Kitchen Aid Blender Not Spinning Repair

Kitchen Aid Blender Not Spinning Repair

If you love cooking but hate cleaning a blender, then you’ll find this tutorial helpful! The KitchenAid 5 Speed Blender parts are quite expensive so it’s important to keep it in good repair. I’m going to show you how to fix the blender from a spinning-blades angle and also from an electrical level.

How to fix your KitchenAid blender not spinning? This is the question that troubles many people who have used their kitchenaid for years only to stop working on it one day because of some issue with the blades.

If you love cooking but hate cleaning a blender, then you’ll find this tutorial helpful! The KitchenAid 5 Speed Blender parts are quite expensive so it’s important to keep it in good repair. I’m going to show you how to fix the blender from a spinning-blades angle and also from an electrical level.

What to look for?  First you should check that the gears are aligned correctly on both sides of the blade shaft.  The plastic gears should be rotating smoothly in their respective grooves and there should be no visible wear or unusual disturbance in the plastic. If a plastic gear is not properly seated in its groove, then it will eventually cause excessive wear and breakage of the plastic gear and metal blade shaft.

Step 1: Disassemble Blender into pieces. First start by removing the electrical plug from the back of the blender. The plug is held in place with 2 phillips screws, so you’ll probably want to keep those for future use if needed. 

Step 2: Remove the Grinder Spindle,  If you do not have a replacement grinder assembly, then put your hand firmly on top of the blade and PULL THE BLADE out at the extreme end.  It may be possible to just twist it away from you and remove it by hand, but I found I needed to apply a bit of force while twisting to help break it loose so that I could get a grip with my other hand and pull it out. 

This is where the plastic gears are located in the blender. You should not need to disassemble the blade very far beyond this point. If a plastic gear is not properly seated in its groove, then it will eventually cause excessive wear and breakage of the plastic gear and metal blade shaft.

Step 3: Remove Blender Front Cover. Remove the screw holding the front cover plate onto the blender housing.

Remove Blender Front Cover Screw

Step 4: Remove Blender Housing Cover Plate Screws   The screw for this plate is on bottom left side of housing, so it can’t be seen from top side of housing, you will have to take off the housing completely to access this piece.

Under the cover plate, you will see the plastic gear/blade assembly. 

You should not need to disassemble the blade very far beyond this point. If a plastic gear is not properly seated in its groove, then it will eventually cause excessive wear and breakage of the plastic gear and metal blade shaft.

Step 5: Check Alignment of plastic gears and Blade Shaft   Make sure that both side gears are correctly seated around their own metal shafts before re-assembling any parts. The shaft that connects to motor has a pin on it that sits in little slot which limits its rotation on the shaft. If one side is not seated in the groove, it will cause more problems in the future.

Step 6: Re-assemble Blender & Motor Parts   Once you have finished all of your alignment, then re-assemble your blender and assemble any parts that came off during disassembly. 

Use a drop of oil on both plastic gears and shaft to prevent friction. When you are reassembling the blades, you need to make sure that they are completely aligned with their housing and blade guard plate.

Step 7: Plug Blender Back Into Electrical Outlet  Plug your blender back into the electrical outlet and turn it on. It is normal for the blender to make a few grinding noises as the gears re-align and even make contact with each other.  Once they are properly aligned and connected, then it will start to spin again.

Step 8: Test Spin Function of Blender  Turn the blender on at a low speed, then increase the speed until it is spinning at maximum capacity. If the blades are not wobbling or wearing excessively during high-speed operation, then you have fixed your blender’s spinning problem!

Additional Blender Maintenance Tips  

If you have cutting blades such as dicer with your blender, be sure to clean those often too. If left to dry, the cutting blades will rust causing excessive friction and shortening the life of your blender.

Using a toothbrush, you can get into all of the little spaces where food particles can stick and cause problems.  Also rinse it after each use and keep your blades clean with a soapy rag or sponge. 

How to Fix an Unbalanced Blender Blade?  If your blender has an off-center blade that wobbles instead of spinning true, then you may have to play around with the position of the blade on its shaft to get it balanced properly.

Step 1: Unlock Crank-Action Blade Hub and Rotate Blade 180 degrees  There are two screws holding the blade hub to the motor housing, one is located on top of the motor housing, while the other is located on the side of the motor housing.  You will want to unscrew only one of them at a time.

