Appliance Spares
Quick answer: Parts for the Simpson Sirocco dryer family — the 350, 355, 450, 455, 500 and 550 — are still available in Australia, and the one that matters most is the heavy-duty fan belt: when it stretches or snaps, the dryer squeals, or the drum keeps turning while the clothes stay damp. Door catches, idler pulleys, foam lint filters, rear drum support kits and run capacitors for Simpson dryers of this era are also still sold. Most of these repairs need nothing more than a screwdriver and an hour on a Saturday morning. If you are not sure exactly which Sirocco you own, send a photo of the machine or its model sticker through the Oz Appliance Spares Part Finder and we will match the right part for you.
Why these machines are worth fixing
The Simpson Sirocco is one of those machines that quietly outlives everything else in the laundry. Plenty of the dryers this page covers were bought in the 1990s and have been spinning ever since — through kids, house moves and thirty-odd winters of school uniforms. When one finally stops, it is almost never the machine “wearing out” as a whole. It is usually one small, inexpensive component: a belt, a catch, a filter.
That is the honest arithmetic. The parts on this page mostly sit in the ten-to-forty-dollar range. A new dryer costs hundreds, brings more electronics that can fail, and rarely matches the plainly mechanical, repair-friendly build of the old Simpsons: a motor, a belt, a heater and, on most models, a simple mechanical timer, all reachable with ordinary hand tools. There are no circuit boards to diagnose and no software to go wrong.
None of this is nostalgia. A dryer that has already run for three decades has proven the design. Give it the one small part it is asking for and there is every chance it simply carries on.
The models this page covers
This page covers the Sirocco vented dryer family. The belt listings name the following models, and closely related models are common — if yours is close but not listed, confirm through the Part Finder before ordering.
| Model/series | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sirocco 350 / 355 | Vented clothes dryer | Named on the heavy-duty fan belt listing |
| Sirocco 450 / 455 | Vented clothes dryer | Named on the same belt listing as the 350 and 355 |
| Sirocco 500 | Vented clothes dryer | Named on both the single-belt and twin-pack listings |
| Sirocco 550 | Vented clothes dryer | Named on the single-belt listing |
| Sirocco 555 | Vented clothes dryer | Named on the twin-pack belt listing |
Parts by symptom
Match what the dryer is doing to the part that usually causes it. The product links below go to the exact listings; the guide links walk through the diagnosis.
| Symptom | Likely part | Guide |
|---|---|---|
 Loud squeal while running, or the drum turns but clothes stay damp | Simpson Sirocco 350–550 heavy-duty fan belt — also sold as a twin pack that names the 555 | Simpson dryer not spinning: the fan belt |
 Drum will not turn and the motor hums | A belt that has snapped or come off; a seized Simpson dryer idler pulley can also be the cause | Drum won’t turn, motor hums |
 Rumbling, rattling or grinding as the drum spins | Simpson dryer rear spigot and support kit; a worn idler pulley makes a similar racket | Simpson dryer drum bearing noise |
 Door will not stay shut, or pops open mid-cycle | Simpson dryer door catch and striker bracket assembly | Simpson dryer door won’t latch |
 Drum spins but there is no heat | Work through the guide first; on machines this age the Simpson 8uF run capacitor is a known wear item | Dryer not heating but spinning |
 Musty smell, lint escaping, drying slower every year | Simpson dryer foam lint filter | Dryer takes too long to dry |
Two notes on belts. First, a small number of Simpson dryers take a clear blower fan belt instead of the standard heavy-duty type — if the belt you pull out looks nothing like the one pictured on the Sirocco listing, stop and check which dryer belt fits my model before ordering. Second, other Simpson families such as the Maxidry and Minimax have their own belt listings, and a belt is only right for your dryer if the listing names your model — never assume a belt crosses between families.
The door catch, idler pulley, lint filter, rear support kit and run capacitor above are parts for Simpson dryers of this era generally rather than Sirocco-only listings, so run your model through the Part Finder if you want it checked before you order.
Fitting it yourself
Nothing on this page needs a technician’s toolkit. On most of these dryers the belt, idler and drum supports are reached by taking off a panel with a Phillips screwdriver, and the guides walk through it step by step: start with how to replace a dryer belt, and for the full picture of what lives inside the cabinet, the Simpson vented dryer repair guide covers the layout. While the panels are off, it is worth renewing the cheap wear items in one pass — the Simpson dryer full service kit guide shows what that looks like. One rule before anything else: unplug the dryer at the wall before you remove a single screw. And if yours is mounted on the wall, have a second person help lift it down rather than working above your head.
Can’t find your model?
Thirty years of heat and sunlight are hard on a model sticker. On these dryers it usually lives on the rim of the drum opening — open the door and look around the edge — or on the rear panel, and on older machines it is often faded past reading or gone altogether. The fascia still helps: “Sirocco” is printed on the front panel of these machines, and the control layout narrows the model down further.
Our guide to finding any appliance model number covers every hiding spot, and how to identify an old dryer with no model sticker is written for exactly this situation. If you can still read the number, the Find Your Model tool takes you straight to matching parts, and you can browse everything in one place through the Simpson parts search. Failing all of that, photograph the fascia, the open door and the failed part itself and send the photos through the Part Finder — identifying old Simpsons from photos is bread and butter here.
FAQ
Is a 30-year-old Simpson Sirocco worth repairing?
Usually, yes. The common failures — belt, door catch, lint filter — are inexpensive parts you can fit yourself in under an hour, and because the design is so simple, the repair genuinely restores the machine rather than postponing the inevitable. Replacement only starts to make sense if something major like the motor or the drum itself has failed.
Which belt fits a Simpson Sirocco dryer?
The heavy-duty Sirocco fan belt listing names the 350, 355, 450, 455, 500 and 550, and the twin-pack version of the belt names the 555. Belts for other Simpson dryer families are separate listings and do not substitute. If your model number is not on the listing, confirm through the Part Finder before ordering rather than going by looks.
Why does my Sirocco squeal when it runs?
A worn, stretched or glazed fan belt is the usual cause — the squeal is the belt slipping instead of gripping. It tends to get worse with a heavy, wet load. Replacing the belt is the fix, and on these machines it is one of the simpler jobs you can do.
The drum turns but my clothes come out damp — what part do I need?
On a vented Sirocco that points to airflow rather than the drum drive: the fan belt drives the blower, so a tired belt can leave the drum turning normally while very little warm air actually moves through the clothes. Fit the heavy-duty fan belt first. If the airflow is strong but cold, work through the not-heating guide instead before buying anything.
Do you still have door catches for Sirocco dryers?
Yes — the Simpson dryer door catch and striker bracket assembly suits most Simpson vented dryers of this era, and a door that will not stay shut is one of the most satisfying five-minute fixes there is. Confirm your model through the Part Finder before ordering.
Disclaimer: this article is general information only and is provided without warranty of any kind. Appliance designs vary between models and production runs — always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, switch off and unplug the appliance before starting any work, and confirm parts against the model number on your appliance’s model sticker. Any repair is undertaken at your own risk and Oz Appliance Spares accepts no liability for injury, loss or damage arising from work performed after reading this guide, to the maximum extent permitted by law. If in doubt, use a qualified technician.
