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Panasonic Bread Machine SD-255 Repairs - Replacing the drive
We use a Panasonic SD-255 automatic bread maker. One day the plastic coupler to the mixing bin shattered. Other Panasonic bread makers have similar mechanisms and this page should therefore be useful to others! The Panasonic part number for the connector is ADE97A107.
Access to the works is not difficult, but is not very obvious. Click a thumbnail for a larger view.
1: remove the 4 feet: they are retained by simple No. 2 Philips head screws. Also remove the screws holding the power cable and uncouple the connectorsphoto 1
2: remove the 2 screws in the top nearest to the front controls. You do not need to remove the 3 screws near the hinged top but it may be easier if you do.
3: The scary bit! The control box is a click fit and is now the only thing holding the bits together. So it needs unclicking. There are two visible click fastenings at the back which are shown in the photo 2. Release these with two thin screwdrivers or other similar objects, one to push in the tab and the other to lever up the control box where it joins the base.
4: Once the back two visible tabs are released, the four concealed click fastenings must be unclicked by brute force, levering the control box upwards. The loosened control box is shown in photo 3 - the four concealed fastenings are visible at the top.
5: The plastic box housing can now be removed for easy access to the drive.
Panasonic Bread Maker Drive system
The drive belt can be replaced without further work.
The drive shaft is retained by an M4 nut and washer. Remove these and the rectangular metal plate can be removed with the pulley and belt.
The drive is retained by a circlip. Remove this with the fibre washer. The broken drive shaft is now free and can be withdrawn.
Reassembly
This is easy, simply reverse the above steps. However it is not easy to locate the plastic box outer with the rim of the top piece. The fit is quite close tolerance and if presentation is not correct, the machine won't bottom in the box properly. I fond the easiest way to do this was to assemble the main body to the control box, fasten with the two screws. Then place that upside-down and slide the cover over it, when the rim locates easily. Once located, screw on the four feet - the screws will locate easily if the cover is fitting correctly.
Turn the bread maker the correct way up and a sharp tap with the heel of your hand will click the concealed fastenings together.
Other faults
Paddle won't start to turn without a helping hand
In early 2021 I was emailed by David Hoult who said "I've repaired two of these, initially mine, then my daughter's. The fault in both cases was the 3µF capacitor which had degraded to about ¼ of its correct value... Others may have the same problem of not a slipping belt but a reluctance/inability to turn the paddle in stiff dough, or even so the paddle won't start to rurn."
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Document URL: https://diy.torrens.org/HowTo/panasonic.php