KitchenAid Mixer Carbon Motor Brushes Walkthrough: No Power Issue Fixed! 

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OMG!!! I am literally crying right now!! My mixer needed to have the grease changed and when I put it all back together I had NOTHING!!! Of course I was freaking out BIG TIME!!! After 2 days of troubleshooting I came across this video I remember loosening the brush on the right side. Not realizing how much of an issue it would cause if they don’t go back in perfectly, I finally got it!!!!! I HAVE POWER NOW!!! Thank you a million times over!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much!! We are all celebrating here! I took my mom's ancient KitchenAid apart to regrease it and when I put it back together it was dead. Never realized what those springy things on the side were for. Followed your directions and the thing came back to life!!

Very helpful. I bought a kitchen aid at a yard sale. It was brand new but no power. One of the brushes was installed wrong from the factory. I reinstalled it correctly and it runs like a champ. Thanks for the tutorial.

I am particularly fond of videos that show problem solving in what appears to be "real time". In this video, you plug the machine in, fully expecting the motor to run -- NOTHING! Hmm... Back to the drawing board, etc. This type of video demonstrates that it's more than just figuring out how to replace brushes, etc. It goes to that adage that says "you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; you teach him how to fish, you feed him for life." Being able to work through problems and arriving at a successful outcome is one of the greatest accomplishments anyone can achieve. This was a great ex. of seeing such an event unfolding. You did a great job.

Oh my gosh, your videos are golden! Your instruction is so detailed and simple to follow. At 67 and a mom, when I visit relatives, they always have ‘projects’ for me to do. The latest was a loud grinding sounding Kitchen Aid mixer. Okay, so I have tackled many several ‘projects’, but seriously, taking apart a mixer??? Nope, beyond my abilities! They had a fresh jar of white grease ready to go, so I warned them I have never tackled anything even remotely similar. Long story short, thanks to YOUR awesome finely detailed videos, several hours later everything was free of old grease and filled with fresh and no parts left over, success! It spins smooth as silk, quiet and perfectly. Thank you, thank you, you are a fabulous teacher and made the impossible possible! You are wonderful!

Wow man... thanks for making this video!! I had to replace the worm gear in mine, and while I was disassembling the motor, I unscrewed that brush screw thinking it was something that would loosen the motor because it wasn't coming off easily. The spring popped out and I didn't know what I was looking at, so I just shoved it back in and continued with my repair. Waited 3 days for the new gear to ship. When it finally came, I put it all back together and was so excited to see it work and feel accomplished for fixing something. When it wouldn't turn on, I was so confused and bummed out, thinking I broke something. I started messing with the electronics and circuit board, trying to figure out how it works. I thought maybe the contractors weren't connecting, so I shoved a screwdriver in there to press the contractor down... SPARKS EVERYWHERE!! 😂 Very dumb idea, so at the point, I thought, let me just refer to RU-vid.....went through a handful of videos and got nothing out of them. Came across your video, and the first thing you go over was the brush 😂 and that did it! I have my mixer back 😊 a big THANKS to you again!!

Thank you so much, just fixed my mixer that I’ve had for almost 20 years, accidentally took the brushes out when I was replacing the wurm gear and then no power. Glad I found your video

This video saved me!!! I had just used a couple of your other tutorials to take my machine apart, tighten the switch so that it would turn off again, and put it all back together. I thought I was golden... but the machine wouldn't turn on! No power! My stomach sank. But the answer was right here, and so easy. I never would have realized in a million years that the carbon brush I had curiously inspected was not replaced properly! I am so, so thankful that I didn't have to tear this greasy thing apart again and expect every single tiny piece. It was a 30 second fix after hours of work. Thank you!!!

Same as a couple of others. I replaced the worm gear and had no power after reassembling the mixer. Out of 5 videos I watched on taking apart and reassembly , you are the only person who mentioned these motor brushes. Have had my mixer since 1991, use it constantly and this was the first repair I have ever needed. Thank you so much, you little devil, you are an angel in our house!😇

Holy shit! That was it! I went through all the work of replacing the worm gear on a unit I got for free but never tested it to see if it turned on before repairing it. Needles to say, I was pretty deflated when I finished the repair and it wouldn't run. 5 minutes with your video, and we're up and running. Thank you!

