Drive shaft bearing

It sounds like there may be a few potential issues that could be causing the resistance you are experiencing:

1. Incorrect installation of the slow speed gear or key - If the slow speed gear or key were installed incorrectly, this could cause increased resistance in certain gears. Double-check the installation of these components to ensure they are properly oriented and positioned.
2. Stuck gears - If the gears and key are stuck on the drive shaft, this could cause increased resistance. Try removing the gears and key again, and make sure they are clean and free of any debris before re-installing them.
3. Improper alignment of the gears - If the gears are not properly aligned, this could cause increased resistance. Check to make sure the gears are properly seated and aligned with each other.
4. Damage to the worm wheel - The freshly chewed up center of the worm wheel could be causing increased resistance. Consider replacing the worm wheel if it appears to be damaged.

Overall, it may be helpful to consult the Hobart service manual for your specific model to ensure all components are installed correctly and to troubleshoot any additional issues that may be causing the resistance.

The oil seal is the resistance you feel. take a soft mallet or hammer with a soft drift and gently but firmly tap the stub shaft and it will drive out the oil seal in the hopper direction.The lower skirt of the tapered bearing is what contacts the seal so go slow.
Worked for me.

Once you're familiar with it, the A200 is OK to work on. Just pay close attention to the sequence in which the gears are removed and lay them out on a table in that sequence. You'd need to remove most of the gears from the center planetary shaft, which requires removal of the shift lever (right side, 4 screws). You shouldn't need to remove the planetary (lower end that holds the attachments and rotates). Eventually you'll be able to remove the smaller shafts as assemblies and replace the brass worm gear.

You'll want to scoop out the grease with brass shavings in it (replace all the grease to be thorough, especially if it has broken down and is very runny or very thick (the grease should be a little bit thinner than the consistency of peanut butter), spin the removed bearings by hand and listen for rough operation (particularly the smaller bearings on the upper end of the two small shafts (bearings in the upper bearing cover). Also check to see that the two brass bushings, which reside in two of the gears removed from the center planetary shaft, spin freely BOTH on the planetary shaft AND in the gear they reside in (if not, one of your speeds probably won't work).

For an experienced technician, the job would take approximately 1-1.5 hours unless the old grease is all cleaned out thoroughly to replace with all new grease (thorough cleaning requires the removal of planetary and planetary shaft), and thorough cleaning can be a time consuming process. Then you might get closer to 2.5 hours.

It is most likely a stripped gear. Here is a link to the parts manual which contains the listing of the gears and shows you how to split the gear case.

http://shared.whirlpoolcorp.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Repair%20Part%20List%20-%208212057.pdf

Remove the chrome ring with a screwdriver by prying it off carefully. This exposes 5 screws, however they can't be accessed on all models. Remove the pin (17) that goes through the planetary housing and the drive shaft, and carefully drive the planetary housing from the shaft to expose the screws. Then remove the 5 remaining screws and split the case to expose the gears. The worn gears will be obvious.

Also check the bearings. Replace all affected parts. Remove all grease since metalic pieces will have contaminated it from any worn out gears. The grease is a special food grade grease which you can purchase along with the gears and bearings.

It is most likely a stripped gear. Here is a link to the parts manual which contains the listing of the gears and shows you how to split the gear case.

http://shared.whirlpoolcorp.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Repair%20Part%20List%20-%208212057.pdf

Remove the chrome ring with a screwdriver by prying it off carefully. This exposes 5 screws, however they can't be accessed on all models. Remove the pin (17) that goes through the planetary housing and the drive shaft, and carefully drive the planetary housing from the shaft to expose the screws. Then remove the two remaining screws and split the case to expose the gears. The worn gears will be obvious. Also check the bearings. Replace all affected parts. Remove all grease since metalic pieces will have contaminated it from any worn out gears. The grease is a special food grade grease which you can purchase along with the gears and bearings.

It is most likely a stripped gear and most likely the worm gear which is driven by the motor shaft. Here is a link to the parts manual which contains the listing of the gears and shows you how to split the gear case.

http://shared.whirlpoolcorp.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Repair%20Part%20List%20-%208212010.pdf

Remove the chrome ring with a screwdriver by prying it off carefully. This exposes 5 screws, however they can't be accessed on all models. Remove the pin (17) that goes through the planetary housing and the drive shaft, and carefully drive the planetary housing from the shaft to expose the screws. Then remove the two remaining screws and split the case to expose the gears. The worn gears will be obvious. Also check the bearings. Replace all affected parts. Remove all grease since gear pieces will have contaminated it from any worn out gears. The grease is a special food grade grease which you can purchase along with the gears and bearings.

Hi DASCO474. This is not good... From the symptoms you describe your mixer’s Agitator shaft is dropping from the Planetary assembly. Something has caused the retaining clip and pin to break so allowing the agitator shaft to drop.
Fortunately the inspection and troubleshooting of the inside of your mixer is a DITY capability, particularly if your mixer is out of warranty. Just be sure to have the Parts List manual on hand. If you're lacking one, you can download a PDF version from the KA website at: http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home.
Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals & Guides> Enter the 6 character model number, in your case: KP26M1, and select one of the first two files listed under Parts List (47) (The first file, KP26M1XAZ4.pdf (304.18 KB), is for a -4 series model and the second file, KP26M1XAZ5.pdf (724.41 KB) is for a -5 series with slightly different insides, so make sure you have the correct Parts List manual.)
Turn to pages 4 & 5 entitled “Case, Gearing And Planetary Unit” for the disassembly and reassembly of your mixer, along with all the parts. Locate Illus. No. 28, Planetary Assembly and Illus. No. 34, Agitator Shaft. The parts which hold the Agitator Shaft within the Planetary are Illus. Nos. 9, Retaining Pin and 30, Retaining Clip. I suspect these parts have failed and will need to be replaced. Now the real fun begins!

