Kenwood Chef Repair

Kenwood repair in Worthing, West Sussex

Smelly Kenwood Chef A901

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FixItWorkshop, Worthing, Jan’17.  Repaired Kenwood Chef A901

This Kenwood Chef developed a nasty little problem. The failure smelled expensive and the Chef even puffed out some smoke when it began to fail, it would operate, but noisily and badly, so it to the workshop it had to go.

It was in decent overall condition and has loads of accessories, so definitely worth saving since a new one is over £300 new.

Since the speed control circuitry is a common failure on models of this age, it seemed sensible to start there.  On this unit, access wasn’t a problem and the issue was quickly diagnosed.  Both capacitors had failed (spectacularly)  and one of the resistors had become weak by about 20 Ohms or so.  Repair kits are readily available online for those who are willing to save these excellent machines, so after removing the faulty components, new items were fitted.

Another little annoying problem with the Chef, was the main drive belt.  It was intermittently rubbing the main plastic body of the unit, making a horrible sound and melting some of the casing (only cosmetic).  The motor mounting spacer had compressed on one side causing the belt to not run correctly.  This was fixed with a small washer to correct the belt’s alignment.

With a little bit of grease, WD40, Brasso, contact cleaner, repair kit and washer, the whole job took a couple of hours (including fettling time) and cost me under £8.  Definitely worth the effort considering the price of a replacement Chef.

Here’s a picture of the new components fitted in situ…

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FixItWorkshop, Worthing, Jan’17.  New capacitors, resistors and triac fitted, fixed!

Author: fixitworkshop.co.uk

Hi, my name's Matt and I'm on a mission to save everyday items from the bin. Many things are repairable, but we've seemingly fallen out of love with mending things. I aim to fix that by publishing each repair I carry out in the hope that others will be inspired to repair their things and keep them for longer.

22 thoughts on “Kenwood Chef Repair”

  1. I have recently undertaken the repair of an A901 and while I had it apart I also cleaned and regreased the gearbox etc. I now have exactly the same problem with the drive belt now riding ‘high’ on both the motor and gearbox pulleys. I think realigning the motor as you describe is what I need to do but how on earth did you get the washers in place to achieve this? (I am presuming they need to fit between the plastic motor mounting spacer and the motor itself but how do you keep them in place as you offer up the motor inside the casing of the machine?

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    1. Hi John, thanks for getting in touch. In theory, you shouldn’t need washers as there should be ‘adjustment’ on the three motor bolts/ screws (viewed from above where the motor drive is) that can be used to adjust tension. I’m wondering since yours was OK, that one of the plastic cams those screws sit in is upside down or that the plastic carrier that the motor sits in isn’t seated correctly. I used a washer or two between the metal body and plastic cam to correct the misalignment- since the plastic parts on my machine were worn. Hope that makes sense. Basically, re-check your assembly, if you’ve had it in bits. It’s easy for a component to not sit correctly.

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  3. Smoke, lots of smoke … my Kenwood A901 ceased operations and let out massive, white smoke. Maybe, I pushed it a little too hard. A quick glance revealed a resistor and a capacitor totally toast. It could be an easy repair, if I knew the specifications. The resistor meassueres 37ohm, but I cannot verify the colour coding. Same with the capacitor … it’s beyond recognition – toast. I haven’t checked the triac, but I guess it needs a replacement, too.

    Can anyone help me with the details?

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    1. It will probably be easier to buy a repair kit on eBay, than try and source the components individually. I would search for capacitor repair kit on eBay for the A901 and you’ll get a few sellers. Go for the listings that provider up to date equivalents, rather than new old stock.

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      1. Agreed. Had the same thing 6 months ago and it really is a 5 minute job to fit the new parts. Make sure you replace both capacitors as if one has gone the other won’t be far behind (and may have been overstressed through spikes in voltage from the first failure). I didn’t replace the Triac and it has been absolutely fine for me. My mixer was my Mum’s and is still going strong at over 50 years old – a really great piece of design.

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      2. I found a repair kit for just 9£ and it was an easy process to replace the five components and restore my 41 years old machinery. Also, it was a great feeling to see the grand old mechanics work again.

        Thank you all for your contribution

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  4. Thanks for the above comments re: the belt riding up. I added two washers though for symmetry. Easy enough to get them in: remove the 2 bolts and plastic cups nearest the end, slacken the 3rd one but not too much, push down the plastic spacer and using small long-nosed pliers to hold it slip in the washer.

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  5. Hi Matt – thanks for such a brilliant blog!
    I am trying to fix a Kenwood chef A901, by putting in new drive belt and pulley, …but I’m struggling to remove the old pulley.
    There is a little metal rod holding it in place, which I can’t get out !! – Do you have any advice… currently i’m trying to drill it out with a 3mm bit, which will hopefully not damage the motor shaft, but i wondered if you had any advice, as it looks like you have done this before 🙂 Hoping you are well, and to hear from you, thanks, Kathy

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      1. HI Matt – wow – thanks so much for your speedy reply!! … actually, i returned to drilling it out, and it worked, so I replaced the pulley and drive belt and the mixer is all up and running again!!. I should have photographed it!! , but alas, didn’t think to. Good to find your site… i’ve mended this mixer twice now, so maybe i’ll re-visit (hopefully not too soon!), all best wishes, Kathy

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  7. Hi I’m trying to repair a kenwood chef A901 the fault was no power under load. I replaced the 2 capacitors with 154k 400v and 473k630v. The kenwood no longer switches on. I have tested all my conections. What could be wrong.

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  8. Hello The drive belt is broken on our Kenwood FP530 food processor but I can’t get into the base to replace it? Any ideas? I’ve removed the 5 self-tapping screws that hold the base cover on and then removed the 2 motor screws (through the base grill) and that side is loose but it is still fixed on the other side of the machine? is it the drive spindle that’s holding it? Any tips gratefully received.
    Thanks

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  9. So I’ve got an old 701 that I’ve stripped, cleaned, and regreased the gearbox on. Everything is fine apart from the ‘small pulley sleeve’ (part 128 on the exploded diagrams) which appears to have rubbed through and is far from fit for purpose. I think this is to stop the belt from hitting the case, but I am struggling to find a replacement.

    Machine works absolutely fine, and the belt does not appear to be riding high at all, so I’m not sure I need to resolve this quickly. A washer would be too thin and would bounce around if not snug…

    Any thoughts? I would 3d print a replacement, but not sure how robust PLA/ABS would be for this job.

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  10. I have a Kenwood A901 where the small pulley gear melts and then runs crooked. It has happened twice now. It seems the top motor bearing and shaft get very hot. I have stripped the motor and oiled the bushes and felt. The motor turns more freely now and the bushes seem fine but the shaft and bushes are still getting warm. Maybe not hot.
    The motor and speed control run smoothly.
    Any ideas?

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