Compactor draw was not opening fully as the wheel bearings had seized
I followed the you tube video instructions provided by customer care. This involved pulling the unit free from the cabinet, removing several screws that held the housing in place, this gave access to the wheel assembly, then I removed the nuts that held the wheel assembly in place. Fitting the new wheel assemblies was easy as was replacing the housing screws. After reinserting the draw and pushing the unit back into the cabinet it worked like new
Compactor piston stuck in down position and couldn't open!!!
First thing I did was put the unit on its side and removed the bottom to access the broken plastic gear that moves the chain that drives the compactor up and down...There I was able to manually move the chain by turning the nut with pliers and moving the piston up (painfully slow) until I could at least use the bin for trash while I waited for the replacement part to arrive. Once I had the part I loosened the four bolts that allowed the drive gear to move a little and slacken the chain - I then put in the new gear - make sure you have the proper spacing and washers - my replacement kit didn't have any washers so I resused the old washers and all seems to be working well!
Rotary switch had finally worn out and was brittle and broken on our 30 plus year old trash compactor.
Removed the switch knob, the outer nut, and the front plate. Unplugged the old switch from the 3 wires and plugged them into the new switch and put it back together with the new knob. Probably less than 5 minutes.
Removed drawer Pulled out from cabinet Unplugged power cord Removed top cover Removed front panel Put front on 2x4 block Unscrewed leveling legs Used 9/16" socket to remove old rollers Installed new rollers installed front panel installed top panel Plugged in electric cord slid back into cabinet inserted drawer tested Works as good as new
With nothing in the KitchenAid Instructions nor anything on the internet… I had to go it alone. Actually quite simple… I laid the unit over on its front and removed the 5 screws holding on the bottom plate. This exposed the motor and drive train which turns the two compacting screws on each side. The main drive gear was broken. Taking a wrench to the main drive… I was able to free up the jam… a piece of glass from a broken bottle.
I went to the internet and did a search on KitchenAid Trash Compactor Parts and discovered PartSelect.com… They had me enter the Model Number of my unit and a parts diagram and list came up… I found the gear I needed… ordered it and in two days it was here. Instructions came with the gear on replacement and in no time I was back in business.
I was impressed with the simplicity of KitchenAid’s Compactor, and the ease in which I was able to get my part from PartSelect.com!
I flipped this unit over,removed 4 screws to the drive gear.I tore apart found a nut came off the screw rod.Which broke the drive gear.I looked on line found the parts select page.That showed the diagram i needed,to order parts, i needed.The wife and i tackled this task,of repairing this product.The repair was quick and easy.It took less than 30 minutes including cleanup.The wife happy,that all that matters. Jack
Pushed button, made a buzzing noise, nothing happened.
Laid compactor over on its side. REMOVED 5 SCREWS holding cover plate to expose gear drive. Found that large drive broke in half. Used screwdriver to start split ring then pliers to pull it off the rest of the way.Take off the washer . Next I needed to losten the 4 nuts holding the drive motor. This allowed me to slip the rest of the drive gear off the drive shaft. It was then a simple matter to put the new gear back on the chain then slide the whole thing back on the drive shaft. Replace the washer then slip the split ring back in place and seat it home with the pliers. Retighten 4 nuts on motor support. Put cover back on with 5 screws 2 in front 3 in back Pushed button it worked.I must mention that this was a Sears compactor but when I went to their online parts they no longer supported it. I found Part select and they suggested I look at a Kitchenaid compactor and after checking out the picture it looked the same,Iordered the part and it was the same. Thanks I guess I'll come to you first now.
Once I discovered that the ram was down, I had to determine why. Opened up the bottom and discoverer the drive gear was broken. Ordered the parts kit and made the repair. Did not know what the other parts in the kit were for, but it works.
Emptied all garbage! Laid machine on its side. Removed cover. Removed left over gear parts by removing pin. Loosened chain by removing two top left corner screws. Place new plastic gear in position with chain. Returned screws to top left corners. Returned pin to gears. Make sure chain is taught. Replace cover. Lift back up from its side. Test.
The repair was simple as you can imagine. Thought I could buy these legs at any big box store or at least at the local hardware store. No such luck. Partselect had the right product---easy to order and easy to install. Things around here are great.