How to Replace a Belt Tension Pulley on a Zanussi Tumble Dryer

This video shows an example on how to remove or replace the part on a typical machine, some models may be different but the procedure should be similar.

• Belt Tension Pulley
• Screwdrivers
• Ratchet

Safety First! Please ensure that you have disconnected the appliance from the mains before starting any repair and due to the sharp edges exposed we suggest suitable Safety Gloves are worn to help prevent injury.

First thing first - We need to remove the top panel of the machine and to do so undo the two top screws at the back. Once the screws are out, give the top a little tug at the front which should release the panel.

With the top removed we now need to remove the side panel by undoing the screws running down the back and also the one at the top.

Now be careful with the screw on the top which is connected from the inside of the machine. When you loosen it, you don't want to lose either the screw or the screwdriver inside the machine. Once the screws are out, lift up the panel and remove.

Access the pulley, we need to remove the fan cover and fan. The fan cover is usually held in by one screw at the bottom, so after removing that we can unclip it at the bottom before lifting it out.

Now to remove the fan itself. Grab yourself a socket set to attach to the nut inside the fan and rest it against the cover and whilst you turn the fan the nut will undo itself. When the nut is almost off you can use your fingertips to remove the nut and the washers.

The fan can be slightly stiff so it’s a good idea to use a flat head screwdriver to give the back of the fan a little knock to help remove the fan from the spindle.

The next thing we need to do after removing the fan is to release the tension in the belt so that we can access the pulley to remove it.

Now to unplug the electrical connection to the motor then remove the spring which holds the motor into position. Do this by using a flat-head screwdriver to unhook the spring.

With the spring off push the motor back a touch, which will give us a lot less tension on the belt.

Now it’s a good idea to pull the pulley as near to the motor as possible and push the belt into the gap. You can then easily work the belt off the pulley and the shaft itself.

To allow the old pulley to easily slide off the shaft, turn the motor towards you put the new pulley into place and re-tilt the motor back.

We can now refit the belt back on, start by putting the belt it to the side of the pulley and then offer it to the end of the motor shaft. Making sure that the belt is as flat as possible reattach it over the front of the pulley, as shown in this video.

Once it's in place, turn the belt to get it in place on the motor shaft.

Now with the belt in place we can then re-tension the motor and the belt and then reattach the spring.

Great work so far! Now that we have the motor in place with the spring attached, we can move on to reattaching the electrical connections.

At this point we need to make sure that the grooves on the belt line up with the grooves on the motor shaft. Here it's best if the belt is in the centre of the groves; give it a little spin to get your belt perfectly in place on the shaft.

It's worth pointing out that the fan has a flat side where it meets up with the shaft, so make sure that they're in line, which will make re-attaching the fan lot easier.

Once the washers are in place it’s a good idea to drop the nut into the ratchet. You can then place that over the edge of the shaft and use the fan itself to tighten it up.

Once you feel the nut is nice and tight on the fan we can put the fan cover in place. Start by clicking the top two clips into place first then hinge it into position. With the fan cover in place we can re-screw it back together.

Let’s wrap this up…time to put the side and top panel back in place. With these side panels it's a good idea to put the base in first; get that into position and rest your foot so it holds the panel in place. And then work the rest of it into position before refitting the screws.

With the top panel it doesn’t get any easier, simply pop the top cover on and screw it in place.

There you have it! You have just replaced a faulty or damaged belt tension pulley for your tumble dryer. Now you don’t have to worry about calling the repairman for any future repairs when you have eSpares on hand with our easy to follow advice articles.