You just saved me $100 for not having to take my KA mixer to get this simple problem fixed. When disassembling to grease the inside, I thought I had to upen these two plastic screws. When I put it back together, the unit wouldn’t start. After watching your video, I followed your instructions and whoopee it worked! Thank you.

THANK YOU MR MIXER my mom and i have been having issues withour kitchenadi just stoping working and this video was a lifesaver we will now always check ther brushes ❤❤🎉🎉

Omg we thought the mixer was broken forever! I saw this and told my daughter that someone must have been curious about that black screw on the side… not her son, but her when she was trying to clean it. Thank you over and over again for this tremendous video. This crazy 72 year old DIYer fixed it!!!

thanks SO much for this video! there's nothing so satisfying than finding someone with just the expertise I needed to fix my daughter's mixer. turned out to be a wrongly-placed motor brush, which is GREAT, cause I was a little nervous about having to check the second two things. :)

Your awsome! I found mine at the goodwill and with all the assessories. It didn.t work so paid $22 and fixed thanks to you. Brushes I stalled incorectly. Thanks much!

I just bought a broken kitchen aid for 65 dollars and this was the problem, the last owner had changed the brushes and it stopped working, thanks för the help

Thank you so very much for this and your maintenance videos. We couldn’t have done it without you. We don’t live near you or anyone that I know of who repairs these mixers. ❤

A homeowner gave me a mixer in a box with it mostly taken apart. I finished disassembly and found the worm gear destroyed and replaced it. I then applied new grease and put back together. No power. I watched this video to help me diagnose the issue. The speed control was damaged from the homeowner and the mixer speed phase control board was fried. Zack, thank you for being generous and sharing your knowledge with the world!!

Lol, after watching the regressing videos, I of course pulled the brush holders to clean then. That brought me here. It was just the brush alignment on my machine. Thanks again!!!

Re-greased our mixer and...thought that all was well, UNTIL i plugged it in , and NOTHING !!! THANK YOU immensely, for the brush placement review at 4:28. You saved the day !!!!

Thank you so much! Between the 3 videos on repacking the mixer and this one when my mixer wouldn’t turn on again, I fixed it! You’re amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You saved me! My heirloom KitchenAid which is at least older than me (30) was dead after I took it apart and painted it, I thought I would have to tell my mom I killed her machine. A 2-minute fix and I'm back in business! Thank you so much!!! I'm donating

I just "serviced" my KitchenAid 300W mixer due to a bent speed lever, I swore I put everything back in the same way it came out, but it wouldn't turn on. After watching this vid, I found that I had put one of the brushes in the wrong way. All it took was shining a flashlight in the hole to see how it was supposed to line up, and voilà. I got a working mixer again. Thanks.

Thank you so much for the knowledge, I was able the fix my kitchen aid mixer which was not coming on at all by watching your video! I replaced the phase control board and made sure the brushes were installed correctly and now it runs perfectly! Also adjusted the speed . Thank you

@MrMixer316 ... thanks, bud! You are best! Your videos have saved me from buying (another) new mixer for my wife!! I fixed her mixer (replaced the worm-gear and fixed the brushes), and once again I am her hero!

Thanks for the info , it came in handy , one of the brushes was not installed correctly, didn't know this ,knowledge is power, thanks again

Perfect. solved my problem! I had taken my inherited mixer apart to do a deep clean and didn't realize the bushings had to go in a certain direction. Thanks!

Excellent video! I watched your extensive troubleshooting exercise while troubleshooting my own KitchenAid Professional. It turned out my mixer had the same bent part as yours! I solved the problem by gently bending the contact upwards until it contacted the copper arm at startup. The mixer now works perfectly, and a little adjusting of the speed control plate restored all speeds. Never would have discovered the problem but for this video. Thanks for posting!

Kudos to you son. Had to replace worm gear, mixer worked before repairs not after. I had removed the brushes to check if needing replacement. I had no idea they were directional. Had one in correctly the other not so much. This is not the first of your videos that have helped me on these mixers. Thank you for your videos.

