Replacing Motor Brushes on your KitchenAid Mixer 

Same here 👍

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much - I was heartbroken that my 23 year relationship with my mixer was over and was about to buy a new one!

Same here. Didn’t even occur to me that the brushes would be 180 degrees out from each other.

Thanks for the feedback. We always recommend looking because we have come across many mixers that have been repaired and not put back the same way as they should be.

Hello, searching with a pen light is not always possible, each time I exchange the brushes on a kitchenaid, I used a small punch to mark the location of the bevel. It is discreet and does not damage the paint in any way. My clients could change them themselves the next times. Cordially from France, and excuse me, because translation on line.

@@remi-tl5lp Thank you. That is a very good tip. To be fair, KitchenAid could have cut a corner off the tabs on the brush holder when they formed them. An opportunity missed.

We are glad you found our video helpful. We are also glad that you have repaired your mixer too. Thank you for your kind comments. We appreciate any comments that you have.

Same here

The brushes are curved so that they make full contact with the armature. If the brushes went in 90 degrees out there would only be a small point of contact which would cause lots of sparks or it might never make enough contact for the motor to spin. It is unlikely that the carbon grain requires the brushes to be a particular way up so there could have been two bevels that were directly opposite which would have doubled the chances of putting it in the right way. If there were two bevels there would again be less brush making contact and the brushes would wear slightly quicker. In truth, bevelled edges have been used for over 100 years to ensure brushes are replaced correctly on equipment that can be repaired. Cheaper appliances often do not have replaceable brushes and since the brushes are factory fitted they do not need a bevel.

It sounds like the control plate needs adjusting. Have a look at our speed adjusting video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bM3t46afGcc.html

Yes, the Whirlpool part number W10380496 replaces the original part number. It is designed to work in all KitchenAid the non-mini tilt-head mixers and the KPM5 style 5qt mixers. Please be aware that there are now several different manufacturers of aftermarket brushes which use the same part number to market their versions. Some aftermarket brushes are as good as the original however some are shaped the same but have different carbon compositions which have been known to cause more sparking and wear away the contacts on the armature at a faster rate.

Hi, You may have to open the mixer and even remove the armature to get the carbon piece out without further damage. You may be able to use some of the sticky glue used in glue dots (the type you find sticking samples in magazines or credit cards to letters when they come through the post). Some sticky glue on the end of a flat screwdriver may be able to grip it well enough.

Hi, Thank you for your message. Please could you kindly send us a video of your mixer so we can send it to our technical department to see if we can help you diagnose the problem. I look forward to hearing from you. Jade

It sounds like a loose connection on the control plate or possibly the control plate contacts are not making a good connection.

Hi, it sounds like your worm gear is damaged. This video shows how to replace it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n7813f_z6qM.html

If the caps are that brittle they will need replacing. Normally the plastic does not deteriorate like this. Has it been stored in very cold conditions? We would normally take the entire mixer apart and remove the brush holders. There is a good chance that other plastic parts in the mixer are also brittle.

If it is loose you may be able to get it out with a something sticky on the end of a stick such as a glue dot or blue tack (or even tip the mixer sideways). If it is jammed in you will need to open the mixer up (how to do this can be seen here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fTh56wwO-uY.html) When you have the mixer open it should be possible to free the brush using needle nosed pliers.

Dear Rosyrose, We would advise you to remove the end cover to see if anything is stuck. Further you may need to take the head apart to see what is obstructing your speed lever. Please see the attached link to our "replacing your worm gear video" which shows you how to remove the head of your mixer. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-O-ZH1wnF8es.html Kind regards, K A Parts

@@sampickering6973 thank you for replying. I actually saw your other video on how to replace the speed lever & when I got to the lever the screw was loose so I just tightened it and i was able to move the lever again. Thank you so much for your videos.

It could be. If you remove and check the length of the brushes it might be a simple fix.

Check the fuse in the plug first (if it has one in your country). If the fuse is OK, check the brushes are the right way round (as shown in this video). After that you will need to diagnose what has failed. We do not have any videos on how to do this.

Once I corrected the misshapened springs (I inserted a small wooden dowel just slightly thinner than the spring...I tightened the twist and massaged it with my fingers bcuz if over tightened it would break), I was able to put them in properly with no sparks when turned on!

@@fdort3971 WEll done for getting the springs sorted. Aside from buying another set of brushes, the only other suggestion we had was to reuse the psrings from your old brushes if posible.

That is unfortunate. All those pieces need to come out or they may damage the armature or new brushes. Can you use a vacuum cleaner to remove them? Sometimes something sticky like bluetack on a screw will help. If not, you may have to take it apart to get it clean.

Brushes wear out. They are a bit like tyres on a car. If they still have plenty of life and are not damaged, why change them.