The short answer
A squeal that rises with the drum is usually the idler pulley or a dry roller. A rhythmic thump is a flat spot on a roller or an object riding in the drum seam. A rattle that comes and goes is nearly always something in the blower, and coins are the usual candidate.
What you hear
- A high squeal that follows drum rotation — Idler pulley or a dry drum roller.
- A regular thump once per drum turn — A flat-spotted roller or something caught in the drum seam.
- A metallic rattle that comes and goes — An object in the blower housing, usually a coin.
- A rumble that grows over months — Rollers or bearings wearing.
- Vibration through the floor with little noise — Levelling or a stacked installation.
- Not this fault: a scraping noise with clothes coming out damp — Look at the drying page as well; a restricted vent changes both.
Ranked for this class of dryer
- Drum rollers or glides worn — First on most dryers, and the usual source of rumble and thump.
- Idler pulley dry or seizing — Second, and the classic squeal that rises with drum speed.
- Coins or buttons in the blower housing — Third, and the noise arrives and disappears as the object moves.
- Belt frayed or slipping — Fourth, and usually accompanied by a drum that turns unevenly.
- Machine not level, or a stacked kit not seated — Fifth, and it is free to check.
- Blower wheel loose on its shaft — Last, and it sounds like a rattle that tracks the fan rather than the drum.
Diagnose in this order
- Empty the drum and run it for a minute — It removes the simplest explanation first.
- Listen for whether the noise tracks the drum or the fan — They run at different speeds and sound different.
- Turn the drum by hand with the machine off — Roughness or a catch points at rollers or the belt.
- Check level and, on a stack, that the kit is seated — Vibration without noise is nearly always this.
Owner checks
- Run the dryer empty and note what the noise does — Loads mask and imitate mechanical noise.
About 10 min
- Turn the drum by hand, slowly, listening at the front and rear — It separates rollers from the blower without tools.
About 10 min
- Check the drum seam and the lint filter housing for trapped objects — Coins live in both places.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Level the machine and confirm it does not rock — A rocking dryer transmits everything into the floor.
Tools: spirit level, adjustable wrenchAbout 20 min
- Clean the lint filter and its housing — It will not fix a noise but it removes a variable.
Tools: vacuumAbout 10 min
- Stop before opening the cabinet to reach rollers, belt or blower — Those are mains-connected areas and on gas models they adjoin the burner.
Before opening a dryer
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Dryers accumulate lint inside the cabinet, and lint is combustible, so never run one with a panel removed. On a gas dryer, if you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or your emergency number from outside. Do not look for the leak yourself.
When to call
Call when the noise tracks the drum and turning it by hand feels rough, because rollers, belts and idlers are internal parts. Call promptly for a squeal that is getting worse: a seizing idler can shred a belt, and a shredded belt can leave the drum stationary with the heat still working. Call at once if noise arrives with a burning smell, because lint and heat together are a fire risk rather than a mechanical one.
Other faults on this dryer
Scope of this page
Written for the dryer class under this badge and generalized across families and fuel types; where a family-specific or model-specific page exists it is the narrower answer. Not here: roller and belt part numbers, drum dimensions, bearing specifications and the differences between vented, condenser and heat-pump machines.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
