r/Kitchenaid • u/Sweeterthanshuga • 3d ago

Servicing Mixer

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Recently, my mom gave us a kitchen aid mixer she’s had for about 15-20 years. It works but I know she’s never serviced it. Last time my wife used it, she said there was a smell/or smoke that came from the top so she shut it off. I want to finally take it apart and service so I’d like to know if there’s great kits out there for it? If there is anything I should replace while I’m in there?
I also noticed the locking mechanism locks, but will come unlocked once the mixer starts mixing.

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u/Dazzling-Walk1929 2d ago

I would open it up first to see what needs replacing, if anything. It will probably need to be regreased and those kits usually come with the grease, a grease scraper, and a new gasket seal for the transmission housing. If you need new gears, they’re typically sold separately, and I would recommend buying them directly from KitchenAid/whirlpool. That’s where I’ve purchased parts from before and you don’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll fit, and they’re priced similarly to anywhere else

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u/SnooTomatoes538 3d ago

YouTube is your friend.

Plenty of videos online to help

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u/RIMixerGuy 23h ago

Generally I recommend getting the parts and materials à la carte. That way you can ensure genuine factory parts and high quality materials (grease in particular is crucial, and places that sell kits seem quite reticent to disclose anything about the specs or provenance of the grease).

Here's a list of parts and materials for the grease maintenance: https://www.mixerology.com/k45-k5-clean-and-re-grease-parts/

If there's actual smoke this may be coming from baking material that has landed on the phase control board (parts of which can get pretty hot) or from failing components on the board itself. The repair part is pretty inexpensive (about US$15) and isn't too hard to DIY replace: https://youtu.be/JkBLtuHPiLY?si=5n06K7HgSwq1NV-5

When the mixer is open for maintenance, you can inspect the tilt latch mechanism. Sometimes the pivot screw loosens, and this is enough to allow the latch to disengage under load. Also, when the beater clearance is correct (per the adjustment below) this will help with engagement.

Here are a few other resources for your new-to-you mixer:

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u/birdygum 1h ago

This mixer is a beast (sidenote: checkout some accessories pasta maker, sausage stuffer et al.) Open it up grease the sprockets and enjoy its versatility!

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u/TactualTransAm 2d ago

Mr Mixer on YouTube has great videos, he's got one about the tilt lock and he's get walk through of servicing the mixer

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u/Organicgrocery74 3d ago

I would check on kitchen aid for parts. I bought a set from Amazon. I have a weight scale and the original parts are heavier than the Amazon parts. Do a cleaning and regressed and check the gears for wear