Hi TIOBEAN, by the symptoms you describe it appears the Center Shaft ‘O’-ring and quite likely the Transmission Gasket need to be replaced. You don’t mention how old your Artisan mixer is, but I assume it is out of warranty.
The internal gears of your mixer are factory packed with enough grease to last a 'lifetime'—whatever that means, and depending on the age of your mixer, where it was stored, degree and intensity of usage; these factors all contribute to the breakdown of the grease into its constituent parts (oil and suspenders), which have seeped beyond the gasket and ‘O’-ring, down the planetary (agitator shaft). Gravity can be very insidious. The residue coming from the agitator shaft is the gear lubricating grease oil that has come out of suspension.
So how bad is this oil leak problem and what can you do to fix it? First, if the amount of oil found leaking was small and if your mixer otherwise works normally with the missing oil you really don’t need to take your mixer apart to ‘fix’ it. The good news, though, is that you can take the mixer apart and 'fix' it, if you feel it is necessary.
It would be helpful to have the Part List manual as a reference. If you're lacking one, you can download a PDF version from the KA website at: http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/page/home. Having the Parts List on hand will also be helpful as you will have to disassemble and reassemble your mixer to replace the ‘O’-ring and gasket.
Click on Customer Care>Locate Manuals & Guides> and enter the 6 character model number, KSM150 and select the file KSM150PSWH0.pdf (773.44 KB) listed for your model that appears under
Parts List (61), and save that file to your PC.
Turn to pages 6 & 7, titled:”Case, Gearing And Planetary Unit” and locate Illus. No. 28, Center Shaft & O-Ring; particularly Illus No. 15 & 16, Transmission Gasket and ‘O’-Ring respectively. I suspect these parts have failed and will need to be replaced. Now the real fun begins!
To get to the Vertical Shaft 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 all the lubricating grease from the transmission housing and gears. This will allow you to remove Illus No. 11, 13, & 14, Bevel Pinion Center Gear, Pin (Vertical Center Shaft) and Groove Pin, respectively.
You should now be able to tap the Vertical Center Shaft (Illus. No. 12) down through the Lower Gearcase housing to access the ‘O’-ring.
Besides ordering a new ‘O’-ring (Illus. No. 16) and Transmission Gasket (Illus No. 15), 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 them for any other unseemly wear and tear, 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.
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
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