Read First Before Buy KitchenAid 9704230 Blender Coupling
Lara Docgirl, you rock - I'm so happy I found your instructions here!
I first tried the printed instructions that came with the spare part, over and over dozens of times, and my husband did, too. No result, just idle spinning and mounting frustration. Next, I tried blocking the motor wheel with a screwdriver inserted from the bottom to unscrew the coupling from the top, but it was difficult to find the right spot and I feared I'd break off some motor blades or damage the wires. Then I tried tiny flat spanners in my toolbox to stabilize the socket to screw off the coupling on top of it - but although the spanners fit under the coupling, they were still the wrong size: more idle spinning.
Then I tried Lara Docgirl's approach - (1) place the unplugged blender base on a tabletop, facing you, base down/coupling up; (2) take a punch or a flathead screwdriver, and place it against one of the coupling teeth that is furthest away from you; (3) strike the back of the screwdriver with a small hammer or mallet. The result will spin coupling clockwise. It may take several tries, but the coupling will eventually spin clockwise faster than the motor, and it will begin to unthread;(5) unscrew the old coupling, and screw the new coupling into place (counterclockwise). Note that the new coupling will tighten itself every time you use your blender, so no need to worry about tightening it too much.
Hey presto! It worked (although my original coupling was so worn that it had no teeth left - I just let the screwdriver sink in the rubber while hitting it lightly with a rubber mallet) - in about 20 seconds, or about 5 taps the old coupling came off, no real force needed! After an hour of frustration!!! Now I'm off to fix the margarita to celebrate!!!
Lara Docgirl, you rock - I'm so happy I found your instructions here!
BalasHapusI first tried the printed instructions that came with the spare part, over and over dozens of times, and my husband did, too. No result, just idle spinning and mounting frustration. Next, I tried blocking the motor wheel with a screwdriver inserted from the bottom to unscrew the coupling from the top, but it was difficult to find the right spot and I feared I'd break off some motor blades or damage the wires. Then I tried tiny flat spanners in my toolbox to stabilize the socket to screw off the coupling on top of it - but although the spanners fit under the coupling, they were still the wrong size: more idle spinning.
Then I tried Lara Docgirl's approach - (1) place the unplugged blender base on a tabletop, facing you, base down/coupling up; (2) take a punch or a flathead screwdriver, and place it against one of the coupling teeth that is furthest away from you; (3) strike the back of the screwdriver with a small hammer or mallet. The result will spin coupling clockwise. It may take several tries, but the coupling will eventually spin clockwise faster than the motor, and it will begin to unthread;(5) unscrew the old coupling, and screw the new coupling into place (counterclockwise). Note that the new coupling will tighten itself every time you use your blender, so no need to worry about tightening it too much.
Hey presto! It worked (although my original coupling was so worn that it had no teeth left - I just let the screwdriver sink in the rubber while hitting it lightly with a rubber mallet) - in about 20 seconds, or about 5 taps the old coupling came off, no real force needed! After an hour of frustration!!! Now I'm off to fix the margarita to celebrate!!!
I was ready to give up on my kitchen aid blender. noticed that the coupler drive (thing a magiggy is what i called it before) was breaking a part every time i used my kitchen aid. i have had the thing since 2004 and never had any problems. so i when it was tearing apart i thought it was over and put the base in the recycling bin. i started using the web to look up new blenders and then amazon saved my kitchen aid. i saw that the part could be replaced and went to the recycling bin cleaned my old blender and pried off the old coupler ( watched a youtube video on how to) and when my new coupler came in the mail popped the new one in and it worked like new. The coupler saved me $90.
BalasHapusI followed this review to test the removal before ordering...
BalasHapus"Several other reviewers have mentioned this, unplug the blender, use a long screwdriver to stop the motor from turning (insert screwdriver from bottom of base up through one of the holes in blender base), and then unscrew the coupling. Simple and easy."
Took 10 seconds and was much easier than using a hammer or a torque wrench to get the top twisted off. Just insert the screwdriver towards the middle of the bottom so it effectively prevents the flywheel from spinning then hand twist the coupler 'righty loosey'. : )
My wife's aunt broke the piece by pushing down on the blender while it was running. This may be true on cheaper unit that may be unstable but this was a bad thing to do on the KitchenAid unit. It ended up breaking a few teeth on the coupling. I thought I'd have to dump the unit and buy a new one but some research pointed me to this replacement unit. Replacing it was a piece of cake. Take a flathead screw driver and point it at a 45 degree angle against one of the left over teeth on the angled side and hit the screw driver sharply with a hammer. You need to do it such that when it hit, the piece will turn "clockwise" which will unscrew it. It's a reverse thread so it's NOT lefty-loosy and righty-tighty but the opposite. One or two hits will loosen the coupling so you can unscrew it and screw on the new one. Presto!!! $10 fix vs $100 new unit.
BalasHapusThe coupling was the perfect replacement for the old one. However, getting the old one off was an experience. There are 2 flat slots on the spindle below the coupling that require a flat spanner/wrench to hold in order to remove the coupling which has an opposite to normal thread. Anything I found flat enough to fit would not hold the spindle tight enough. I finally had to remove the base and remove the little magnet which is glued on the bottom of the spindle and then use a vice-grips to hold the spindle. Presto! The magnet popped back on OK, however, it probably should have more glue. It would be a simple task if they included a cheap flat spanner with the coupling for an extra dollar. I gladly would have paid for it! Better luck!
BalasHapusThis item arrived on time. The instructions provided were very easy to understand and the item was very easy to replace! Great buy and now the blender is as good as new.
BalasHapus
BalasHapusFollow the directions from Frustrated post-doc! Throw away the directions that come with the replacement part. I initially removed only the plastic black top of the broken coupler (by following the directions that came with the part) - thought I was doomed, but used the hammer and flathead screwdriver, as post-doc directed, against the remaining metal part....after a couple of whacks it unscrewed easily...then put new part on! Works great! ANYONE can make this repair!
BalasHapusWe called Kitchen Aid because this was the second blender that this part failed on. Of course it was out of warranty so they told us we would need to send in the unit for repairs. We found the part just popped off so my husband started hunting the part. We bought 2 and the repair took less than a minute. More people need to know about this.
BalasHapusReplacements parts received in super fast time and in superior condition. I was a little wary of buying parts this way, but they even came with complete instructions! It sure saved me a bundle in repairs! Plus I've learned not to let my hubby use my "good" appliances! LOL!!!
BalasHapus