Took those out my accident, got it back working! Thanks

Thank you! I bought a bundle of very cheap "broken" KitchenAids from a Cafe, and, while they require a lot of cleaning and fresh grease, the only thing that actually was wrong with them was that somebody tried to replace the brushes and put them in the wrong way on every single machine. I remembered your video, and voila, a few more machines in working condition (I hate it when those things go to waste, so I buy broken machines when I can get them cheaply and pass them on to family and friends after I fixed them. With the price of spare parts that usually does not make any economic sense, but at least it is a hobby).

Thank you so much! I had updated my KitchenAid and by the time I was done, it would not run. At first I didn't know it was electrical so I ended up taking it all apart again. What a pain, but I can honestly say I have a much better understanding of the machine now. Anyhow, once I plugged in just the motor part, I quickly realized it was electrical and started looking for video with a title about no electric. An honestly it took about 10 videos of watching others taking apart the machine just to find out it was not my issue. As grateful as I am for your video, you really do need to retitle it or retag it if possible. How was I to know it was my KitchenAid carbon motor brushes? I didn't even know what those were called. I would have never thought of that. It was sheer accident that I came across this video. But it was absolutely the problem and my mixer is all regreased, repainted and inspected and works! So thanks again. I did watch other videos you did and have subscribed. Merry Christmas!

OMG! You just saved me!!! Just cleaned and regreased, then bam, no power!! 😜😜 BRUSHES!!! Can not express how grateful I am for this video!! Best videos of this nature I have seen!! THANK YOU!

Wow!!!! It worked!,, Thank you so much! Now that the power works , the speed is all wrong so I will watch your speed plate video next. Crossing my fingers !!!

I can’t thank you enough. Took my inherited k45 from 1960’s and gave it a good cleaning. Others just said watch your orientation and put back in just how they came out. Not why obviously I didn’t. Spent all morning with a meter trying to see what I had messaged up. Now they are in correct and the speed is adjusted and it’s good as new.

You saved my wedding cake! Once I used a light to see the "notch" my smixer started right up! Thanks a million!

Thanks man!!! Bought a mixer for $5 bucks and thanks to you, I made it run.

Thank you! Helped me fix my mixer I thought I broke!!

Thank you! I had done a re-greasing and taken the brushes out. I didn't realize there was a wrong way to put them in, but your video helped me fix it. Thanks!

Fun instructional video. Help me realign the brushes. Thank you.

Thank you so much!!! I was about to cry having to buy a new machine and then wallahhhhh something you suggested worked amazing !!! God bless you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this video. I picked up an artisan mixer fairly cheap because the people said it was leaking grease. I watched your other video on how to change the grease on these. And of course I was the guy that wanted to see what that plastic screw did so I opened it up and out popped that carbon piece and of course I put it back in the wrong way. Then I went on to change the grease and lo and behold it would not work afterwards. So a quick search of RU-vid and here is another video from you that saves the day.

Thank you I just opened that carbon screw and I put them back and my machine don’t work after washing your video it’s helped me a lot ❤

This is so helpful thank you very much! Ive ordered my carbon brushes and hope to cooking again tomorrow xx

PROBLEM SOLVED! You are a natural at instructional videos. Easy to listen to and I didn't have to rewind a thousand times to figure out what you were talking about!! Thanks for the mix-fix!

Thanks to Tiktok, I knew your videos would help me! Had a small flour explosion yesterday… it was everywhere! Thought why not unscrew these large plastic screws and make sure there is no flour in there… whelp, there wasn’t but I didn’t put the springs/brushes back in correctly! Thanks so much! Mr Mixer saves the day.. and my husband from buying a new machine!

Very nice timeline. Good story. Professional direction. Everything 5 star. Congratulations

Thanks for this one too because after replacing the grease and the gear, I thought that it was time to replace the carbons too... except that ofc I put one of them the wrong way inside the robot, the house fuses blown, the robot wasn't working anymore (really frustrating 10 seconds after you finished to reassemble it and tested it successfully ;)) but with your help, I was able to get the carbon out of its housing (I had to dismantle the robot a second time) and then I was more careful regarding the proper way to insert it and it was ok... thanks because I first thought that my robot was dead!

Thanks so much for your video. My mixer stopped working ( after I played amateur repair person) and I did not put the spring loaded thing on the side back proper. I was going to have to take it to a repair person but saw your video first and tried the repair your u suggested. I live on a limited budget and was hoping your idea worked. Thank the Lord it did. God bless you!