Unscrew Only One Screw at a Time The key to rotating this piece is that it has a pin on it that rotates in a slot which must be aligned parallel with where it connects with the blender blades. If you rotate this piece too quickly or too slowly, then you may end up breaking off this pin or stripping out your blender’s gears.

Step 2: Rotate Blade 180 degrees and Lock Crank-Action Hub in Place  Rotate the blade hub 180 degrees and lock it back into place. The locking screws should be parallel with the pin on the hub. Test your blender immediately to make sure that it spins correctly.

If turning off your blender blades without applying pressure makes them stop spinning, then you need to realign your gears by removing one side at a time and getting its position adjusted correctly on top of its shaft. It is unlikely that you will need to remove both sides of your blades from the housing as one side or the other has likely shifted out of alignment with its shaft or rear gear housing.

Problems with Blender Gears?  If your blender is having an issue with its blades not staying spinning, then you may need to realign the gears on top of its shaft.

Remove One Side of Blades at a Time and Adjust Gears On Top of Shaft

Make sure that each plastic gear’s teeth are meshed correctly on top of its shaft. You’ll have to take these gears out slightly in order for them to rotate freely. If you see the plastic teeth begin to bind, then you can apply petroleum jelly or some kind of lubrication on top of the gear so it will spin freely. If you can’t find a way to get your plastic gears meshed correctly or fix the problem altogether, then it’s best to return it for repair.

Blender Blocking Its Own Blades?  Check to see that no food is blocking the blades. If your blender is designed to have air sucked in and cycled through the blades, then it will do this by itself when plugged in. However, if solid food is blocking this mechanism, then you will need to clean out the blade shaft every time you use it.

If your blender is getting gummed up with fruit, vegetables or other solid food, you will need to clean the blades and blade shafts by using a soft brush. 

Clean Blender Blades & Blade Shafts  Take the blades and blade shaft out of the blender and use a soft brush to clean all of the dried food off. Rinse them in warm water and dry them with a clean cloth.  If one side of your blades is gummy or sticky, then take that side out, rinse it under warm water and dry it thoroughly with a clean cloth. Make sure that no food particles are stuck inside the blade chamber at this point.

How do you fix a blender that won’t spin?

Realign the gears on top of your blender’s shaft as needed. Re-identify all of the parts you took off, and test each one to see if it’s properly aligned. Rinse your blender blades with warm water and dry them with a clean cloth to clear out any food particles that may be stuck inside them. Clean out the blade chamber using a soft brush. If you are still unable to fix your blender, then the problem is most likely related to its blades rubbing together when in use. At this point, you will need a service technician to fix your blender.

How do you fix a seized blender?

Start by putting the blender into “run” mode. This will force the motor to start and run through its normal grinding cycle. Now that your blender is in motion, apply a small amount of peanut butter or other thick, sticky substance straight onto your blades. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes and then test spin function of your blender again. If it is running properly at this point, then you can use a plastic putty knife to scrape away the material causing the problem.

Can a blender be repaired?

If your blender is under warranty or was purchased recently, then you can most likely send it to the manufacturer for repairs. If your blender is a few years old, then it will be cheaper to replace than it would be to pay for expensive repair costs. In general, blenders are designed to last an average of 2-3 years before needing replacement. It is recommended to replace a blender every 2 years for optimal performance.

What can you do if your blender does not have replacement parts available?

If your blender has reached the end of its normal lifespan and you do not have the funds to purchase a new one, then there are some things you can try in order to make it work again. Remove the blades from the housing and clean any food from both sides with a soft brush. If they won’t spin freely, then apply petroleum jelly or other kind of lubrication to them until they spin easily by hand. Be sure to clean out all of their little crevices as well.

Why did my blender stop working?

There are a few reasons why your blender may have stopped working. One of the most common is that the motor is worn out and requires replacement. If you start to see an issue where your blender blades won’t spin, then it’s best to replace the motor first so you don’t have to deal with a broken blade. By having both sides at once, you can save time overall and avoid additional frustration.  Another reason could be mechanical in nature, such as when a gear gets stuck or ends up being too tight on top of its shaft.

Conclusion:

While most people consider their blender to be a simple kitchen appliance, it is actually a costly piece of equipment that has tremendous potential for improving the quality of your food. As you can see from this list, there are many different things you can do to make your blender work better and last longer as well as help prevent it from breaking altogether. The amount of money you invest in your new blender will be worth the time and trouble in more ways than one.