The short answer
This is a belt-driven vented machine whose drum rides on consumable parts, and on a dryer of this age all of them have been wearing for a long time. Ranked first on this platform: Worn drum glides or a worn felt seal. The checks below follow that ranking, and the first of them need no tools and no panel removed.
What you observe
- A scrape or a squeal that gets worse with a heavy wet load — A noise that tracks load weight is a support surface.
- A repeating squeal or chirp in time with the drum turning — Timing that matches drum rotation places it on the belt path.
- A low rumble that has grown gradually over months — Slow onset with a low pitch is a support bearing.
- NEAR MISS — a rattle from the ducting behind the machine rather than inside it — Loose ducting and a flapping vent hood are outside the appliance and are dealt with differently.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- Worn drum glides or a worn felt seal — The drum rides on plastic glides and felt seals that are designed to wear. It ranks first on this platform because the drum runs on plastic glides and a felt seal that are designed to wear out, and once they have, the drum runs metal against metal at the front — which is the scraping or squealing that gets worse with a heavy wet load.
- The idler pulley or the belt — A single belt turns the drum, held in tension by a spring-loaded idler pulley that spins constantly. It ranks second here because the drive on these machines is a belt and a set of glides, and both are consumable parts that have usually never been changed.
- Worn drum support rollers — The back of the drum rides on support rollers with sealed bearings. It sits third because the causes above it account for more of these cases, not because it is unlikely.
- Something loose in the drum or the blower — Coins, buttons and pen caps work out of pockets, past the drum seal and into the blower housing. It sits fourth because the causes above it account for more of these cases, not because it is unlikely.
Check in this order, and why
- Open the door and try to lift and rock the drum by hand — Play at the front of the drum is a worn glide or seal. It leads because it tests the top-ranked cause.
- Listen for whether the noise repeats once per drum turn — That single observation separates the idler from the blower. Tests the second-ranked cause.
- Turn the drum slowly by hand with the power off and feel for roughness — Roughness you can feel confirms it without a strip-down. Tests the third-ranked cause.
What an owner can safely check
- Empty the drum, check the lint filter housing with a torch, and feel round the drum seal — Anything you can reach from inside comes out without tools.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Level the machine on its feet so no corner moves under hand pressure — Check it with a load in, not empty.
Tools: spirit levelAbout 20 min
- STOP here — the remaining causes are diagnosed with a meter, not by eye — Record which of the checks above changed anything. That record is worth more to the visit than another attempt.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; on a gas machine, close the gas shut-off valve as well.
When to call a technician
Call once the noise has been traced behind a panel — a drum support, an idler or a bearing is a strip-down rather than an adjustment.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the Moffat dryer as a class, not for one family or one model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and the one to read first. Deliberately not here: part numbers, wiring colours and disassembly order, which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
