Direct answer: If your LG dryer starts but the drum does not turn, the most common causes are a broken dryer belt, a jammed idler pulley, worn dryer drum rollers, or a failing dryer motor. Start by unplugging the dryer, reducing the load, and checking whether the drum turns by hand before you buy anything.
Most likely: On a dryer that powers up and hums or clicks but will not tumble, a failed dryer belt or seized support part is more common than a major electronic problem.
First separate a simple overload or door-latch issue from a true drive failure. Reality check: when a dryer drum stops turning, the problem is usually in the belt-and-drum support parts, not the fancy electronics. Common wrong move: replacing parts before checking whether the drum is free or locked up by hand.
Don’t start with: Do not start by ordering a dryer control board or forcing the drum to turn under power.
The panel lights work and you hear a motor hum or strained sound, but the drum does not move.
Start here: Start with the hand-spin check. A broken dryer belt usually leaves the drum fairly easy to turn, while seized rollers or a bad motor make it feel tight or stuck.
It may try to start, make a short hum, then stop to protect itself.
Start here: Check for a drum that is binding. Heavy drag from rollers, the idler pulley, or the blower side can trip the motor overload.
With the dryer unplugged, the drum moves without much resistance.
Start here: That points first to a broken dryer belt or a motor that is not driving the belt path.
The drum feels stuck, rough, or scrapes as you move it.
Start here: Look for seized dryer drum rollers, a jammed idler pulley, or something caught in the drum support path before blaming the motor.
This is the most common reason a powered dryer suddenly stops tumbling while the rest of the machine still seems alive.
Quick check: Unplug the dryer and turn the drum by hand. If it moves too easily with little belt tension, the dryer belt is a strong suspect.
A frozen idler pulley can stop the belt from moving and make the motor hum, stall, or shut off.
Quick check: If the drum feels tight or you heard a squeal before the failure, the idler pulley moves up the list fast.
Flat-spotted or locked rollers create heavy drag, rough turning, and sometimes a thumping or scraping sound before the drum quits.
Quick check: If the drum is hard to rotate by hand or feels lumpy as it moves, suspect the dryer drum rollers.
A weak motor may hum, trip out, or fail to restart even when the belt path is not badly bound up.
Quick check: If the belt is intact and the drum support parts are not seized, but the motor only hums or smells hot, the dryer motor becomes more likely.
An overloaded drum, a bunched rug, or a door that is not fully latching can mimic a drive failure without any parts being bad.
Next move: If the drum starts turning normally, the problem was load-related or the door was not fully closing. If it still hums, clicks, or sits still, move on to a manual drum check.
What to conclude: You have ruled out the easiest no-parts causes first.
This is the fastest way to separate a broken dryer belt from a seized support part or a locked motor.
Next move: If the drum turns but feels unusually loose and easy, a broken dryer belt is likely. If the drum is hard to move, rough, or locked, suspect seized dryer drum rollers, a jammed dryer idler pulley, or a motor problem.
What to conclude: The feel of the drum tells you whether the drive path has lost tension or is binding up.
The sound the dryer makes under power helps narrow the failure before you open the cabinet.
Next move: If you hear the motor running normally but the drum does not move, the dryer belt is the leading suspect. If you hear a strained hum or the dryer cuts out quickly, drag in the idler pulley, drum rollers, or motor is more likely.
Once the cabinet is open, you can usually tell whether the dryer belt is broken or whether the support parts are dragging the system down.
Next move: If you find a broken belt, seized idler pulley, or bad drum roller, you have a supported repair path. If the belt path looks intact and free but the motor pulley is hard to turn or the motor only hums, the dryer motor is the stronger suspect.
A clean reassembly and short test run confirms you fixed the actual no-turn problem instead of just disturbing it.
A good result: If the drum starts smoothly and keeps tumbling under a small load, the repair is holding.
If not: If the dryer still hums, stalls, or overheats after the belt path parts check out, stop and move to motor-level diagnosis or professional service.
What to conclude: A successful empty-drum test confirms the drive system is working again. A repeat stall after good support parts usually points deeper into the motor or another internal bind.
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A hum with no drum movement usually means the motor is trying to start against a broken belt, seized idler pulley, worn drum rollers, or a failing motor. The hand-spin test is the quickest way to sort those out.
No. Repeated start attempts can overheat the motor, damage the belt path, or worsen a seized support part. Stop after a brief sound check and unplug it for inspection.
Usually yes. In many cases the drum feels easier than normal to rotate because belt tension is gone. That loose feel is one of the best clues for a broken dryer belt.
That points away from a simple broken belt and more toward seized dryer drum rollers, a jammed dryer idler pulley, something caught in the blower or drum path, or a failing motor.
Not usually. On this symptom, mechanical drive parts and the motor are much more common than the control board. Check the belt path first before spending money on electronics.