Tip Tuesday

Problem:  Oil Leaking from KitchenAid Mixer.

KitchenAid mixers are built to last.  We have customers call in all the time about mixers that are 30-40 years old and still going strong!  

One of the common problems we see with the KitchenAid mixers is oil leaking from the agitator shaft (beater shaft) or from the drip ring.


KitchenAid uses a Benalene 930-2 grease inside their mixers.  It is a dark, thick grease that can break down and leak out of the mixer, sometimes getting into the bowl/food.  The grease KitchenAid uses is a food grade, non-toxic vegetable based grease.  Over time, or if you do not use your mixer often, the grease can break down, and it will appear that there is oil leaking from the mixer. 

How to fix the mixer if grease is leaking:  
You will need to take the mixer apart, clean out all of the old grease, replace it with about 6 ounces of new Benalene grease .  To prevent further leaking, it is also recommended that your replace the o-ring on the center shaft and the gearbox gasket.  

Here is a link to these items:
Grease:  http://www.mendingshed.com/kagrease.html
O-Ring:  http://www.mendingshed.com/67500-55.html
Gasket:  http://www.mendingshed.com/mixergasket.html

How to Prevent the problem:
To prevent the grease from breaking down in the future, especially if you do not use your mixer frequently, it is recommended that you pull the mixer out and run it for about 2 minutes every 3-4 weeks, this should stop the grease from breaking down.

KitchenAid Grease

One other useful tool to help you get the job done would be the KitchenAid service manual.  This will walk you step by step on how to take the mixer apart, clean out the grease, and put everything back together correctly.  Here is a link to the KitchenAid Service Manual:  http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/mendingshed/kitchenaidservicemanual.pdf


This applies to mixer models:  K45, K45SS, KSM75, KSM90, KSM103, KSM110, KSM150, KSM151, KSM152, K5, K5A, K5SS, KSM5, KSM50P, KP50 AND KPM5. 

Don't forget, we are one of KitchenAid's largest service centers within the US, this means all of our parts are genuine KitchenAid parts, and we can help you with any repair questions you may have.

Thank you,

The Mending Shed
Repair Team