KitchenAid Burr Coffee Mill KCG200 (aka A-9)

[rp2813]

I just picked up one of these at Goodwill today for $14.99.  It's in working order but needs a thorough cleaning.  The previous owner may never have cleaned it.  The exit chute was packed solid and other parts are still caked with oily bean dust that, judging from the feel and smell was probably a regular diet of dark roasted Peets.

 

I've found a non-printable owner's manual and parts list on line but I'm having trouble removing the jar support/grind selector ring in order to clean it and the burr grinder below it.  There's an acorn nut that I'm unable to loosen and remove in order to disassemble those components from the base.  The entire burr assembly rotates and there's no way to hold it in place to remove the nut.

 

Is the spindle the nut screws onto supposed to lift out along with the jar support?  It's stuck and so am I.

 

Here's a picture of the nut and the caked-up jar support that needs to be removed in order to thoroughly clean it.  The owner's manual has a drawing of this assembly but the nut looks more like a nub, and it shows the spindle being lifted out with just two fingers gripping the nub.  It doesn't seem inclined to lift out for me in any remotely similar manner.

 

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Try this before you take it apart...

Grind a bag of rice through it. The rice will come out very dirty then will be totaly white at the end. Then run a hand-full of coffe beans through before you grind for drinking. This works every time I do it.

Good luck,
Rich

 

[sudsmaster]

Can you stick a screwdriver or similar blunt instrument into the gap between the "dome" and the burr to keep the burr from moving?

Is that the "Proline" model that sort of looks like a miniature mixer?

 

[gansky1]

If its like the A-9

There should be a set screw for the grind selector ring 180 degrees from the outlet (on the back).

Remove that screw and twist the grind ring off. You will then be able to clean out the oily bean curd and start over. These "heritage" models had a tendency to clog when oily, flavored coffees were milled frequently. Once cleaned up, it should be fine.

 

[rp2813]

I did try to wedge a screwdriver in there to keep the burr assembly from moving, but the acorn nut wouldn't budge.

 

Here's a picture of my model.  It's a revival of the original 1937 vintage A-9 that was manufactured by Hobart.

 

From what I've seen on line, I got a pretty good deal on it.

 

Chuck, thanks for the rice suggestion.  I'll definitely use that cleaning method if I can't get the grinding mechanism disassembled.

 

 

 

[rp2813]

Here's the exploded view showing the acorn nut and parts below it that I'm trying to remove but curiously, it doesn't show the spindle (or whatever component) the acorn nut screws onto.

 

[kenmore71]

On the original models, if you remove the screw on the back (#20 in the diagram) you can then turn the black grinding hopper all the way out. Then you can get a vise-grip around the lower burr to hold it stable. From the drawing it looks like the replicas are the same design.

 

[rp2813]

Yes, I removed the screw #20 which allowed me to turn the hopper (grind adjustment ring) and separate it from the lower body, but there's still not enough room to get anything like pliers, channel locks or vice grips in there.  I don't know how they expect you to remove the acorn nut, which is why I suspect that whole assembly should lift out along with the hopper, but I can't get it to budge. 

 

I've attached a link to the owner's manual that I'm unable to print.  If you scroll down to the Care and Maintenance section on page 11 of the guide, you'll see the instructions for removing the burr shaft assembly from the motor housing, which advise simply to "lift" it out.   The images of the grind adjustment ring don't show an acorn nut, which serves to make the whole process even less clear.  Perhaps the vice grips need to be used on the acorn nut vertically to pull the burr shaft assembly out.  Once cleaned, it might lift out more readily, although I could probably use Chuck's rice routine going forward if I could clean up the residue thoroughly this first time.

 

By the way, whether you search for the model A-9 manual or model KCG200, this same document is what comes up.

http://shared.whirlpoolcorp.com/assets/pdfs/literature/Use and Care Guide - 9707030.pdf

 

[gansky1]

You'll have to pry it out. The acorn nut is only for adjustment of the lower burr height against the upper burr ring attached to the grind selector ring. Two large flathead screwdrivers should work.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Greg!  So I can pry under the "finger guard" that the acorn nut sits on top of?  And would I want to tighten down the adjustment ring before I start prying?

 

[gansky1]

Carefully, but it is attached to the lower burr mounting ring #7. Not sure on these newer models if that is screwed directly to the motor shaft though. Did you remove the bottom plate to see if you can hold the motor shaft from there?

 

[gansky1]

If you have the black ring #3 off, can you hold the lower burr ring by wedging it from turning and then try the acorn nut again?

 

[rp2813]

Yeah, already gave it a try with ring off and wedging.  I'll remove the bottom plate tomorrow and see if there's a way to get at the motor shaft from there, and will report in with my findings.

 

[sudsmaster]

It sounds like the motor shaft is keyed to accept the lower burr assembly, and that it's a slip fit. It's probably got debris and/or corrosion on the shaft that has resulted in the lower burr assembly getting locked onto the shaft. I'd try lifting the lower burr assembly out with the aid of two flat screwdrivers gently prying it up. You might be able to rock it loose.

This is just my impression from looking at the drawing, the manual, and the other comments. As usual, be careful not to overdo the prying.

I'm guessing that the acorn nut does not screw onto the drive shaft, but rather onto the lower burr mounting plate. After you remove the lower burr assembly it might be possible to remove the nut. It's also possible it's a left hand thread, which could explain the difficulty in removing it now.

