How to tell if a dryer drum bearing is bad?

Determining whether a rear drum bearing or support shaft in a residential clothes dryer is worn out and bad involves listening for specific auditory warning signs and checking for physical drum movement. A failing bearing typically generates a loud, deep rumbling, roaring, or harsh grinding noise during operation that sounds like metal grinding against metal. When you open the door and push the front outer rim of the drum up and down, excessive vertical play or looseness indicates that the bearing sleeve and support shaft have degraded completely. You can troubleshoot bearing wear easily by rotating the drum manually with the power disconnected. You can verify that your bearing is bad when noticing excessive vertical wobble and hearing harsh metallic grinding sounds confirms that you must replace the rear bearing assembly kit immediately.