Why is my KitchenAid mixer leaking oil???
Have you ever noticed that your KitchenAid mixer is leaking oil? There is a reason this is happening and there are solutions to fix it, the best part?? It’s not rocket science! Throughout this article we will discuss why its leaking, what steps can be taken to fix it and why you should fix it rather than replacing. Even if you haven’t noticed your mixer leaking, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need to be regreased so buckle up, find the shallow end of the pool and let’s dive in!
Editors Note: Throughout this article we’ll be using the terms “grease” and “oil”. Grease is what is used to lubricate the gears in the gear box, oil is what leaks out and is a byproduct of the grease as it begins to separate due to age.
Why is my mixer leaking oil?
The reason why is quite simple and is has to do with both the design of the mixer, which is stellar by the way, as well as the lifetime of grease itself. This may come as a surprise to you, but nothing lasts forever, not even the grease in your mixer! As your mixer ages, usually around the 2-3 year mark you may start to notice oil leaking from the unit. Sometimes the oil leaks around the head, sometimes down the shaft that the beaters secure in place on. Often times even if you can’t see visible oil leaking, you will still have a leak, especially if you take off the stainless trim band, commonly referred to as the beauty band. Grease likes to hide behind this band and pool up until enough leaks to allow it to become visible as it streaks down your mixer.
“Often times even if you can’t see visible oil leaking, you will still have a leak, especially if you take off the stainless trim band, commonly referred to as the beauty band.“
In the 1970’s and 80’s a tan colored grease was used. We often refer to this type of grease as the forbidden caramel. It looks just like caramel and let me tell you, it may look mighty delicious, but please refrain from tasting! Often times you will find what appears to be stains on the lower housing or the beauty band appearing almost rust like. It’s not rust, its grease!!!
Forbidden Caramel
“…it may look mighty delicious, please refrain from tasing!”
As we move forward in the timeline into the 1990’s and 2000’s the grease used in the units was a dark black color or the “forbidden chocolate”. It was very noticeable when it leaked as it would ooze a dark black residue.
Forbidden Chocolate
No, this is not some new exotic chocolate…Put it down.
The last update to the grease was around 2014 when KitchenAid began using a white grease or “the forbidden whipped cream”. Yes, I know, why are all the most delicious things in life forbidden?? The white grease is a little less conspicuous as when it leaks, it’s a clear color. One may not even attribute it to grease if you didn’t know what it was. KitchenAid claims that the reason for the switch to the white grease was that it was less thick and easier to pump into the units during production, but from a high level of corporate thinking, it may have been a marketing scheme to hide the fact that these units do leak. Of course, no one would ever come outright and say that, but it’s a possibility none the less.
Forbidden Whipped Cream
Talk about stiff peaks! Still, you probably don’t want to throw this on your favorite slice of pie.
Before we progress any further in this article. I do want to make it very clear; mixer are machines. They are beautiful, even considered to be a work of art, but they are machines none the less. Any machine over time will have issues, they will leak, they will require maintenance. I often tell people, compare it to your car, you’re not going to hop in and drive a million miles without ever changing the tires and oil and doing some basic maintenance. Your mixer is no different and as previously stated, nothing lasts forever. However, with some basic maintenance, your mixer can!
We should honestly be very grateful that KitchenAid Mixers are designed to be serviced and repaired as many things in this world are purely disposable and designed to be thrown away. Mixers are so serviceable in fact that any issue experienced with the mixer can be fixed and every part is available for replacement on the website www.mrmixer.store. Gold start to KitchenAid for not taking part in a throw away society. It’s a major win for the right to repair!
Now that I’m off the soap box, let’s get back to the matter at hand. The grease is leaking because that is the natural progression of the life of the grease. As it ages it begins to break down and the oil in the grease begins to separate and revert back to a liquid form. The mixers, especially the tilt head units and the K5SS style units all have a fiber gasket that seals the upper and lower housing together. As the grease separates and leaks, the oil is absorbed by the gasket, and it eventually leaches out of the machine. It will also start to leak down the agitator shaft (the part that you put your paddles on) so if you find some oil in the bottom of your bowl, this is why.
Here are the tutorials showing the process of removing and replacing the grease.
Tilt head
KitchenAid Mixer Re-grease How To Pt. 1, (Classic, Artisan) Tilt Head
K5SS
KitchenAid K5SS Mixer Re-grease Guide Pt. 1: Disassembly
Just because you don’t see oil leaking however does not mean that the grease does not need to be replaced. The professional 600 style of mixers also have grease, and they can and will leak but often due to their design they do a better job of trapping the oil within the head of the mixer. Its best advised to regrease your mixer every few years because as the oil separates and the grease breaks down, it will no longer lubricate your gears properly allowing for excess friction. Excess friction is expressed through excess heat which will wear down your components faster and result in potential damage to electronics as well as cause gears to wear faster!
Professional 600/Pro 5 Plus
How to fix a KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus & Pro 600 Re-Grease and Gear Replacement Guide: Pt 1/2
Why should I regrease my mixer as opposed to replacing?
Regreasing your mixer will effectively extend the life of your mixer indefinitely especially when coupled with routine maintenance and replacement of parts as needed. Mixers become incredibly sentimental over time as they are often received as gifts for things such as weddings, anniversaries or graduations or even passed down through families through the generations. We have serviced machines that were 4th generation mixers passed from great grandma, to grandma, to mom to granddaughter! Can you imagine all that a mixer like that has seen and how many memories it holds??
If you couple that with the fact that appliances over time have not gotten better and seemingly have been designed to wear faster or fail completely and need replaced, it makes for a perfect recipe (pun intended) to repair and service your mixer. KitchenAid Mixers are no different, the new models really just do not stand up to time as well as their former counter parts. Therefore, keeping your unit alive is the clear option and easier than ever when coupled with tutorials and supplies from Mr. Mixer.
Did you know that if you aren’t the do it yourself type, Mr. Mixer actually accepts shipped mixers, even going as far as sending a box to your door to send it in for service. That is how committed the Mr. Mixer team is to making sure these wonderful units do not end up in a landfill! We even go as far as to offer a lifetime service guarantee package to make sure you never have to get rid of your mixer. If you send in your machine for a full rebuild or purchase a unit through Mr. Mixer, it qualifies to have the lifetime service guarantee upgrade!
Here are some links for sending in your mixer and the lifetime service guarantee info as well!
Ship in your mixer for a full service
Lifetime service guarantee
As always Mr. Mixer is committed to keeping your mixers alive, we look forward to being a part of your baking experience and we thank you for allowing us to keep your mixers alive!