum rollers or support wheels — It is the commonest mechanical wear item in a dryer, and it usually announces itself for months before anything actually fails.
- Worn drum glides or a failed felt seal — Glides carry the drum front and back. Worn through, the drum rides on metal and scrapes, and the noise sharpens when the machine is loaded.
- A loose or damaged blower wheel — Because it is downstream of everything, it is also where objects that got past the screen end up.
- A machine that is not level or is touching something — A dryer rocking on three feet drums into the floor, and one touching a wall or a neighbouring washer passes everything into that instead.
The order to work in
- Rock the machine at each corner — Free, quick, and it is the answer more often than any component on this list.
- Run it empty and listen — It separates the load from the machine at once, and many complaints do not survive the test.
- Decide whether the noise repeats once per drum turn — Once per revolution means something on the drum. Continuous means something spinning faster than the drum.
- Check the pockets and the blower for foreign objects — A coin costs nothing to find and does real damage if it is left there.
- Only then think about rollers, belts and bearings — They are behind panels and they need the machine opened, which is where the owner line falls on many models.
Before you open anything
Safety
Treat the machine as live until it is unplugged or its breaker is off, and treat it as charged even then — a capacitor holds its charge after the power is off. A drum that is still turning takes a hand with it. Wait for it to stop completely, and isolate the machine, before reaching inside it. Put back every panel, clip and cover you take off before the machine goes back on the supply.
Models in the TL family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| TL751 | asko:dryer:tl |
| TL751T | asko:dryer:tl |
When to call a technician
The split is simple: what you can see, reach and clear with the machine isolated is owner work; anything behind a panel on a heavy circuit, and any element, fuse or thermostat test is not. On this page that puts a tired idler pulley or belt on the far side of the line. Bring a technician in once the free checks above come back clean, because what remains after them is the part that needs instruments.
Other problems covered for the TL series
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