To get to the Agitator Shaft gear you’ll need the following tools: a regular or Phillips screw driver, retaining clip pliers, and a small drift pin punch and a small hammer. After removing the Gearcase Motor Housing (mixer top) you will need to remove the Transmission Housing (Illus No. 4) and remove all the lubricating grease from the transmission housing and gears. This will allow you to remove Illus No. 7, 8, 9 & 10, Retaining Clip, Bevel Gear, Retaining Pin and Worm Gear Follower, respectively.
Once you remove the Retaining Pin (Illus. No. 9) the Planetary Assembly can be tapped down through the Lower Gearcase Assembly (Illus. No 11). With the Planetary removed, you should find all the parts which slide on the Agitator Shaft (Illus. Nos. 30, 31, 32, & 33) and pieces of the retaining pin, which should be loose in the base of the Planetary.
Besides ordering a new retaining pin and clip, you might want to reorder the Transmission Cover Gasket (Illus No. 6), too. You’ll also need to replace the grease you removed with new grease. Do not try to reuse any original grease as it may have ‘debris’ in it. You should use a food-grade grease that you can order online (although I’ve seen automotive bearing grease used too – your call).
With your mixer apart and the grease removed from the gears you can check for any other unseemly wear and tear on the gears, too.
Here are five potential vendors in no particular order: RepairClinic.com; mendingshed.com; searspartsdirect.com; partstore.com; and Grainger.com (for grease). You should search for ‘food grade grease’ online (although I’ve seen automotive bearing grease used too – your call). Prices can vary widely between vendors, so do some comparison shopping.
Here are some links to several excellent websites that detail the disassembling/reassembly of a KA Mixer. The mixers displayed in the links are different KA models, but the principles are the same.

• http://www.artisanbreadbaking.com/discussions/kitchen-aid.htm
• http://www.neilcrockett.com/mixer.htm
• http://www.foodonthefood.com/food_on_the_food/2009/04/how-to-repair-a-kitchenaid-mixer-yourself.html

Between these three websites and their excellent pictures and descriptions and your Parts List manual, you should now be able to completely disassemble, determine what’s wrong, order the correct parts and reassemble your mixer.
Good luck. I hope this helps. Howard, Burke, VA
If this solution has helped you, please rate it, thanks! - hslincoln

Beth, First you should have the parts manual (Pt No. 8212278 Rev D) in your possession. You can download a PDF file from Kitchenaid, if you don't have it. Once you've have the manual, turn to page 4 - Case, Gearing and Planetary Unit.
I'm also assuming you're able to disassemble the mixer and access Illus. No. 4 - Transmission Housing. You want to remove the cover and place to the side. (Be careful of all the grease inside the cover and on the gears) Next wipe the gears and shaft clear of the grease. You want to get to Illus. No 10, so first you must remove Illus. No. 7 - Retaining Clip using a pair of external clip ring pliers. Next, lift Illus No. 8 - Bevel Gear off the shaft. Next, remove Illus. No 9 - Retaining Pin. That will finally allow you to lift Illus. No 10 - Worm Gear Follower of the shat.
I hope this helps.

Lock out-Tagout the machine. Remove the top cover, hold the beater shaft while removing the center shaft nut. Then remove the 4 bolts and and hardware on top of the first(worm) shaft and the second(clutch)shaft. you can gently tap the top cover up with a cold chisel on the upper parts of the housing. It's just a friction fit , aligned on two dowels. Once the cover is off, scoop out the grease, remove the side panel and selector assembly. Try and lift all of the first gear assembly together. the newer ones have a series of rollers and springs, which can be easily reassembled, if you see which way everything was. As you rmove parts, lay them on a clean surface in a row in the position they came out. The selector sleeve is marked TOP, but looking at the 4 drive teeth each side, you will see how it drives 2nd and 3rd gears. The clutch and worm shafts lift out together from slip fit bearings in the housing base.

When reassembling, coat everything with new grease, and run before loading all the grease. If you need to remove anything , you won't be up to your wrists in grease doing it. Once all is good, load the grease in the top hole nearest the motor with it running. The gears will feed the grease as you load the 35 OZ.
If you removed the planetary to remove the center shaft, don't tighten the half nut tight. back it off a half turn and lock it with the acorn nut. Otherwise you will loose first gear from pinch friction.

1. Remove the acorn nut, hex nut, and washer that hold the "planetary" agitator section on the transmission shaft.
2. Remove the trim ring (if any) around the same.
3. The agitator section should now be able to be worked free.
4. Remove the retainer clip on the top of the agitator shaft. (Some models have a pair of hex nuts here; if so, remove those.)
5. Pry the gear up and off the shaft. Remove the square key from the shaft keyway at the same time.
6. Tap gently on the top of the agitator shaft to drive it out from the bearings and grease seal.
7. Recommend removing and replacing the top bearing at this time; it's inexpensive to replace, if you're in this deep.
8. Use a suitable diameter piece of round steel stock to drive out the lower bearing and oil seal. I don't recommend using the agitator shaft.
9. Clean thoroughly, insert a new bottom bearing and oil seal, drive in place with a rubber mallet.
10. Replace agitator shaft through oil seal and bearing, tap gently into place.
11. Fill cavity with approved lubricant. I use USP-grade mineral oil, as it is food-safe and provides satisfactory lubricity.
11. Install top bearing, tap gently into place.
12. Reverse steps 5-1 to reassemble.