Does my K45SS need service? (wobbly)

[Joshatdot]

I have a 80s something K45SS .. and when mixing almost anything it gets a little bit wobbly. It seems to happen when the planetary mixer thing is at 10 oclock, if you were looking directly down at it.

Here is a video of it on action

KitchenAid K45SS - Wobbly when mixing - YouTube

[Andy M.]

It sounds and looks like the latch/hinge for the tilt head is loose. When you hold it with your hand, it seems fine.

[Alix]

Did you have the head locked down? Mine will do that if it isn't locked.

[Joshatdot]

The head lock works fine .. in the vid when I hold it, it still wobbles .. watch my arm jiggle when I am holding it.

[forty_caliber]

Is the beater height adjusted properly? Does it hit the bowl?

.40

[Joshatdot]

The same wobblyness happens with flat, hook, BeaterBlade .. and prolly wisk (haven't used it yet)

[jim262]

The head locking mechanism should be secure enough to prevent wobble and all that should be visible with heavy dough in the bowl is slight flexing around the hinge pin. You should be able to pick up a locked mixer by its head without feeling any movement.

Check the hinge pin and make sure it is secure. The lock screw is accessible through the neck of the mixer base.

When the pin is secure, do a bowl to beater adjustment using a “dime test” There is KitchenAid videos on You Tube that illustrate how it done for a K45SS.

When bowl to beater clearance is OK and the hinge pin is tight, the lock lever should lock the head securely. If it does not, there may be some damage or wear on the either the mixer base of the lock plunger.

It does not take much change in bowl adjustment to reduce locking capacity on a tilt head and care should be taken if an adjustment is made to accommodate a silicone edged beater.

[Joshatdot]

Thx Jim .. I'll check all adjustments & whatnot.

[Joshatdot]

The only way my mixer is 'stable' is if I turn the adjuster screw out until the head locking latch is set so the Head will not move at all when locked. But that means the beater clearance is much higher then it should be. If I 'dime' adjust the beater .. the head wobbles around. I've taken apart the hinge pin stuff, and the pin was straight & had no bents. I reset the pin in a different spot then before .. and still wobbles when 'dime' adjusted.

[TATTRAT]

Yeah dude, that isn't right. At all.