Super helpful. I was replacing a broken worm gear and discovered that for some reason the motor stopped working. I thought it was something I’d done to the brushes, but couldn’t figure out exactly what. You’re video explained it perfectly and the motor is working again, and I was able to replace the worm gear too…all good again. Thanks!!

Thanks for this video. It just saved me from buying a new mixer.

Thank you sooo much I scored one of this machines at a local goodwill clearance center for $5 and replaced those carbon bushings like you said and like magic it worked !!!

One way brushes, who knew? You did. Thanks

Hey mr. Mixer. Thanks to you and your video here. You saved us!!! Cheers from switzerland :)

You just save thanksgiving for me, good job bro. Awesome video

Thanks so much. I'd jammed the whole machine up, the bowl slipped, tilted and couldn't move. The locking device was stuck. Long story short I found the answer eventually but I'd removed and replaced the bushings while searching for an answer. I plugged it in and nothing. As soon as I saw your video I rechecked how I'd put them in and viola!

you saved me man, well my mixer that is...nothing to do with me as a person. All hail, king of the mixers.

Helped me to fix a mixer wife found that didn't work on low speed, Adjusted the electrical contact on the speed lever and it works on all speeds now. Thanks for the detailed video

Thank you so much, I had been putting off fixing it because I thought it was the board. Knew I would have to order it. Walk through the steps you did. And plug it in and it started right up. Didn’t have to order anything

Your video saved a K5SS from Brazil! Thank you so much!

Your video just saved us a $200 repair trip or a new mixer. Thanks! In our case it was just a jammed and gunked motor brush. Maybe someone was a little too curious and put it back in wrong.

Thank you! I was mid panic attack before finding your video.

Thank you, this helped me get my mixer fixed. I had an adjustment screw? near the rear where that copper flap connects. I toyed with that and I got it adjusted to work again! No parts needed. Awesome source of info on these mixers!

wow that little indent for the brushes was the trick! wasnt even contacting the armature! Here am I am thinking its the speed controller! Thanks dude!

Our mixer was not working at all. I took the brushes out and looked at them to see if they were too short and they still had about 1/2" left on them. I accidentally put them back in wrong. I watched your video and reinstalled them the correct way. Then turned the power on and still nothing . I tapped on the top a little bit and it started working. Thank you for your video.

Thank you so much. I usually hate RU-vid and I never watch it; even though I was one of the first to watch it regularly way, way back when. So you basically fixed my stand mixer for me. It is a trick; that it's hard to insert it at first so you think that when it goes in you solve the problem. Instead you have to turn it and turn it and turn it and see when the spring gets the shortest. By that of course I mean take the spring out and put it back in. The thing is, is that I would trust you to fix "my stuff." I hope your shop makes lots of money; the honest way. Hopefully, within a few years you will have to hire more and more employees because people would rather have their stuff repaired than buy a new one. Who is this new mixer in my house? I don't know you! My old mixer was my friend; we made things together that I could give to my friends. So you get this new mixer and it doesn't hang around, within a few years it ditches you.

You are definitely Mr. Mixer ❤❤❤

Thank you for clear instructions! 2 days before Thanksgiving and I need my mixer.

Thanks man! You saved my Kitchen Aid!

I couldn't see the notches inside my machine. If you pay close attention though, when you put the brush in correctly, it will actually sink deeper into the machine by about 1/4". Just keep rotating it 90 degrees until you find the one that's correct.

Zack, thank you for the detailed description concerning these brushes. This fixed my issue.

Thank you! Got it for free, now fixed it and have a beautiful working kitchen aid! Donation forthcoming!

This video was a life/pocketbook saver!! Thank you!!

you literally just saved my kitchenaid, thank you bro

God bless you! I was trying to get a coin out that my kid got in and this happened. Thank you so much. Fixed it in a sec with your instructions. Keep up the good work buddy :)

Yes. Those darn teens with a butter knife. Thanks to you, we figured out their sabotage 😂 and fixed it!

Yep, that worked. Thanks for the technical support.

Thank you very much for your very informative video.. I took my machine apart and when I put it back together what's not working with your video it started working again can't thank you enough..😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😝

Thanks for the tip, it really saved me a lot of thinking and time. I did a little search so far this is the only video that explains the process step by step.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make such a nice video! I will make sure to keep you contact info, I have 4 machines, so far they all working but will need service on one soon! Thanks again!

