Mixer was turned upside down during move some oil leaked out should I have it repaired

There is a leaking gasket. The OIL is from the Grease applied to the gears. It may have somewhat turned a portion of lube to a liquid state due to heat within the motor housing during use. The OIL as you put it, could also leak out from the port where you insert the beaters. If so there is also a set of seals to prevent that from happening, and if they are worn or damaged, leaking can occur. This unit needs a professional serviceman to fix the problem.

There ate two ways to fix this problem, but first there is the matter of understanding what is leaking. The oil you see leaking is actually a food safe vegetable based gear grease. The grease separates during heavy use (years of service) or when the mixer has not been used for an extended period of time. (months or years) The recommended way to fix the problem is to do a full tear down then clean then add new grease and a new gasket, cost (By Kitchenaid at a KA service center) around $140.00 US + or -, It involves shipping and around ten days in time. The second way is kinda simple and does not cost anything. Get a towel, thick and soft to protect your finish, get your wife or husband, get an extension cord, spread the towel out on an open counter top, plug the extension cord into the outlet, turn the mixer upside down on the towel, have your significant other hold the mixer by the base while you plug the mixer cord into the extension cord, turn on the mixer no more than 2 or the second click on the speed control switch / lever, hold the mixer upside down like this while the mixer is running and keep it running for at least three (3) minutes, turn the mixer off and turn it right side up and turn on again for two minutes, then do it again two or three more times, upside down for a couple minutes then back right side up and so on and so on, after about 15 minutes stop. put everything away, you are done. What you have effectively done is re-mix the grease and it should be good for another couple of years. When it starts to leak again re-mix again. Or send it to KA for the rare and unique opportunity to spend a hundred bucks that you don't' want. hope this helps. By the way if you get some drops in your mix it will not hurt anybody. But you do not want to eat a great deal of it or you will require the use of a laxative afterwards.

If you turn the mixer upside down, you will be able to see a locing screw which holds the hinge pin in place.

Center the pin and tighten the screw.

The planetary gear housing is filled with grease. Seeing oil come out would indicate that grease has started to or has completely broken down. Take the planetary apart (One nut and a clip), clean out the old grease and liberally repack with a food grade grease something like PTFE Super Lube .

there is 6 oz of a food safe lubricant in the motor housing that is held in by a gasket around the front of the gear housing in the top of the mixer, the gasket is leaking the separated liquid of the grease. The grease because it is a vegetable based product separates over periods of non use and the gasket gets soaked and releases the liquid into parts of your mixer and it drips it's way out when you use it. the best thing to do is install a new gasket and remove the old grease then repack and add a new gasket. There wasn't that easy?? problem is that most people don't know where to buy the KA approved grease and gasket (ebay about 17.00) and most people don't know how to take their mixer apart to do this, (youtube has about four really good step by step videos on how to do it) BUT!!!! there is a trick that often works, seriously!!! get a towel and spread it on an open work space, grab your significant other or any one that will tolerate you when you get this way you will need their hand. Now turn the mixer upside down (no I'm not being sarcastic) turn it upside down, now have your partner hold it while you reach down and plug it in and turn it to speed Two, and hold the mixer like that for two minutes, (that's why it's better to have a really good friend help you they won't tell you how nuts you are doing this, but!! continue. After two minutes turn the mixer off and turn it right side up and turn it on again for two minutes, then do it all over again upside down then right side up, do this at least three times. the drip is now fixed. You think I'm nutz right??? Wrong!!! What you have done is re-mix the gear grease, the liquids are now re-mixed with the solids or gear grease base material. It should last about a year or so. My suggestion is to do this once or twice a year if you are not going to use the mixer for long periods of time. The separation usually happens when the mixer goes for long periods of time without use. the grease is designed to work for five or ten years without being replaced. however the gasket is made of fiber and the weight of the motor head pressing down on it for a few years of say 17 pounds causes it to compress and allow the liquids to leak out. So to fix that you take of the drip ring off (round silver thing that attaches to the planetary ) then drive out the little silver pin in the planetary shaft and pry off the planetary. you will then see five flat head screws that hold the motor head to the lower gear case, thightem them up and re-assemble the mixer then remix the grease, you have fixed your drip problem without spending a dime and it will stay fixed for years as long as you have no other issues arise during it's life. Hope that helps you.

Your mixer has a vegetable based lubricating grease in it, that grease can separate from time to time. One way is non use the other way is end of life from normal use.

