My Kitchenaid mixer has started to leak oil. We used it yesterday to make cookies, it has not leaked before. Any suggestions??
I called KitchenAid about this issue with my mixer. The agent on the phone told me they are aware that it tends to happen to some mixers after they sit for some time. Basically, a "lifetime" of grease has been packed into the assembly and it is normal for it to release grease on occasion. I was told to run the mixer at 10 for at least 2 minutes to get it going and I should see a reduction in the oil leak. I had about a tablespoon worth of oil dripping down off the assembly. I was told that if over time it seemed to amount to about 1/4 cup then I should call to see about repairs due to a potentially bad seal. I was also told that the repair for that would most likely NOT cost the same as a new appliance.
I have the same problem. It is not oil, but the oil residue from the grease that surrounds the gear box. There is a very heavy grease that is wrapped around the gears. I am assuming that the leak is the broken down grease that seeped out from the gasket. Here is what I did: Remove the chrome ring(pound down on it gently, it will come off very easily) remove the pin on the shaft. Clean all the oil out of the assembly. Remove the motor cover. Remove all the screws from the large gear(about 5 of them)this will allow ou to pull the top of the mixer off. There are 2 screws holding the band around the mixer, remove them. There are 4 screws holding the top of the mixer to the bottom, remove them. You should be able to lift the top of the mixer off. Remove the black gasket, inspect it for cracks. I cleaned mine and put the same one back on. I thing all that was wrong was the screws were loose letting the grease leak out. It runs fine now. no leaks yet. You will find all the diagrams at this web site: http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=239812
Mixer's detailed solution was music to a handyman's heart!
But in starting into his fix for the first time this unit has been apart in 12 yrs., I found that KAid had intentionally designed that drip ring into the unit because it's too expensive to make a vertical shafted gearhead leakproof. When you see oil, it's simply a sign that the ring gear unit's grease, and possibly some of the upper gearcase's as well, has broken down and overflowed the drip ring, and, at least, needs to be cleaned. But I'd suggest only dismantling the bottom gearcase cover by removing the shaft pin, carefully prying off the cover, and cleaning out the entire ring gear assembly. Then thoroughly mix a grape sized qood quality grease with powdered graphite, apply to several spots in ring gear and a little on the pinion, and reassemble. This quantity is small enough that it can't ever overflow, and the graphite will keep the gears adequately lubricated. If obsessive about quantity, check the drip ring from time to time if unit is heavily used, and replenish case with a little more, depending on what you see in the ring.
The ring gear case has been designed with a sump to catch what should drop into it, but when the head is tipped for bowl removal, the sump will drain out and collect in the drip ring. The upper gearcase output shaft may also contribute "oil" by leaking into the ring gear case as well.
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You must know that graphite is not considered a food safe lubrication! The grease used inside the KA mixer is an FDA approved food safe lubricant. It will break down over an extended period of time because it is made of food Stuff material. The simplest way to see if your grease is too old to use is to run your mixer on high for a minute or two...then....turn it upside down (you will need a second pair of hands and a towel to stand it on) then turn the mixer on again on medium to high for another minute or two. Now clean up the outside of the mixer of any previous grime and wait for the machine to cool on the inside. The next time you use the mixer if it leaks the grease needs to be replaced. What you have done at this point is to remix the grease inside because it separates form the solids and liquids. In most cases this action remixes what is inside and if the grease is still good it will not leak again for some time. If the grease cannot be remixed it will need to be replaced by doing a tear down a full clean of the gears inside and then repacked with 6 oz of KA approved grease bought on eBay in the needed quantities. The process takes about two hours for a beginner at this and is accomplished by anyone. My recommendation is to take pictures of everything you do so that you can reassemble it one picture at a time. If this helps let us know, if it does not let us know too. So that we can fixya.
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Great article. This is not difficult to disassemble. DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING and TAKE YOUR TIME. Get the spouse to help you - great for the marriage! The oil is coming out of suspension in the grease. In our mixer I found about a cup of grease in the gear case. Way too much! We cleaned most of that out, leaving enough to keep the gears coated, and put the top half back on the bottom half. We applied a waterproof grease (you can get from bike shops) on the planetary ring and gear before inserting the planetary on the shaft. I also discovered that we had all steel gears.
Waterproof grease is not food safe and should not be used or advised to be used in the machine.
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Very good video showing how to replace grease in the gearbox.
http://youtu.be/8eKHVvNX5eY
The oil leaks when the grease has broken down. One way to fix this is to take the mixer apart. Click on link to see how.
http://www.neilcrockett.com/mixer.htm
Clean the old grease out and google (KitchenAid mixer grease) and you'll find new grease on amazon for around $17.
Repack and it should be as good as new.
