Disassembly of DLX 9000
My DLX mixer that I purchased used on eBay several years ago began acting up about a month ago. It would stutter when first starting up but once running was fine. More recently it also started stuttering while running. I concluded it was headed down hill and it was time to replace it. I purchased the N30 model and it was delivered last week.
I now need to decide what to do with the DLX and I don't think I can reasonably make a decision until the problem is diagnosed which means shipping to Magic Mill/Royalux. I wonder if before doing that it might be wise to take it apart to see if there is an obvious problem like a loose connection and also whether I can remove the arm assembly to simplify packing and reduce the weight.
If any of you have disassembled the DLX 9000 I would appreciate hearing about your experience and any hints, tips and warnings you might have.
Thanks,
Terry
I have taken mine apart , though it did not have a stuttering problem. When you say stuttering, do you mean the bowl does not move at a uniform speed, and speeds up and slows down? There is a mounting bracket for the motor that can get loose. I found a post on that repair years ago and will look to see if I can find it again.
I looked and looked, and eventually found it
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=4471.0
Hope that helps.
...I mean it is almost like driving a car with standard transmission when the clutch isn't properly engaged; sort of a lunge, lunge, lunge before finally engaging.
Terry
Terry, check the post I just linked to. My guess is that the alignment and the motor and pulley are off. The speed control is electronic, I doubt it would give you that sensation. You may have to bend the bracket back into shape.
...so I can eliminate that as a potential cause.
Opening the case was simple once I found the correct star-bit for my driver. I ran the motor with the case open and observed no problems. In addition there was no stuttering apparent, perhaps because it was running without load.
While I had the case open I realized that removing the arm for shipping purposes is a non-starter. I looks like I'd have to remove the motor just to get to point of examining how the arm mounts; no thanks!
I'll have to research what the fully reconditioned DLX might sell for and see if it is worth the shipping to and from New Jersey to get a diagnosis.
Thanks for your help and insight.
Terry
Terry, I did remove the arm , but can't recall how I did it. When you had it open, did you see anything that would account for the stuttering? When you ran the motor with the case open, did you see if the motor varied its speed at all. I may be the electronics that control the motor speed that is causing the problem, if you have ruled out the belt and the pulley.
It appears to be an issue more when under load. After closing the case again I ran with just the empty bowl and the roller and scraper and it stuttered a bit at start up but not as much as when the bowl contains around 1kg of ingredients. It also runs fine when running without the bowl.
BTW: I've pretty much abandoned the idea of sending it to Royalux for repair since the shipping alone back and forth would be about $50 and recent sales on eBay commanded less than $200. I'll either try to find a home for it at no charge and let the taker follow up with repair or keep the bowl as a spare and just put on the shelf. If anyone in the family here is interested, let me know.
Terry
I used to have one of these and it developed a fault where it ran very lumpily. I eventually traced it to the top motor bearing being goosed. This bearing is next to the power take off drive. Just check if there is any play at that point.
Interestingly (and very usefully!) I discovered by chance that the the early Ankarsrum mixers use a very similar motor to a make of lawnmower sold in the UK by the name of Flymo. (Ankarsrum and Flymo both made by Electrolux.)
I was able to use the bearing from a scrap Flymo to fix my Ankarsrum! The bearing is a non-standard floating plain bearing, so you can't use an off the shelf part..
Lance
I'll check it out when I have time.
Terry
Terry, the bearing sounds interesting, if you need one, just get the dimensions and call Accurate Bearing http://www.accuratebearing.com/ They have no minimum order, and if you have a caliper, you should be able to get all the dimensions needed. If it is not the bearing, my guess would be the motor controller or speed sensor. The ad copy for the mixer says it runs at certain speeds regardless of the load - which suggests that it has a speed sensor in the motor, and a circuit that increases or decreases power to keep the speed constant. A problem in either end could cause surging or stuttering.
...since "jiggling" the speed control knob sometimes kicks it out of its bad behaviour. Either way I don't think it makes economic sense to fix it and sell given the market. It may end up as a backup to use if and when I make large volumes of dough.
Terry