All the above is just educated guesswork. Looks like a cool grinder, although the Pro models are even more intriguing (they look like miniature KA mixers and cost almost as much!).

PS-I was able to print the manual you linked to just fine. In fact I made a pamphlet copy. I can snail that to you if you like.

 

[sudsmaster]

Looking back at your photo, it doesn't look like you pulled the adjustment ring and upper burr plate off the grinder. I think you need to do that before trying to get the lower burr out. It should just lift out after unscrewing the adjustment ring a few turns.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Rich.  I agree that there's likely built up debris cementing the upper assembly into the lower one.  All the more reason to take it apart and clean it.  Good call on the possible left hand thread. 

 

I'm betting this thing was a gift or that the previous owner was somehow unaware of just how much these grinders cost new, otherwise they'd not have been so quick to toss it out.  They clearly didn't appreciate it enough to take proper care of it.

 

I don't know why the manual won't print for me.  I click file/print and nothing happens.  It doesn't even bring up the printer's menu.  I'm suspecting an automatic update from Firefox yesterday that isn't yet compatible/communicating with my printer.  I'll give it a few days and see what happens.

 

[sudsmaster]

Ralph, it's an Adobe Acrobat document, so all you need to do is to click on the little printer icon on the Adobe portion of the document header, and that should work pretty good, giving more options than just a browser File/print would. You can also download the pdf to your local computer and bring it up in Windows Explorer, which should bring it up in PDF/Adobe native mode.

 

[sudsmaster]

Ralph, it sounds like you only need to unscrew the adjustment ring a few turns and it should lift off easily. When you turn it counter-clockwise, does it turn freely? Or does it feel like the threads are still engaged? Once you get the upper burr/adj ring off, then you should be able to see the lower burr/motor shaft assembly and that should lift off also. It looks to me that the acorn nut and chrome dome is there simply to direct the beans into the space between the upper and lower burrs. It's probably attached to the lower burr/plate, not to the motor shaft.

 

[maytagbear]

I'll bet

that the previous owner ignored the warning about NOT grinding preflavored beans, and that it's all gunked up with sugar, etc.

Nice catch, anyway. This revival version was on the market for only a little while.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[rp2813]

The picture doesn't capture it, but yes, the ring is loosened and separated from the lower housing but the finger guard is just barely larger than the opening in the bottom of the ring, so it can't be lifted past it.  If the ring could get past the finger guard, I'd have been on my way and this whole thread would have been a before & after documentary.  I think the image of the adjustment ring in the owners manual document may show the type that was used on the original A-9 model.  That one probably did just lift off since it appears to be a one-piece ring/finger guard item.

 

It occurred to me while trying to fall to sleep last night that I could download and save the PDF file, then print it.  I was originally only wanting to print the pages with the cleaning instructions to have handy out in the shop, so that's why I didn't download the whole thing. 

 

I haven't bothered with the grinder again today.  It's too damned cold in the shop right now, but I'm hoping to get at it later.

 

[rp2813]

Rich Nails It Again!

The acorn nut is a left-hand thread.  It came off like buttah!

 

I have the whole burr and hopper disassembled now.  Even the threads in the housing for the adjustment ring are caked with powdered coffee.  I took the coarse brush that came with my Cuisinart Grind & Brew to the burr and it worked well, but it's a tedious process.  I decided I should stop and grab the camera to take some "before" pictures, so will be uploading later.

 

Also, there was no download option offered when I tried to save the owner's manual document.  I instead right-clicked on it once it was open, it offered the print option and the printer window opened.  I'm printing it right now.

 

[westie2]

Yeah!!!  The help from members on here is the best.  Why I love AW.

 

Now waiting on the before and after pictures.

 

[rp2813]

Before I take the last of the pictures for posting here, there's one issue. 

 

The reassembly instructions say to tighten the adjuster ring until the grind mechanism "offers complete resistance."  The ring on my mill tightens all the way down, but the burrs still spin freely.  As a result, the settings on the ring are off, with the finest possible grind corresponding to the ring's "medium" mark.

 

When I removed the bottom plate to have a look at the motor, I noticed the bottom of the motor shaft has a slot in it for a screwdriver.  I'm wondering if this is the way to adjust the bottom burr higher so that it makes contact with the top burr and offers "complete resistance" when the adjuster ring is in the proper position to reflect the correct grind.

 

If anyone can confirm this and provide advice on how to proceed, a post would be appreciated.

 

[rp2813]

Pictures

Here we go with the "before" shots.

 

First, the adjusting ring after being freed up from the motor housing:

 

 

[rp2813]

The burr on the underside of the adjusting ring before I removed it.  The retaining screws are covered with residue.

 

 

[rp2813]

Inside the motor housing after the bottom burr assembly had been removed:

 

[rp2813]

Lower burr assembly (bottom view):

 

 

[rp2813]

The other side (after I had used a brush on it).

 

I later realized that this is a two-piece assembly (duh, I had removed the pair of screws earlier) and that the top and bottom burrs are identical and interchangeable.  It was filthy in between these two components, and the most oily residue of all was on the lower portion inside the tabs that surround the burr.

 

[rp2813]

Here's almost all of the loose residue I removed during the cleaning process.  The bulk of it was packed inside the grind spout.  The only thing I had handy for scale was a dimmer switch knob.

 

 

 

[rp2813]

After:

The clean components.  The burrs cannot be cleaned with water.  Brushing only.  This was taken before I had separated the two pieces of the bottom burr assembly and was able to clean them more thoroughly.