LG Dryer Drum Felt Seal Replacement

Front Seal or Rear Seal#

Two Felts, Two Jobs#

The front seal is a felt strip on the front bulkhead that the drum lip rides against; besides sealing, it keeps lint from escaping at the front, so a worn front seal both marks clothes and leaves lint in the cabinet, usually with an audible scrape as metal meets metal. The rear seal, felt or a felt-and-rubber strip where the drum meets the rear bulkhead, contains the hot air. Its failure is quieter — no marks, just heated air slipping past the drum and out the back, which stretches every cycle.

Use the Right Felt#

This is the detail that catches people: the felt must be high-temperature rated because LG dryer air reaches 150-180F, and ordinary craft felt will shrink or melt. Use the OEM strips or an aftermarket felt made specifically for dryers, and bond it with the high-temperature adhesive the job calls for, not a general-purpose glue.

Replacing the Seals#

Both seals require pulling the dryer apart, so plan the teardown once. Disconnect power — an LG dryer is a 240V appliance — then remove the top panel, the front panel, and the drive belt, and lift the drum out.

1. Peel or scrape the old front felt off the bulkhead and clean the surface with rubbing alcohol so the new bond holds.
2. Apply high-temperature adhesive and press the new front strip (4986EL2004A) into place, then let it set for a while before reassembly.
3. Do the rear strip (4986EL2002A) the same way where the drum meets the rear bulkhead or bearing housing.
4. Reinstall the drum, route the belt on the motor and idler, refit the panels, and run a timed cycle listening for a clean, quiet tumble and checking for a stray hot-air leak.

A Phillips #2, a putty knife, rubbing alcohol, and the high-temperature adhesive are the tools.

Do the Rollers While You Are In There#

Since accessing the seals already means removing the drum, it is the natural time to replace the wear parts that share the same teardown — the drum rollers, the idler pulley, and the belt. A squeal that is really a dry roller bearing is easy to mistake for a worn front seal, so inspecting the rollers now both settles that question and saves a future disassembly.

Lifespan and Care#

LG dryer drum seals last about 8-12 years. Heavy daily use and habitual over-drying wear the felt faster, since more drum rotation means more contact, so running auto-dry instead of a long timed cycle actually extends seal life by cutting unnecessary tumbling. Catching a worn seal early — at the first dark mark or scrape — also keeps the drum edge from scoring against the bulkhead, which would otherwise chew through fresh felt quickly. If the drum edge is already scored when you get in there, smoothing it before the new felt goes on is worth the extra minutes, since fresh felt wears fast against a rough lip.