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I have a Kitchenaid mixer that’s about 10 years old (before they went to plastic insides), and it no longer turns off. Sometimes when I plug it in, it is off, but often, it’s already on, and to stop it completely, I have to either push back the speed lever or unplug it. I love this thing, and would love to know how to fix this problem. I’m figuring it’s a worn out gear or such, but none of the websites I’ve found show how to fix this particular problem. Thanks for any help!
I do not believe that it is a gear. IO also believe that you may need to replace the switch. Of course first check it out and make sure all contacts are attached and in good working order. Use a multimeter to check the switch. Parts are available here https://www.shavtronics.com/store/cart.p… and KitchenAid has good web support. http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/p… What model do you have so that we may find a service manual for you. http://downloads.mendingshed.com/Kitchen… for one of the service manuals. Now i am not sure what model you have but this may help you to get a better idea.Good Luck
I had a similar problem with my Kitchen Aid. The switch is not actually a switch but rather moves a lever that operates two things at the back of the mixer: 1) a simple lifting copper arm that makes a contact to provide power to the system (electrically this mixer is just on or off) and 2) The lever also moves the entire back control board forward and back. There are two long screws at the top of the control board that are spring supported to allow for this movement. There is a governor on the shaft of the motor that pushes against a plate in the center of the control board. The farther the switch moves the control board back the further back on the shaft the governor can go and the faster the machine can go. In my case the screws holding the control board had come loose allowing the governor to go all the way back (high speed) at the first click. Take the back cover off and see if the two top screws need to be adjusted (tighter and the mixer starts slower (or not at all) looser and is starts faster and the last click or two will not make it go any faster. Also check the copper arm to ensure it moves up and down on the first click of the switch properly. Also in my case the two nuts that hold the motor in place had come loose and were in the bottom of the cover so you may want to check for those. Ensure the mixer is unplugged before opening.
is the on/off toggle switch broken? i would get a continuity tester and check to make sure that it works properly. it really doesnt sound gear related. can you describe the problem further? does it still work at slow speeds? if it doesn’t it could be that the switch is fine and that the motor is on it’s way out. any funny smells? does it run differently when first started vs after some heavy use? older kitchenaid mixers are worth a repair job hang in there. try some experiments and get back to me.
I have four of these mixers in my bakery and two of them have the “don’t shut off” problem. My simple and inexpensive fix is to loop a thick rubber band to the power cord by the back of the mixer and then loop it over the speed knob when I want the mixer off. These mixers are real work horses and I don’t have time to take them to the shop for a costly fix. I have to replace the rubber bands about once a month. Works for me!
Adjust the two long screws at the top of the control board by taking the back cover off. Tighter adjust when mixer turns off.
There is a main switch on the lower left side of the speed control. The black wire plugs directly to it. I found the fixed contact bent upward so far that the movable part of the switch couldn’t move up far enough to break the circuit. The fixed contact appeared to be bent up. I bent it down so that the contacts separated about halfway between stir and off. It now works perfectly.
I think Clive is on to something. When I push the lever to “Off” it sometimes snaps back to “stir”. Many times it is already on when I plug it in. Safety hazard! Good call Clive.
PROBLEM SOLVED ON MIXER SWITCH TURNING ITSELF ON WHEN OFF. We have about 10 professional mixers at work and over time the mixer switch won’t stay in the off position and flips itself on. Clive (above) had the answer for this. You just need to tighten the screen that holds the mixer switch arm in place. This screw is inside the machine. If you have a relatively modern machine, you don’t need to dismantle the whole machine, just unscrew the 4 large (really large) screws that main part of the mixer onto the stand. You’ll then see a handy little aperture that the wotsits at Kitchen aid have provided to tighten this screw (they obviously know this is a problem). Happy fixing!
I had similar issue. I tightened the top two screws and the bottom one. My mixer stopped -no start. Somewhere i read to change the wormgear, i changed it too. Mixer still doesnt start.
