Ebbie -

In truth, your then-wife was obviously correct: There was something wrong with the dryer.

Sorry Ebbie, but YOU ARE WRONG.

In fact there was NOTHING WRONG with the dryer. I KNOW WHAT "NOISE" she was hearing, the two repairmen KNEW WHAT "NOISE" SHE WAS HEARING and it was a NORMAL SOUND FOR A PROPERLY FUNCTIONING DRYER.

"We," and subsequently "I," used that dryer for slightly more than 30 years after she insisted it was about to disintegrate, with NO PROBLEMS.

The part I bought had nothing to do with the "noise" but it ended her complaint. I bought a part that's expected to wear out. Since it seemed necessary that "I" do something, I bought the part most likely to be useful "later." In other words, I did what she really wanted done - showed MY concern and spent some money ($12.45) for her, and she was satisfied with what I did - and never complained about the noise again.

And I think I actually sat down and looked up the dates - and "later" arrived after 34 years, after the dryer sat outside in an exposed location for most of the last two years without being used.

The part I replaced should have been good for at least another couple of years in regular normal use (I inspected it when I put it out on the balcony); but outdoors in Seattle the "green stuff" ate the rubber, so I did a "premature" replacement before giving it to the people who bought it. I even asked them to let me know if it didn't last at least 5 years for them, and never heard from them (about the dryer - I saw them regularly for a few years).

John