KTTS505ESS2 KitchenAid Trash Compactor - Instructions

Screwed in as far as I could get it but it never went flush with the wall of the compactor like the factory placed ones.

Replaced the bearing assembly at the base of both ram screws (worn out and noisy)
Replaced the drawer switch in the lower back (broken)
Replaced the top up/down switch (old and faulty)
Replaced the nylon ram nuts.
Replaced the control panel on/off/start switch.
Replaced the chain, and chain gear set.
Replaced ... Read more the motor.
Replaced both sets of drawer rollers.
Final cost in parts - $450 - new compactor $1100. Works like new.
Had to be creative in the 2 drawer switch as they are now longer offered for sale. Found suitable replacements.

This may be my last chance at repairing this.

1)Pulled the unit out remove the top and bottom covers. 2)Disconnected the drive chain by removing the sproket from the motor. 3)Unscrewed the drive rod on the side that worked and removed the ram. 4)Reassembled and used the bin for trash while waiting for the part. 5)The nut came with clips included (this was not noted in the order but i ... Read more s vital) removed the stripped nut by breaking the old clips. 6)Installed the new nut, clips on the ram. 7)Installed the ram onto both drive screws. I had to hold the 'top sensor' switch up to reverse the screws to lower the ram. 8)Rinstalled the top and the appliance. 2 thru 4 dealing witht the chain, sproket and screw were fairly complicated operations.

Remove the compactor drawer. Remove the front cover from the controls. TAKE A PHOTO OF THE WIRING TO THE EXISTING SWITCH! Remove the screw from the side of the switch and pull the switch out from the machine. You have to look very carefully at the switch to see the color labels on each prong of the switch. Attach gray wire to top prong ( ... Read more GR), red wire to middle prong (R) and so forth. Compare your work to the photo you took. Replace the switch, front plate and drawer. IT WORKS. YAY. Warning, my husband is dyslexic and attached the wires in reverse order and the compactor did not run at all. So, be sure you match wire to label.

Laid compactor over on its side. REMOVED 5 SCREWS holding cover plate to expose gear drive. Found that large drive broke in half. Used screwdriver to start split ring then pliers to pull it off the rest of the way.Take off the washer . Next I needed to losten the 4 nuts holding the drive motor. This allowed me to slip the rest of the driv ... Read more e gear off the drive shaft. It was then a simple matter to put the new gear back on the chain then slide the whole thing back on the drive shaft. Replace the washer then slip the split ring back in place and seat it home with the pliers. Retighten 4 nuts on motor support. Put cover back on with 5 screws 2 in front 3 in back Pushed button it worked.I must mention that this was a Sears compactor but when I went to their online parts they no longer supported it. I found Part select and they suggested I look at a Kitchenaid compactor and after checking out the picture it looked the same,Iordered the part and it was the same. Thanks I guess I'll come to you first now.

The repair was simple as you can imagine. Thought I could buy these legs at any big box store or at least at the local hardware store. No such luck. Partselect had the right product---easy to order and easy to install. Things around here are great.

Installed new parts. Worked fine.

Emptied all garbage! Laid machine on its side. Removed cover. Removed left over gear parts by removing pin. Loosened chain by removing two top left corner screws. Place new plastic gear in position with chain. Returned screws to top left corners. Returned pin to gears. Make sure chain is taught. Replace cover. Lift back up from i ... Read more ts side. Test.

There were no instructions that came with the parts kit other than how to set the spacing for the gear lash. There were parts in the kit which I have no idea what they are (4 inch long plastic pipes?. Having 4 years experience with Sunbeam appliance repair was an asset. The old melted and broken gear came off easily with a few strikes of ... Read more a hammer on a flat blade screwdriver. The replacement gear was a perfect match and the scroll pin was put in with a little gusto effort (tight fit as it should be). It would be great if just one gear or the other could be ordered....

After inspecting to make sure the actuator was functional and that power to the unit was not an issue I was able to find that one the drive gears cracked in half and made the compactor inoperable. It was easy to remove the bottom casing with a nut driver. This casing covered the drive gear which operated the ram. After slightly loosening ... Read more the gear mounts and I was able to replace center gear and re-attach gear chain and re-tighten. Then replace bottom casing and the compactor was back in action. Huge savings!

Removed bottom and replaced gears

Removed the gear cover at the bottom of the compactor. Loosened the slack on the chain. Replaced the gear drive. Replaced the gear cover. Worked like new. No major obstacles.

plugged it in

shook bottle and painted waited a day and repeated

Everything worked perfectly---thanks to the suggestion of your call center agent. She suggested that since the replacement door handles were no longer available, I should consider repainting them--it worked like a charm. Please tell her she was a life saver. We rent that house in Fl and my returning tenants had complained about the discol ... Read more oring refer handles. Thank you