KitchenAid Professional stand mixer repair - DIY or professionals only?
January 5, 2011 7:09 PM
Ever repaired a KitchenAid stand mixer yourself? Or know a good place to get one repaired in Cleveland?
I have a KitchenAid Professional 5 stand mixer - the kind with the lift bowl, not the flip-top; model #KV25G0XER. I was making casatiello - heavy dough, lots of butter and eggs - and it bound up, and I'm pretty sure I stripped a gear. The planetary still spins if the bowl is empty, but as soon as it meets any kind of resistance it stops and skips, exactly like a power drill would with a screw head that was stripped out.
I've found some encouraging reports on the intarwebs that there is a nylon worm gear, meant to fail to protect the machine, that is easily replaceable. I even found a DIY video! Alas, all these reports seem to pertain to the cheaper flip-top model, not the lift-bowl model.
Do they use the same nylon worm gear? Is it easy to replace on my model? And if not, where the hell can I get it repaired in Cleveland? I can't really afford to ship this thing to a "certified KitchenAid repair center" in Toledo, Cincinnati or Youngstown.
I have a KitchenAid Professional 5 stand mixer - the kind with the lift bowl, not the flip-top; model #KV25G0XER. I was making casatiello - heavy dough, lots of butter and eggs - and it bound up, and I'm pretty sure I stripped a gear. The planetary still spins if the bowl is empty, but as soon as it meets any kind of resistance it stops and skips, exactly like a power drill would with a screw head that was stripped out.
I've found some encouraging reports on the intarwebs that there is a nylon worm gear, meant to fail to protect the machine, that is easily replaceable. I even found a DIY video! Alas, all these reports seem to pertain to the cheaper flip-top model, not the lift-bowl model.
Do they use the same nylon worm gear? Is it easy to replace on my model? And if not, where the hell can I get it repaired in Cleveland? I can't really afford to ship this thing to a "certified KitchenAid repair center" in Toledo, Cincinnati or Youngstown.
I think I'm handy enough to do it, I just want to make sure it's possible before I start taking the thing apart. I haven't found any DIY instructions for this particular model.
posted by starvingartist at 7:19 PM on January 5, 2011
posted by starvingartist at 7:19 PM on January 5, 2011
You should call KitchenAid and ask them these questions. I've found them to be remarkably knowledgeable and helpful, sometimes mindblowingly so.
posted by DrGail at 7:23 PM on January 5, 2011
posted by DrGail at 7:23 PM on January 5, 2011
AFAIK, KitchenAid were repairing some of the models affected by the nylon gear issue, even if they were well out of warranty. Give them a call, and see if you can cajole them into fixing it for free, and paying for shipping.
From what I remember, Kitchen Aids are not the easiest devices to disassemble and work on. Lots of parts are lubricated, which means that it's messy, and you'll have to re-lube whatever you clean off and/or replace.
posted by schmod at 7:31 PM on January 5, 2011
From what I remember, Kitchen Aids are not the easiest devices to disassemble and work on. Lots of parts are lubricated, which means that it's messy, and you'll have to re-lube whatever you clean off and/or replace.
posted by schmod at 7:31 PM on January 5, 2011
It's super easy, though the replacement gears are not always cheap to buy, depending on what, exactly, broke. You can download a pdf of the parts diagram on the Kitchenaid website (go to support, then "locate manuals and guides," put in your model number (eg "km25"), and select "parts list"). Unplug it first, work slowly (and for bonus points take photos as you go, in case you need help with reassembly), find the broken part(s), order them, and put it back together.
Almost certainly the gear(s) you broke are inside the "transmission housing" (part number 7 on my diagram). It will be full of sticky grease, which you will need to clean out (in case it is full of pieces of broken gears) and replace. You really should use food-safe grease, though you can live dangerously and use standard grease and hope it never gets in your food.
Seriously, there is nothing more complicated than fixing a bicycle from the 1960s -- a few screws, a bunch of nasty old grease, and a not very complicated gear chain. Some of the how-to guides for the tilt-head models have some useful hints that apply to the lift-bowl mixers, but there are differences, too.
posted by Forktine at 8:23 PM on January 5, 2011
Almost certainly the gear(s) you broke are inside the "transmission housing" (part number 7 on my diagram). It will be full of sticky grease, which you will need to clean out (in case it is full of pieces of broken gears) and replace. You really should use food-safe grease, though you can live dangerously and use standard grease and hope it never gets in your food.
