How to recognize the death rattle of a KitchenAid?

I have a KitchenAid K5SS that has to be at least 20 years old. It has very low "mileage," however. Tonight while making bread dough it started to make pitiful noises and locked up. It seems to spin just fine without resistance (ie, empty bowl) but otherwise jams and makes an awful gyung-gyung-gyung noise. Is that it's death rattle? I'm hoping it's just pining for the fiords.

jwlucas
  • Posted by: jwlucas
  • March 1, 2012
  • 3677 views
  • 1 Comment

1 Comment

Sam1148 March 1, 2012
I'm hoping it's just pining for the fiords.
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I love that. Comment.

If it was me..I'd grab a screw drive, some hex nut driver and take it apart. (what do you have to lose at this point). And inspect the gearing, or just maybe lubricate it with graphite powder, or other stuff depending on what material you discover in there. Some of the 80's and 90's models used a nylon plastic for the gear works, and that might be what your having. If the teeth are gone and worn down. Well, it's lost. Unless you have a repair source to really get in there and break it down and replace.
Some of the modern ones use plastic/nylon for the gears too--the big box stores like costco, Sams, etc. Have special models that use metal. So if you're looking for a replacement--go metal gears.
 
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