If you do not use your mixer regularly, get a towel and put it on the counter, get your mixer and turn it upside down on the towel (to protect the finish) turn the mixer on while holding up the mixer (balance it) run the mixer for 2 minutes on speed 6, shut it off and turn the mixer rite side up and turn on again for 2 minutes, then repeat the process at least once. If your mixer continues to leak your lubricant is at end of life and it needs to be replaced along with a new motor housing gasket. KA will service it for you for about $100 dollars, you can do it yourself but it requires a full tear down of the mixer, you may have an "after warranty" service tech in your area but you will have to look for small appliance repair shops. If you do it yourself it will cost you about $20.00 bucks and a roll of paper towels as it is really messy. There are videos on utube that will show you how. The process I described above is a simple re-mix of your existing grease and in at least 60% of mixers I have repaired this is the problem with leaky oil / grease, it will last two or three years before it starts to leak again, longer if you do not use your mixer much, The grease is food safe and will not hurt you or anybody that may eat a recipe that might have a drop in it. But yes; I know it isn't really appealing to have grease dripping in your cooking. So the first thing to do is try and remix your existing grease, then try baking with it, if the drip has stopped your OK for a few years. If not you need to re-pack the grease and change the gasket.


Also the existing gasket is fiber and when the machine is put together the screws that hold the upper and lower motor housing parts together is not torqued down very hard (that is intentional on KA's part), the weight of the upper motor housing is about ten pounds and after years of having the mixer sit on top of the gasket it compresses and allows the grease liquid, (once it separates), to leak out and to get all over the place.


If you do decide to take your mixer apart you might try to just tighten up the screws that hold the two pieces together and try the re-mix process, that solution works on about 20% of all mixers I have repaired. Do this if you don't want to spend the 20 bucks on parts and grease. Let us know if this helped.

Kitchenaid says to run the machine on 'high' long enough to heat the gearbox well and then turn the machine upside down and let it cool.

What happens is when you don't use your mixer a lot the grease in the gearbox will separate into oil and thicker grease. Warming it and turning it upside down is supposed to mix all the grease together again and allow it to flow to the top of the gearbox.

Give it a try, check back if you get no satisfaction and we'll get you started on changing your grease.

lp

Hi SANDYCRAB155. I can sympathize with your reluctance to use your mixer, but depending on the amount of oil you found and where it was coming out of you mixer, you shouldn’t worry too much and after cleaning up the grease with soap and water, it should operate normally.
The internal gears of your mixer are factory packed with enough grease to last a 'lifetime' whatever that means? Depending on your mixer’s age and degree of usage; all these factors contribute to cause the oil come out of suspension in the grease and seep beyond the gasket and out of your mixer.
Where did the oil come from? You said it was ‘moved upside down’ (not recommended for your next move) so did the oil come out of the brush cover cap holes (on either side of the mixer head) or the motor vents? If that’s where it originated, then you'll have to clean the brushes (and possibly the motor armature) before starting the mixer again. The only way to check if that occurred though is to actually take your mixer apart and look inside.
If you are DITY type person, and feel adventurous, and your mixer is not under warranty you can troubleshoot it yourself. Be sure you have the Parts List manual on hand. If you're lacking one, you can download it from the KA website http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home.
Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals & Guides> and enter the 6 character model number and select a file listed under Parts List (check to see the illustrations match your mixer model). Turn to the pages titled ‘Motor And Control Parts’. You will need to carefully inspect all the components, particularly Items the brush assemblies, and the commutator portion of the armature (where the brushes touch the armature), and anywhere else in the motor compartment that may have been contaminated with oil. Oil is good for lubricating gears, but bad for electric motors.
Any parts exposed to oil will need to be degreased and dried before reassembly. I use GUNK degreaser and blow-dry the parts with a hair dryer or toaster oven (N.B. Be extremely careful when doing this).
When you reassemble your mixer, the brushes must only be installed one way. Make sure the brush’s concave contact face is resting completely on the armature. If it is turned it 90 degrees too much, it won’t' seat properly and the motor will not get any juice.
While your mixer’s apart is a good time to check for any other unseemly wear and tear on the gears, etc. You may find more things that need fixing, adjustment or replacement. You don’t mention how old your mixer is, but if it’s over five or six years, it probably wouldn’t hurt to re-grease the mixer’s transmission.
You may find it easier to replace the brushes than degreasing them. Here are five potential online 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 for your future reference, too.

• 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 and reassemble your mixer.
Good luck! I hope this helps. Howard, Burke, VA
If this solution has been helpful to you, please rate it, thanks! – hslincoln

This kind of unit are lubricated with grase paste. If the unit stays inactive for a long time, or if the motor and gears are overheating the grease paste gets melted into thin oil, and that will cause the leak.
The oil leak is usually coming from the gear box inside the appliance.
To fix the problem the unit must be taken apart, and cleaned. After this step, there is need to spread again the grease, using special foodsafe grease paste.
Disassemblying the gear box is not that easy, you will need previous experience and a gear puller to do the job properly and safely.
This appliances are also held with security screws to prevent the users from taking apart the unit, and can only be disassembled using a Security screwdriver tip.

The grease can be purchased here, check at the bottom of the page: Kenwood chef food mixer Grease.

A TV show "How it is made" was in the Kitchen Aid factory and they used a thick grease and no oil in the mixer. Does your unit get hot? Maybe its melting the grease (dark brown)..