Seriously, there is nothing more complicated than fixing a bicycle from the 1960s -- a few screws, a bunch of nasty old grease, and a not very complicated gear chain. Some of the how-to guides for the tilt-head models have some useful hints that apply to the lift-bowl mixers, but there are differences, too.
posted by Forktine at 8:23 PM on January 5, 2011
I had a similar problem when a wooden spoon got stuck in my Kitchenaid Professional 5, purchased around 2000. There's a small pin that's meant to sheer to avoid stripping the gears. You have to disassemble the gearbox, but the pin is less than $5 (check local appliance repair or parts places, you can probably just order the part, in my case they had it in stock) and the replacement is pretty straightforward. I don't know if that's your issue, but the symptoms sound exactly the same.
posted by jeffkramer at 9:05 PM on January 5, 2011
posted by jeffkramer at 9:05 PM on January 5, 2011
I have the professional model six similar to yours. Mine does not have the plastic gear. I wish it did. That gear is a good thing. Think of it like a shear pin. Its failure protects the rest of the drive train. On a quick look at the parts lists (1 2) it looks like your model is similar to mine without the plastic gear. Not to worry. Disassembly of this model is easier than previous models, which is to say pretty simple if you are even slightly handy with machines and not afraid of grease. You can get parts at Sears or other sights and will need to start with a can of grease. After you open up the drive parts you will have to clean away much of the grease to inspect the parts and then will need fresh replacement grease. Use the right grease, not some stuff from the auto parts store. So, disassemble, inspect the parts and then replace the worn parts. One caveat, when disassembling take out the circuit board so as not to get it covered in grease prior to opening the gear housing. Hopefully, all you need to replace is the pin that jeffkramer discussed. Good luck.
posted by caddis at 4:16 AM on January 6, 2011
posted by caddis at 4:16 AM on January 6, 2011
All I know is there is a lot of grease inside those things. Be careful.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:18 AM on January 6, 2011
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:18 AM on January 6, 2011
I thought I could provide you with a description and pictures of disassembling the new professional and artisan series mixers but I can not find this in my history or saved links. All of the ones I can find online now, including a whole repair manual pertain to the older designs. Oh well, since I have actually opened mine I will tell you what I found for what it is worth.
The new professional models are actually easier to access than the older models. One of the problems that seems to have come up was with a plastic gear cover. This was not as strong as metal and retained heat. Replacement covers in metal are available.
Use the exploded view in my earlier links and start by removing the metal strip 5. Then the cover 1. Remove the circuit board 8 and cover it with plastic to protect it from grease. You do not need to remove its wires or anything just pull it out of the way as it sits right next to the gearbox. Now remove the gearbox cover 7. Be warned it is FILLED with grease. You do have the replacement grease at this point, right? If yours is plastic check the cover for cracks. Given the issues with these you may want to replace it with a metal one just to prevent future problems if you have a plastic one without apparent damage. Next remove enough of the grease to inspect your gears. I do not believe this model has the nylon gear but if it does I would start there. How much grease to remove? an anal person doing a very thorough job on an older mixer would remove it all, with solvent. This is an outside job due to the solvent. As long as the grease does not appear to have hardened, gummed or started to separate, I would probably just wipe off parts and any part I suspect of damage perhaps wash in the basement (not kitchen or bathroom unless you love clean-up) sink with something like Simple Green degreaser (Home Depot). Getting at the planetary gear 15 underneath is a bit more complicated requiring the removal of the retaining clip 25 and pin 18 above the worm follower 19. I haven't done this myself. It may actually be more complicated. The planetary should be lightly lubed rather than encased like the gears in the gear box so don't let a relative absence of grease there throw you. ( You don't want that stuff coming out down into the food you know.) As indicated, it may be a pin rather than a gear that failed. Check these as well by seeing if the associated parts rotate when they shouldn't or even by removing the pins for inspection. Replace all the worn or broken parts and reassemble. Make yourself a cake to celebrate. This is an important step that should not be omitted.
