KP26M1XSL5 KitchenAid Mixer - Instructions

At first thought part was incorrect as the electrical connection tabs on the circuit board were not inline as the existing part. However, upon closer examination I realized that the same quantity of tabs existed on the new part and although not inline, were clearly marked the same as the original part. Unit was easily replaced and is operating just like new.

removed top housing, removed gear housing cover, removed all gears, cleaned out all grease, obtained gears and new housing cover, fit all gears in housing, filled with grease and put on housing cover.
Reassembled mixer.

The repair was easy, I only had to order new gear assembly parts and to replace the associated worn parts (shaft, pin, and gears).

1. Removed the decorative band then the upper motor cover.
2. Removed the upper gear case cover. Found one of the two alignment pins broken.
3. Inspected gears.
4. Cleaned out old grease.
5. Repacked with new food grade grease.
6. Reassembled.

Remove and replace gear case. Apply food grade grease secure with screws.

First you need to remove the aluminum ring around the housing by using a Phillips screwdriver and removing one screw. You will then have 4 screws around the housing to remove. Once the screws are removed lift the housing and set aside. At the front of the machine there is a housing that encloses the gears. Remove the 4 screws, lift the housing and set aside. At this point you will see the gears and on the shaft there is a snap ring that needs to be removed. Once the snap ring is removed tap the shaft down and remove it from the bottom. To assemble insert the new planetary and reverse the steps to reassemble.

I went to YouTube and there are several Mixer repair videos that go through step by step. Four ounces of food sate grease is also required as the grease must be changed. This appears to be a a common problem. One issue that I discovered is that the old planetary had an Oring in the shaft The replacement parts do not. They must have changed the design so please make sure that food safe grease is used.

replaced the two Bearing slides thanks to your video repair was quite easy

Removed 2 screws holding the switch unplugged the one at a time.
opened the gear box cover 4 Philip screws, cleaned out the grease
removed the pinion gear, removed pin, removed the planet gear assembly replaced gears in reversed order greased it up put gear cover back on and tested worked great.

using Phillips screw driver, remove 5 screws - take off cowl (cover)l. remove 2 screws holding speed control assembly
unplug old speed control assembly (4 plugs) and plug in new speed control unit - reassemble cowl .

Taking apart the machine is really easy. I was worried the grease would have spilled all over the places, but when the machine is cool, the grease is solid, so no spill. Replace the parts is quite straightforward, and there are plenty of tutorials on line. The only tip is that the grease used by KitchenAid is dark, and it is not easy to see all the small parts when you take the gearbox apart, so pay attention at what you do and at what you throw away... when I got to put it back together I missed a special concave washer which must have been trapped in the grease. Other than that... it has been an easy repair, the mixer is back up and running and I saved a ton on $$$

Remover screws from top. Used snap ring pliers to remove snap ring replaced gear and reassemblied.

Thank goodness for YouTube. Pretty much followed the process of taking it out. Was easy, but having a video made it a bit simpler.

When I ordered a replacement assembly, I was sent a "new" replacement. As I had read up on your site to number the 5 wires BEFORE I removed them, this was a great idea. The new assembly was wired differently than the original board. Although no install instructions came with the new part, it was just a matter of connecting the NUMBERED wires to the new configuration. The first time I fired it up after plugging everything in, nothing happened! I removed all the plug-in wires and reinstalled to ensure I had not gotten a tight connection because of the plastic covers over the end connectors. On my second try, everything worked as advertised! VIOLA!!!! It was a bit tough because of the tight spaces within the motor housing and the new wire routing. Just take pictures of the area BEFORE you disconnect anything and you should do o.k., since I did. 20 minutes.

I removed the decorative band that covers the seam by removing 1 screw. I then removed the top portion of mixer by removing 4 square head screws. You will then see the gear housing in the front of the mixer. Remove the 4 screws holding that on. There are no spring that are going to pop out and you never know where they went, but be careful because there is a lot of grease and a gear that it just laying in there on the right side. You will see the stainless shaft with a couple on gear cogs on it. Remove the retaing spring from the shaft and pull the top gear off, it may be a little snug. You will then see the dowel pin, mine was sheared off but I could see where it was. Be sure to remove the broken pieces. Use the punch to knock out the remaining pin. Replace with new pin making sure it is evenly exposed on both side of the shaft. Replace the top gear, then the retaining spring, the the gear housing cover, then the mixer top cover and finally the decorative band. Be sure to unplug before you start. These mixers are expensive and expensive to have someone fix them. I ordered 2 pins because shipping is a little high and the pin is cheap. I fixed this for $17.00 total and have a spare pin.