Which is the better mixer of these old models: K5A K5-A or K45 SS and what is the difference? KITCHENAID HOBART K5A K5-A 300 WATT MIXER and the KitchenAid Hobart Vintage K45 250 WATT. Thank you

The adjustment procedure is the same and there are springs on the two adjustment bolts. Thereafter, things are very different on the K45.
No speed or torque can be caused by:
1. Bad brushes, or most likely
2. A bad resistor. There are three wires on the resistor. It should read 190 ohms (or there about) across the red and white wires and 95 ohms (or there about) across the black wire and either of the other two.
3. A bad field coil (stator).
4. A bad armature.

A replacement resistor, field core, and armature are extremely difficult to find.

The Service Manual for the K45 and K5A can be found in the files section of WACEM, you just have to sign up to the site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WACEM/

Look for "K5-A, K45 Original Service Manual"

The WACEM (We Actually Collect Electric Mixers) web site has a downloadable PDF of the "K5-A, K45 Original Service Manual" in the "files" section.

This can help you figure out what has gone wrong with yours.

Is the brushed band around the head missing or worn off? The model is on that band. If it worn or missing in order to correctly answer your question I need more information. Is your mixer a tilt head or a bowl lift variety? Did you look on the bottom of the base for a serial number? Some models had them there. Can you describe the ceramic piece a little better? Many models shard the same internal parts and it might not be too difficult to locate that part.

The grease leaking out of the KitchenAid mixer can be a common problem. Here is the cause, and how to fix it, and prevent this issue from happening in the future.

The KitchenAid mixers use a Benalene 930-2 grease inside of them. It is a dark, thick grease that can break down and leak out of the mixer. The grease is a non-toxic vegetable based grease, basically it is a food grade grease. Over time, or if you do not use your mixer often the grease can break down, so it would appear that there is oil leaking from the mixer. It is most common for it to leak from the beater shaft (agitator shaft) and from the drip ring.

What you need to do is take the mixer apart, clean out all of the old grease, replace it with about 6 ounces of new food grade grease (http://www.mendingshed.com/kagrease.html). It is also recommended that your replace the o-ring on the center shaft (http://www.mendingshed.com/67500-55.html) and the gearbox gasket (http://www.mendingshed.com/mixergasket.html).

To prevent the grease from breaking down in the future if you do not use the mixer very often, 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 as quickly.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

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

Thank you,

Colleen
Customer Service
MendingShed.com
[email protected]
800-339-9297

is it a K45 or a K45SS? If it is a K45 you will have to replace the filters inside and probably the speed control plate, if it is a K45SS then you need a new phase control board. The K45 is pre 1978 and the K45SS is post 1978. Your information is correct on pre 1978 K45 models that the capacitor is bad, but it might be cheaper to go garage sale hunting and find a second machine as the parts are no longer made and having spares on hand may be a significant advantage in the future, also there are a great many of the K45SS parts that will also repair the K45 mixer so it may not be a practical solution. Watch ebay regularly for K45 parts, they come up every couple of months. On the parts diagram also look for the K5 diagram as it is identical to the K45, one is a 5 quart mixer and the other one is 4.5 quart, same parts same motor same everything.

You can purchase a replacement power cord from Amazon.com. It is part number 9701025 and includes the grounding style plug which the original did not have. It can also be purchased from your local Sears parts store but it will be much more expensive

The Brush holder caps / covers for the K5 series whether Hobart or Kitchenaid by Whirlpool (after 1986 when Whirlpool bought Kitchenaid from Hobart) will fit the K5-A they just wont be flush like the older Hobart caps. They come in black or white.

What everyone is forgetting or they just don't know is that...The K45 introduced by Hobart in 1962 and was replaced in 1978 by the K45SS are two completely different machines. With completely different wiring systems. The K45 is wired together with wire nuts and the K45SS used connectors on the Speed control switch. All of the websites posted above are for the K45SS (Stands for Solid State) The manual for he K45SS is easy to get from Kitchenaid as the mixer electronics did not change from it's introduction in 1978 to 1986 when Hobart sold the Kitchenaid division to Whirlpool. The K45 on the other hand is a product and property of Hobart NOT Whirlpool or the Kitchenaid division of Whirlpool. The K45 Manual ... well I just can't find one! They way wires are routed is totally different in the K45 from the K45SS so the diagram in the K45SS manual does not help. Also the brushes in the K45 were square not camphor-ed like they are in the K45SS so there is no right or wrong way to insert the brushes in a K45. Whereas; in the K45SS there are four ways to insert the brushes in their holder and three of them are wrong. The K45SS brushes go into a completely different brush holder than the K45. The K45SS is the same today in 2012 as it was in 1978. The K45 is the same only from 1962 when Hobart introduced it to 1978 when it was replaced with the new Solid State model. prior to 1962 it was the K4-A model and it was different entirely. So if the people asking for help say their mixer is a K45 we should be asking for clarification as to a K45 or a K45SS.

This may be explained with the bowl assembly. Being a bowl lift mixer, please follow the following steps to make sure the bowl is being secured before mixing:

There are the bowl-holding arms on the left and right hand side of the mixer. You will place the bowl on these arms, securing it onto the pegs.

Also, take your fingertips and press down firmly at the back of the bowl where it is resting against the base. You will hear an audible click as the bowl secures down into a spring latch mechanism on the stand mixer base, allowing the mixing bowl to sit flush and secure.

That would be incorrect. If the attachment is for a hobart kitchenaid mixer then it will fit all models of kitchenaid mixers including the brand new pro series because the attachment port and drive gear has not been changes since 1925 or 6 when it was first introduce by the Hobart company.