2 questions on my 10-year old Maytag dryer

Noise
We were away on a 2-year assignment out of state and now that we're back the dryer is rather noisy. The noise appears to be coming from the back near where the heat is directed up into the tumbler. I got close to disassembling the entire thing, but after laying the unit on its back and pulling the top and front off, I realized it might be a piece of work to get the tumbler (not sure what the right name is for that piece) and the front rim back on with the belts and all. Any idea what I should look for? It sounds like a loose panel of metal getting shaken, but everything appears to be bolted/screwed into place properly.

Heat
While playing with the above issue, I noticed that on the back of the dryer at the bottom, the paint was burnt around a hot spot on the bottom left side (just where the heating element joins with the duct that directs heat up into the unit). Is it normal for it to be so hot that you can see the wear on the paint on the outside? Should I be concerned that it's either running too hot or that somehow the heating element (it's electric btw) is too close to the outside housing?

Are the 2 issues possibly related?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

p.s. We bought the washer / dryer pair 10 years ago and they have held up great. So far I've replaced the knob assembly on the washer (fun to play with all of those contacts - I had repaired the original a few times, but it finally went) and I also replaced the inlet valve assembly after a flooding incident (the cold side would not close ). This is my first experience tearing down the dryer.

Hi,

No model# posted for the dryer ( there is more than one style )....some common noise makers...

http://www.applianceaid.com/maytag-dryers.html#noise

Poor air flow can cause the element area to get too hot and scorch....venting, fan blower, vent hood, etc.

jeff.

__________________
http://www.applianceaid.com/
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.jrappliance.ca
JRAppliance