When you reassemble the gear box pack it full of grease, but leave a little room for air. Use the correct grease which is speced for the Kitchen Aid. It is available where you find replacement parts. Without getting into the specifics of grease thickeners etc. mixing grease types is not good and can lead to failure such as gumming of the grease. Also, the grease for the mixer is a food grade so that even if some gets into food it will not be toxic. Spend the $18 or so. By the way it seems like all the Kitchen Aids use the same grease but some sites call out thee stuff as being for one type or another. The Sears site is instructive on the replacement.
posted by caddis at 7:12 AM on January 7, 2011
The new professional models are actually easier to access than the older models. One of the problems that seems to have come up was with a plastic gear cover. This was not as strong as metal and retained heat. Replacement covers in metal are available.
Use the exploded view in my earlier links and start by removing the metal strip 5. Then the cover 1. Remove the circuit board 8 and cover it with plastic to protect it from grease. You do not need to remove its wires or anything just pull it out of the way as it sits right next to the gearbox. Now remove the gearbox cover 7. Be warned it is FILLED with grease. You do have the replacement grease at this point, right? If yours is plastic check the cover for cracks. Given the issues with these you may want to replace it with a metal one just to prevent future problems if you have a plastic one without apparent damage. Next remove enough of the grease to inspect your gears. I do not believe this model has the nylon gear but if it does I would start there. How much grease to remove? an anal person doing a very thorough job on an older mixer would remove it all, with solvent. This is an outside job due to the solvent. As long as the grease does not appear to have hardened, gummed or started to separate, I would probably just wipe off parts and any part I suspect of damage perhaps wash in the basement (not kitchen or bathroom unless you love clean-up) sink with something like Simple Green degreaser (Home Depot). Getting at the planetary gear 15 underneath is a bit more complicated requiring the removal of the retaining clip 25 and pin 18 above the worm follower 19. I haven't done this myself. It may actually be more complicated. The planetary should be lightly lubed rather than encased like the gears in the gear box so don't let a relative absence of grease there throw you. ( You don't want that stuff coming out down into the food you know.) As indicated, it may be a pin rather than a gear that failed. Check these as well by seeing if the associated parts rotate when they shouldn't or even by removing the pins for inspection. Replace all the worn or broken parts and reassemble. Make yourself a cake to celebrate. This is an important step that should not be omitted.
When you reassemble the gear box pack it full of grease, but leave a little room for air. Use the correct grease which is speced for the Kitchen Aid. It is available where you find replacement parts. Without getting into the specifics of grease thickeners etc. mixing grease types is not good and can lead to failure such as gumming of the grease. Also, the grease for the mixer is a food grade so that even if some gets into food it will not be toxic. Spend the $18 or so. By the way it seems like all the Kitchen Aids use the same grease but some sites call out thee stuff as being for one type or another. The Sears site is instructive on the replacement.
posted by caddis at 7:12 AM on January 7, 2011
I want to echo everything caddis wrote, with the exception of taking out the circuit board. The transmission housing is full of grease, but it is solid grease -- it isn't going to explode over everything. Putting a rag or some saran wrap over the circuit board probably isn't a terrible idea, but that's as far as you need to go.
And I don't think there's a need for degreasing and solvents, even if you have shattered gears in there. You pull out all the gears, and then remove grease with rags or mechanics paper towels. The tolerances are pretty loose in there, so it's not like you need things surgically clean. The metal shards will come out with the old grease.
I didn't replace the plastic cover with the metal one, and my guess is that one of these days it will fail and I will be back in there replacing parts. If you do have to order in some gears, and you do have the plastic cover and some spare cash, I think it will save you money and time in the long run to replace it.
posted by Forktine at 7:38 AM on January 7, 2011
And I don't think there's a need for degreasing and solvents, even if you have shattered gears in there. You pull out all the gears, and then remove grease with rags or mechanics paper towels. The tolerances are pretty loose in there, so it's not like you need things surgically clean. The metal shards will come out with the old grease.
I didn't replace the plastic cover with the metal one, and my guess is that one of these days it will fail and I will be back in there replacing parts. If you do have to order in some gears, and you do have the plastic cover and some spare cash, I think it will save you money and time in the long run to replace it.
posted by Forktine at 7:38 AM on January 7, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ACN09 at 7:15 PM on January 5, 2011