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Recently the belt of my 8 year old electric dryer snapped due to wear. So I have opened up the dryer and while I am waiting for the replacement belt to arrive I was wondering if it makes sense to also lube up pulleys and/or other moving parts inside the dryer to extend lifetime of remaining parts? If yes, then what lube to use (teflon, lithium, graphite or some other)?

Following considerations came into my mind and I am somewhat overwhelmed with all the lubricant options available:

  1. pulleys are made from plastic. Hence lube must be plastic-friendly
  2. small lint will be inside dryer. Hence lube should not attract such particles.
  3. the temperatures can get quite high. Hence lube should not be flammable.
  4. any other considerations I may be missing?
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  • What kind of Dryer is that ? I want to make a note so the next dryer I buy is not that brand. – Ken Nov 29 '17 at 2:18
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    @Ken This is Electrolux Frigidaire electric dryer. However, the dryer is being used ~3x a day for family business purposes. Perhaps it gets more beating than other dryers hence belt did not last that long. – Hans Solo Nov 29 '17 at 2:42
  • You shouldn't need to lubricate a v pulley - it will just make the belt slip. I would expect the bearings to be a sealed type that don't need external lubrication - they just get replaced when worn out. – RedGrittyBrick Nov 29 '17 at 11:13
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Your Dryer manufacturer should have a part number for lubricants that are used for those components - if you want the correct lubricant - that is where to get the correct type maybe even find a second source for it if they provide a manufacturer and type. However some bearings are sealed bearings and if they are sealed they aren't to be lubricated - but replaced.

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  • The part number is 5304485963 and that is "Synthetic PTFE/Teflon" lube. Since it is overly expensive for a small tube, would it be ok to buy regular PTFE lube and use it instead? – Hans Solo Nov 29 '17 at 2:39
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    Is $5 too much ? -- homedepot.com/p/… If yo are in the USA HD has it $5 – Ken Nov 29 '17 at 3:03
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I don't know what model and make your unit is. I would be nice to know. But if you are replacing the belt, you should replace the idler wheel also. It has a sealed bearing and therefore cannot accept service lubrication. The motor also has sealed bearings, just run that thing till it dies. Some models have support wheels that support the drum. Those should be lubricated. Get and use only the lube recommended by the manufacturer.

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