January 17, 2017 - 6:37pm
Zojirushi bread machine: shaft is stuck
I have the Zojirushi BB-HAC10 bread machine. It is about five years old and worked fine until yesterday. Today, the shaft that holds the kneading blade is stuck and does not move at all.
Below are two photos. The first shows the shaft inside the bucket.
The second photo shows the other end of the shaft, under the bucket.
It is impossible to rotate the shaft, even with pliers. The shaft looks exactly the same as before and I cannot identify the reason it is stuck.
What can I do? I looked for a solution in this forum and elsewhere. Several posts mention stuck blades, but not a stuck shaft. Many thanks for your help.
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Do you hear the motor running if you switch it on without the bucket ?
Can you see the gear /driver /base or whatever you call it rotating of you switch it on workout the bucket ?
If so, then your motor is fine and it might be something gumming up the shaft. I had similar issues with my bread maker after several years of use, where the silicone gasket around the shaft started getting very used and frayed, and small amounts of water and flour would seep through, down to the axel thingy at the bottom of the bucket, dry up and gum up the mechanism. You might want to check that out. If that's the case, a long hot soak, a bit of scrubbing, drying, then oiling (with mineral oil) might help.
Hope that helps !!
Aisha
Aisha, the motor is fine, the problem is just the shaft.
I followed your suggestion and poured some hot water into the bucket and let it sit for a while. The shaft can now be rotated again.
Thank you, you have been very helpful.