Seems to be a dead spot on the comutater. sometimes have to move the drive shaft a little

If it is assembled properly there is not a lot I can think of to cause that problem. Sometimes pushing the hub on can move the shaft up, I would normally whack the hub up to shock the hub on a bit at a time until the shaft is beginning to appear out of the hub hole. You need to have the shaft hole roughly aligned with the hub pin holes or you'll have no hope. Sometimes the pin hole in the shaft can have a burr that will grip the hub, a file fixes that.

You need to access the accessory attachment point, it's behind the silver KitchenAid logo on the front of the mixer. You'll need to unscrew a set screw (black knob at the very front of the mixer head), newer mixers have a hinged cover, on older mixers, it just pulls out. Unscrew the set screw a bit and fold up or remove the cover.



Now you will see a hole with a hollow square shaft inside, this is where the various optional items attach to the mixer.



Specifically for the shredder, you will need to attach a slicing drum to the drive shaft provided with the shredder, insert it through the drum, and raise the little bar in the rear of the slicer assembly.



Insert the whole assembly into the front of the mixer so that the square drive shaft shaft fits into the square hollow in the mixer, then lower the little bar to lock into place.

Sounds like a worm gear problem to me, it's impossible for the motor (armature) to move far enough to not drive the gear. There are driving pins in the system from fuse gear to paddle.
1) in the fuse gear
2) inside gearbox above planetary joining shaft to bevel gear
3) through planetary and shaft

There is also one joining the little gear inside the planetary to the shaft, doubt you'd break that one though.

It probably is the worm gear but you must remove the planetary roll pin to be able to split the gearcase. You will find another smaller roll pin in the worm gear. Your speed lever problem will be either a loose screw that it pivots on or the lever is bent. Hammer and correct size punch is only solution for those roll pins. Bigger hammer sometimes helps.

Remove the housing assembly again and put some grease in the hole in the top of the assembly that the shaft goes into. If the housing will not sit flush after you add the grease remove a little of the grease.

Try to push up while you turn the blade. Don't be afraiid to turn hard.

There are 2 possibilities, the attachments are worn out where they go on the shaft, simply replacing them could fix it, the other is the shaft is worn out inside the planetary ( where it spins), if it moves allot, 1/8 " or more from side to side, the housing is probably worn, and the planetary needs to be replaced, easy job, don't know cost, a new mixer may be in order.

Sounds like a sheared key,explain your problem a little more i work for hobart.

hi

there is a ring clamp on top of the main worm follower gear on the drive shaft. you might not see it due to the grease.

you need to get one of those weird little pliers with points on them to spread the ring clamp to remove it. Then the gear is just friction fit on the shaft...it's pretty tight. I carefully used a screwdriver to slowly separate the main follower gear from the lower gear and it goes up the shaft....

after a bit you can wiggle the follower gear by hand and it will come up. Then you can see there is a pin holding the drive gear underneath it in place. The pin in my mixer was actually bent (must have been some tough dough).

then you reverse the process to put the gear back on -- except that the top follower gear has to go on the pin in the right orientation or the ring clamp won't fit.

buy your parts from mendingshed.com

hope it helps.