The gear lube leaks because it breaks down over time. Think bacon grease. When cold it somewhat solidifies. When warm it liquefies. The lube does not go to the extremes of bacon grease but similar to a point. When using the mixer, you typically tilt it to change tips or place/remove what is being mixed. When the machine is "tipped" the degrading lube over time will leak past the "bowl" where in it was intended to collect. The bowl is the rotating part you see. I ordered a gasket and lube however discovered I did not need the gasket as there was never one used here- it is moving parts! The lube sent was wrong- can not use an oil!! I located a non-toxic to humans grease/lube, cleaned all parts and reassembled.
To remove from base, turn base over remove a single screw, then push the pivot pin out. The mixer will easily separate. Using an appropriate punch remove the pin in the rotating shaft to remove the aluminum cover- the rotating piece. Gently persuade the rotating cover up and off. Clean all parts, disassemble as needed to clean the exterior of the unit. Can use dish washing soap to clean. Reassemble using non-toxic grease and you are good for another few years. Cost under $20.00. Average mechanical skills required.
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SOURCE: KitchenAid 250 Watts; Classic: Leaking Oil
Found this,may be helpful.
Why do I see oil leaking from the beater shaft of my stand mixer?
Some KitchenAid® stand mixers that are not used very often or have been tipped may experience slight oil leakage from the shaft or hub attachment. To avoid the oil leakage, KitchenAid suggests that you run the mixer weekly for short periods of time. Generally, the mixer may lose approximately X cup of oil before repair is necessary. The oil used is FDA approved and is not harmful to consume, should any get into the food that you are preparing.
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SOURCE: My kitchenaid stand mixer is leaking oil
First off -- if it's still under warrantee, you'll want to go to kitchenaid.com and find the nearest service center. The next thing I say starts with "void the warrantee" steps. :)
It's very simple to open a stand mixer to see if you've got a simple problem or a bad one.
Unplug it.
Follow the aluminum "Kitchen Aid" band to the back of the unit, there's one main screw. Remove this, and set it aside with the band which should come right off at this point.
Now, there should be two screws on each side of the unit where the band used to be. Remove each of these. They're all identical, so no worries if you mix them up.
Now you can lift the top off of the unit and see inside. The motor is at the back of the unit, the gear box at the front is where the oil is coming from. Try (GENTLY) to tighten the screws that hold the gearbox together. With a little luck, the gearbox screws had come loose and it was oozing oil out through the seals. If they're all firm, then you've got more serious problems and you'll want to find a service center for it.
Good luck!
SOURCE: My kitchenAid stand mixer is leaking oil. How do I
referring to:
http://shared.whirlpoolcorp.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Repair%20Part%20List%20-%204176924.pdf
You can see that there are 5 screws holding the upper and lower gearcase together. They pinch the gasket number 26 together and prevent the oil and grease from leaking. Remove the chrome ring by prying gently around the ring. You will see the 5 screw heads. Tighten them and the leaking will stop.
If it still leaks then you may have to replace the fiber washers number 29 which will involve disassembling the lower gear case.
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My KitchenAid leaks oil around the metal band and down the inside of the mixer where the hinge is located.
It has not leaked to the amount that it makes it into my mixing bowl (thank goodness!)
I have done nothing at this point, if it get worse I would try to repair myself.
I have the same problem--I just noticed it recently--was cleaning it up a bit before making some cookies that... well, now will be hand-mixed :S
i just made cookies and discovered oil leaking from aroind the motor, is there any way to fix this and what has caused the problem in the first place?
same isssue, but as stated in the solution it only seems to drip when in the "bowl removal" position
what type of oli you
We have experienced the same issue. I found on the Kitchenaid site, that this is normal if not used on a regular basis.
http://www.kitchenaid.com/custserv/faq.j...
I have just finished reassembly of my KitchenAid Classic because of an intermittent no-start problem. I too found something a little smaller than a baseball sized ball of grease in the gearcase of the mixer. I also found that the the shaft the implements attatch to was dry as the bushing it rode in. I could tell this shaft had gotten hot a some point since it was a darker color. This was causing a binding in the operation keeping the mixer from starting sometimes. I put a small amount of grease on the shaft and up into the bushing housing to lubricate it, reassmbled the unit and from then on it workes with out fail.
Though I saw no sign of "oil" leakage, after reading the above posts I am thinking of taking this unit apart again and removing some of the gease that was so generously installed at manufacture. The graphite idea sounds good.
I also was thinking of getting a new gasket and maybe applying silcone gasket sealant (like Permatex) to both sides of it to maybe assure no "oil" leakage ever occurs. Any thoughts about the silicone gasket sealant?
mixer leaks oil
works in one gear and oil leaking out of unit
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