Brand: KitchenAid
Model Number: 5KSB5553
Main Symptom: Slight hot electrical smell during operation when using with collar / jar including strange noise and reduced blending performance. Appears to operate fine without the collar - with some light electrical smell which eventually goes away. Blade assembly feels unusually stiff and very hot after operation.
What happens & when:
I purchased this blender in October 2022 and it has generally worked well until recently.
The initial issue was that there was some rubber debris around the drive coupler as well as the smell and the noise during use. Thinking the issue was the coupler I replaced the coupler but the smell and the strange noise still exists.
Current symptoms:
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Mild hot electrical smell that eventually is gone during operation without collar / jar.
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Smell is noticeably stronger when the jar/blade assembly is attached.
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Blade assembly gets very hot after use.
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Blending performance is not as good as when the blender was new.
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With the jar removed, the motor shaft/coupler spins freely by hand.
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The blade assembly itself feels noticeably stiff when turned by hand.
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If I flick the blades by hand, they stop almost immediately rather than spinning freely.
I suspect the blade bearing or seal assembly may be creating excessive resistance and causing the motor to work harder than normal.
My main question is whether there is any way to service, lubricate, rebuild, or replace the blade bearing/seal assembly itself, or if the only repair option is to replace the entire collar/jar base assembly that comes with the blade assembly pre-installed.
Error Code (if any):
Parts or tests already tried:
Photos / video link: iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud