Where to get a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer motor replaced/upgraded?

March 5, 2011 10:01 PM

My somewhat recent Kitchen-Aid stand mixer died and just repairing it is almost as much as replacing it, since it's no longer under warranty. I read a post on Chowhound awhile back about someone replacing the standard KA stand mixer motor with an "industrial" motor - that sounds like the route I'd like to take, except that I don't even know how I'd go about finding somewhere in Los Angeles to get that sort of work done. Is there a way to find somewhere to get this sort of work done in Los Angeles? Does anyone have any experience getting something like this done?
posted by DoomGerbil to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Have you diagnosed the problem yet? I ask because KitchenAids have gear failures all the time, but the motors don't die often. (And if you swapped in a more powerful motor, you will need to upgrade the geartrain, because it is already too weak for the motor it has.) There have been KA questions here before about gear repairs; the short version is that it is really easy to do and pretty much only takes a screwdriver and a tube of new grease.

I haven't needed to replace the motor, but once you take off the engine cover that everything just sits right there with super easy access. The motor, the electronic controls, and the drivetrain sit in a line and don't take specialized tools or complicated procedures to remove.
posted by Forktine at 5:52 AM on March 6, 2011

For referrals to technicians/restorers/etc, or assistance in doing this yourself, the yahoo group WACEM is a truly astonishing resource. Go to yahoo and search for them in groups.

If it's a common job, the archives are likely to have instructions on how to do it, and maybe even a manual.

You will need to join to see anything except messages.
posted by Ahab at 7:13 AM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just adding that there are a lot of members interested in new mixers as well older ones, so if you don't find what you're looking for in the archives, ask.
posted by Ahab at 7:15 AM on March 6, 2011

We replaced a fuse on our KA at a cost of a few bucks - seriously try googling to see if with some effort you could do the repair yourself. Good luck!
posted by thatone at 8:17 AM on March 6, 2011

Another possible failure point is the speed controller - a newish but dead KA from Craigslist was resuscitated with a new speed controller, which was about $50 if I recall correctly. Only the electronic mixers have speed controllers so if yours is the old purely mechanical model, disregard this. (Hubby replaced the controller easily, but he's pretty handy and fearless as well, when it comes to wreaking destruction upon my stuff, so this may not be a good project for the faint of heart.)
posted by Quietgal at 9:27 AM on March 6, 2011

I know I'm like the third person second-guessing your diagnosis, but you didn't give us any details about what happened to it, and everyone else is right about how an overpowered motor might not be a great addition. This is because kitchenaids have a plastic worm gear ($30-40, plus new grease to pack the gearbox) which strips when overloaded, preventing damage to more expensive parts. When this part fails, the motor will turn but no power will be transmitted to the paddle/whisk, and it will maybe make a clicking or rattling sound that increases with the speed of the motor.

What happened to yours? What does it do, or not do?
posted by pullayup at 11:22 AM on March 6, 2011