# Opened up a kitchenaid K5-A



## rahimlee54

I grabbed a K5-A on craigslist this week and decided i was going to re-grease the gears since it was around 30 years old. When I got it, it had orange blotches all over it which I think was the grease and a funny smell when you turned it on. I opened it up and there was alot of grease that was unused but what was on the gears was dried and hard. 





Then I put it back together with no extra parts left.




The smell was still there when I turned it on but I found out what that was when smoke came from the back the power cords were on the power supply, getting smoking hot on the jacket and causing the smell. I am letting it cool for a bit but I think all is well with my newest toy. My wife wants it to get painted metallic purple, so I'll keep you posted. :thumbsup:


----------



## Crothcipt

Wow nice. Can't wait to see the end work.


----------



## ajhuff

Looks like relatively simple innards. I've been terrified of opening mine up. It won't orbit any more under load. I think something is stripped.

-AJ


----------



## rahimlee54

AJ here is the link I used to open mine http://artisanbreadbaking.com/ka_greasing/

Those instructions are pretty good and I have no prior experience and little experience working with my hands. The hardest part is getting the part that holds the paddles off. If you have the bigger version like the one I have it is a little different, but I figured it out and can tell you the process. The biggest problem I had was not having a punch on hand to remove the pin that keeps the paddle stationary as the arm spins. I ended up borrowing one from a neighbor but if it would have been a little earlier in the day I would have bought one. It took me about 2 hours of actual work, and an hour or two of reading and researching.


----------



## mr drinky

rahimlee54 said:


> My wife wants it to get painted metallic purple, so I'll keep you posted. :thumbsup:



Very cool. For the longest time I wanted to get an older K5-A, clean it up, and have it painted a cool color. Can't wait to see the end result. 

k.


----------



## Jim

I have mine on the bench right now. Thinking a brushed stainless finish.


----------



## ryeno

When I went to open up my k5 I removed the back cover and removed the 3 screws that are supposed to hold down that board. Can anyone post an up close picture of how the 1 small screw on the bottom is supposed to line up with the speed lever and the metal spring plate.


----------



## scotchef38

ajhuff said:


> Looks like relatively simple innards. I've been terrified of opening mine up. It won't orbit any more under load. I think something is stripped.
> 
> -AJ


If it is a newer model it may have stripped gears.A lot of them have plastic gears now which cant take any heavy loads such as bread dough.


----------



## Duckfat

scotchef38 said:


> If it is a newer model it may have stripped gears.A lot of them have plastic gears now which cant take any heavy loads such as bread dough.



AFAIK KA quit making the stand mixers with plastic gears several years ago and I think they only did that in select series like the Artisan. 

Dave


----------



## ryeno

To rephrase. Can someone please a picture of this area, behind the back cover. I don't know how to install the hex nut and the black plate.


----------



## ryeno

To rephrase. Can someone please take a picture of this area, behind the back cover. I don't know how to reinstall the hex nut and the black metal plate.


----------



## bobsmithhome

Ryeno, I have the same problem. I do know where the hex nut goes. See photos attached. I have no idea where the little black clip goes, however, and if I can figure that out I'll have a working mixer. Have you figured out where that clip goes? It is crucial to have that clip in place to control the speed. Without it the mixer runs just fine, but it starts at at about speed four or five and it's not possible to get the lower speeds. Thanks.

The hex nut goes on the backside of this screw (see red arrow):






Here's a side view - the red arrow points to the hex nut:






This is the piece I can't figure out where to place:


----------



## daveb

These may help. 

My back end. Nut plate is on center shaft of mixer - not behind the bottom screw. Chopstick in last pic is to provide direction.


----------



## Miles

What an awesome community! Absolutely nothing out of bounds here. No matter what you're up to, no one seems to bat an eye. More importantly, someone always seems to have some help to offer when you get stuck. Love it!
BTW, I have a "dead" Pro600 sitting on my bench waiting for it's turn. I have a pretty good idea of how to get it sorted, just haven't bothered to dig in yet. Since I have one that's working, I guess the motivation hasn't quite hit yet.


----------



## ecchef




----------



## milkmania

Good Morning, I registered to this forum because I really screwed up

Back in 2005, I inherited my Grandmother's Kitchenaid K5-a that she bought new in late 60's (Certified Pastry Chef)

well, I used it many time over the last few years, and the last 6 times I used it... the motor casing was getting hot.

I'm pretty resourceful and have a pretty fair mechanical ability. (If you can replace internal parts in an iPhone, you got it made)

so, I sent the K5-a to the workbench (aka kitchen table) and tore into it.

Kept my screws/parts separated and photographed with iPhone above.
Moved everything to the workbench in garage..... Researched and ordered the parts needed. Stator/drive, Motor Field, brushes, new grounded power cord. 

Then my little old world fell apart

Was hospitalized with Pancreatitis for several days, and in the meantime "someone" messed with my workbench. (I won't point fingers...I'm some dumb, not plumb dumb:scared4

Grandma's K5-a got placed on the back burner.... Since then, I've compared my pics with the parts and all is good.

The trouble I have is the new parts have to be retrofitted

I really need to find schematics for this thing, it's an older model (better model) than what's being offered out there, along with it being Grandma's.... I gotta get this thing going and back to baking bread.

If the parts had been a direct replacement.... the stator motor cooling fan would have been same size, the wires of the motor field would have clipped right back onto the brush holders. and numerous other differences. 
I did notice the new parts were shipped in boxes that said Genuine Whirlpool Parts. Good or bad, I cannot say.

And too, when I popped off the back cover I had the little black clip bounce onto the table. (never seeing where it came from)

I've watched several youtube videos showing how to calibrate motor speed, and change grease, etc.... but, the retrofitting is hampering my reassembly.

Any help or guidance would sure be appreciated!

Thanks,
Brian

Edit: reviewing post #12, I'm guessing the little black clip is some sort of shim/bearing for the stator drive/governor.... I'll look more closely when I get home.


----------



## WarrenB

Hi, see if this is any help:scratchhead: http://www.smallappliance.com/images/SmallAppliance/English/products/standard/K5A.pdf


----------



## milkmania

WarrenB said:


> Hi, see if this is any help:scratchhead: http://www.smallappliance.com/images/SmallAppliance/English/products/standard/K5A.pdf



Oh My Gosh! that's the best manual I've found to date!:ggodjob:

I've collected several over the last few days, and this one will get me up and running..... now, I've gotta work on getting the old grease out, and cleaned up


----------



## WarrenB

milkmania said:


> Oh My Gosh! that's the best manual I've found to date!:ggodjob:
> 
> I've collected several over the last few days, and this one will get me up and running..... now, I've gotta work on getting the old grease out, and cleaned up



Good luck with it, let us know how you get on:thumbsup:


----------



## milkmania

Gotta make Grandma proud!!!!
Used her mixer for everything from meatloaf, bread, cakes, and my Bacon Explosion







my stupid phone loudspeaker screw:eek2:


----------



## EdipisReks

scotchef38 said:


> If it is a newer model it may have stripped gears.A lot of them have plastic gears now which cant take any heavy loads such as bread dough.



I have a 2 year old Pro that handles bread dough like a champ. There is, however, AFAIK, still a single nylon component in the mechanism. This is because, if you get your fingers stuck in it, it's better for a little gear to shear than for all of your fingers to be destroyed.


----------



## milkmania

I think I've got bigger problems than just reassembly


----------



## Honesty




----------

