Product review (4 stars): I did not receive a Whirlpool OEM FSP 279787 (via 3rd party seller)
(NOTE: See towards the end of the review for info on how to easily remove the blower wheel without damage - also see the comment section for a video to guide you through most of the motor replacement).

My old Kenmore dryer had stopped working.  It seemed to be having trouble turning the drum.  I decided to try to fix it myself.  Unfortunately, I determined that it needed a new motor.

At the time I needed the motor, Amazon was out of stock with a one to two month window.  So I apprehensively ordered this 279787 motor through "Rainy Day Specials," a third party Amazon seller.  I was surprised that it arrived in only two days with free shipping - that was nice.  Unfortunately, the product I received from "Rainy Day Specials" was not the specified Whirlpool OEM, FSP 279787.  From what I can tell, it is a Chinese knock off.  Not to say that it is bad, but it is not what is specified on this product page.  Although I was a little upset, I decided to install it anyway.  Since it is not an OEM FSP 279787, it comes with a photostat of how to install the broken belt switch wiring.  Simply remove the black wire from the motor (via a spade connector) and replace it with one of the blue wires from the broken belt switch.  The other wire from the broken belt switch attaches to the black wire you disconnect from the motor - easy.  Except that the little wiring kit the Chinese motor includes has two wires, each with the incorrect spade connector setup.  They only needed to include a single wire with a male and female spade connector.  So I fashioned a single wire with a male and female spade connector from the two wires they included.  Once I had the broken belt switch attached, I attached the wiring harness from the dryer, which fit perfectly.  When I installed the new motor, I specifically tested the operation of the broken belt switch before I fully reassembled the dryer and it worked perfectly.

The Chinese motor I received seems to work okay, but it is noisy (it also uses 6.1 amps according to the label).  I know it's the motor because as part of service, I cleaned every inch of the dryer, including completely cleaning and polishing the edges of the drum caps on the front and back to make the drum rotate as easily as possible (I used&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Noxon/dp/B000QOIEVC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Noxon</a>&nbsp;for that... worked incredibly well).  I also cleaned the drum roller and idler pulley axles with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Noxon/dp/B000QOIEVC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Noxon</a>&nbsp;to a factory finish.  Then I installed new drum rollers and a new idler pulley (via this&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Whirlpool-OEM-FSP-maintenance-kit/dp/B002DUCEMW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Whirlpool OEM FSP maintenance kit</a>&nbsp;(purchased directly from Amazon)).  My dryer is now so clean, and most of the mechanical parts that matter have been replaced (with the exception of the gas burner, but it works perfectly (knock on wood)).  So now the dryer works well again, but I think it is noiser than it should be.

UPDATE: 8/5/2016

Since I was not happy that I had received a non-Whirlpool FSP OEM 279787 motor, I decided to make an Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee claim, pointing out that the motor I ordered (from this page) was not the motor I received from the third party seller.  Amazon was quick to decide in my favor and granted me a full refund.  That makes me feel good about Amazon!  Now that the actual Whirlpool OEM motor was in stock at Amazon, I ordered it a few days ago and installed it yesterday.  As I suspected, the dryer quieted down *substantially.*  That, plus the newer Whirlpool 279787 uses less power than the Whirlpool motor originally in my dryer, and about 13% less power than the noisy Chinese motor.  Win-Win.

Help with removing the blower wheel:

After some unsuccessful attempts to remove the blower wheel with the old motor still installed the dryer, let me tell you what I did to successfully remove my blower wheel without much trouble at all...  First, I detached the exhaust duct from the blower housing (one screw).  Then I removed the two sensors from the blower housing (either three or four scews depending on the model).  Then I removed the old motor, with the blower housing (and blower wheel) still attached.  I stuck the pulley end of the old motor into my&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/workbench-vise/dp/B00101V1S8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">workbench vise</a>.  I then used a 3/8" drive ratchet with a 6" extention and attached a&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/3-8-34-female-to-1-2-34-male-drive-adapter/dp/B00018AJ7K/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">3/8" female to 1/2" male drive adapter</a>, which fits perfectly in the 1/2" square hole of blower wheel.  Using the vise and the 1/2" drive adapter, I had no problem removing the blower wheel without damage.  BTW, instead of the 3/8" to 1/2" adapter, you could just use a 1/2" drive ratchet with an&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/extension-bar/dp/B0042SXWPQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">extension bar</a>&nbsp;if you have one of those.  The end of the 1/2" extension bar will fit into the 1/2" square hole of the blower wheel perfectly.  Whichever you use, make sure you push the end of the extension bar or the adapter into the blower wheel all the way, past the ball bearing socket spring.

Seriously, don't even bother trying to hold the motor axle steady with the motor still installed in the dryer!  It's either four or five easily-removed screws to remove the two sensors and the exhaust duct from the blower housing.  Using a bench vise makes it SOOOO much easier to get the blower wheel off without damaging it or your hands.  There is really no advantage to removing it while mounted in the dryer at all.  Plus, you can clean the sensors, the blower housing and exhaust duct along with the blower wheel when you remove them.

I hope this helps.  Good luck!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section!