Omg thank you! I took my kitchen aid apart so I can clean it and then it wouldn’t turn on until I found your video!

THANK YOU, MR. MIXER...! Dude really.....? That's all that was wrong with it...... One brush was turned the wrong way...... I must have taken this thing completely apart, eight or nine times. I knew it was getting power to the motor but it was not spinning, figured it was something else. I ordered parts yesterday... Saw this video early this morning and .....BAM....! Problem solved... called, canceled my order just in time... Turned out to be a Hell of a day ...!!! keep up the great work. Great Videos Thanks Again...!!!!!!

Thank you for this video and channel!! You definitely saved my bacon!

Thank you for posting this great video. It definitely helped me to understand the Heavy Duty Kitchenaid Mixer with the carbon motor brushes.

Thank you so much for this video. I sold mixer today that I had thought quit working, but I after I put the brushes in correctly it works perfectly. Why don't the user manuals or even the vintage service manuals say anything about this basic fix?

Hey your tip on the brushes worked for me … thank you

@MrMixer316 You very nicely referred me to this video.....based on my vague question/comment on a previous video re: how to take apart the machine to re-grease (what are the black screws on the sides of the head unit?).....yes, I did take those out before I really started on viewing your video (SMH!) As I was watching this video I started freaking out that maybe I too had fried the circuit board.....but whew net net, I did not! So lucky! One thing you might want to include in the comments is that if someone does end up having to pull out that little rectangular square-ended brass? component, (yes I did because the spring disconnected from the grey "brush"? piece that was embedded improperly in the brass? component, SMH again!), know the proper position that the rectangular squared-ended brass component needs to be re-inserted. I am not sure if it was important but luckily I was super aware on when I worked on the other side of the machine...& was able to figure it out..... I did take the machine apart just to a point 1) to see if anything in the main area was stripped but chickened out going further; 2) to see if I could take it apart & put back together successfully! If I followed the instructions properly, I would have been successful the first time!..... Thanks for your excellent video (including the gotchas to look out for)....at little goofy in the beginning but was able to easily skip past that!

Thank you sooo much!!!! You just saved me a lot of time and anxiety!!

Thank you!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤ You saved me a lot of time and money!

Thank You, Mr Mixer..!!!! I Just Finished Replacing the Grease, in my Mixer. I Watched Your Videos, To Do It. After Putting it Back Together, It Didn't Power Up! Well, Before Changing Grease, I Took Out The Bushings! Well, I Put Them back in the Wrong Way! They Went In, But They Stopped At the End of the Channel...Because of The Notch. I hadn't realized the Brushing Would Go Back In, But Hadn't realized the Notch Would Let It Go Through to the Motor. Thanks...!! I used a Flashlight, and On Mine, The Notches Are In Different Places, In Each One. Like One Is In Upper Right Corner. The Other, the Notch Is Upper Left Side. So...Lastly...on the Back, There is That Speed Plate. Question...There is a Screw At the Bottom, Is It Supposed to Be Tight, or Is It Supposed to Be Out a Bit. It's That Single Screw, At the Bottom of Plate. It's Visible After Taking Cover Off. Right at 15:00 on Your Video, You Can See the Screw. It Looks Like Panel Hits the End of Screw, When You Have it On Max.

Thank you! problem solved. The brushes were inserted but needed to get past that cut out.

Thanks for teaching us by faking your failures. The best way to teach.

Fantastic video! Stepped me through not only (properly) replacing my machine's brushes, but also the phase control board and the speed control plate (at least one of which I bought from your store 👍). Unfortunately, none of those replacements managed to restore power so I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with it... 🤔

Hey, never mind I figured it out, in case someone has that question. I found a tiny drill but that was short to make sure I didn't damage the mixer. I drilled a small amount and just pulled the drill out, with the brush attached. Yey, now I need the new brushes

Omg you saved me! Like hundreds of dollars! THIS DANG VIDEO IS LIFE!

I love your troubleshooting videos.

Thank you soooooooo much!! You saved me a trouble man :) I fixed mine following your instructions. Many thanks

Sometimes it’s the little things that can hang you up, great video thank you.

Excellent content! Thank You Mr Mixer!