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.

[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]

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

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.