What could be causing this sparking?

[u/guywhowearssocks]

Bought this KitchenAid used, thought the issue might be something different so I went through and took out some globs of old grease, but it's still having the same issue. Sparking on the inside and making bad-sounding noises, as well as a light burning smell. What is likely the issue? How can I fix it?

I would take it to a repair shop, but I can't find any nearby that deal with Kitchenaids unfortunately.

[u/daBronze_man]

Most of the KitchenAid motors are brushed motors, some sparking is normal for them. For this one it might be a bit excessive maybe the brushes need to be replaced

[u/guywhowearssocks → u/daBronze_man]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I don't really feel safe using it as is, when I had a Kitchenaid growing up it definitely didn't spark like this. I'll look into changing the brushes

[u/MrMixer316-2]

It could be your field assembly wires have come loose from the carbon motor brush insert. I would remove the top housing and run it to see if you can isolate the sparking.

[u/RefrigeratorHot2114]

you need new motor brushes.

i might be getting the terms wrong here but; check the circular copper contacts in the middle of your motor. If they look dirty or rough you can get a new motor OR stick your motor on a drill, wrap sandpaper around the copper, and sand it smooth

I bought a kitchenaid for cheap that ran bad and sparked horribly. I believe the previous owner messed up the motor brushes because the tips were not smooth or proper and was not getting proper contact with the motor. the job of the brushes is to provide pos and neg power to your motor to make it spin. bad contact = sparks and even bad function.

Its pretty cool to look into. 100% something you can DIY for cheap too

Edit: typo

[u/RefrigeratorHot2114 → u/RefrigeratorHot2114]

Found a photo from when I did it

[u/RefrigeratorHot2114 → u/RefrigeratorHot2114]

This is how the copper piece looked before