KenmoreGal2

In addition to my avatar, I have a Kenmore 117.740 made in 1956 by Gritzner Kaiser. It's my dedicated FMQ machine. I oil it when I complete a project. I try to oil not only the red marked areas, but every place where metal meets metal.

Today I was using it and it started squeaking. I oiled it again but I guess I am missing the dry spot because I didn't stop the squeak. I disengaged the clutch so I can be sure the squeak isn't in the motor or the handwheel. I think the squeak is in the top of the machine, not the bottom. I actually think it's in the spot above the needle but I can't find anywhere else to oil. I used the machine for a bit squeak and all but it was getting worse and worse so I quit. I'm at a loss.

I think I oiled a bit too much, I wiped a lot away. I don't have any more FMQ to do for the next week or so. My thinking is to just let the machine sit during that time and hope that my oil magically finds it way to the spot where it's needed. Any suggestions??

Thanks!

Tartan

You can sit it someplace warm and hope the oil works it's way into the spot. You could unthread the needle, put the foot down on sone os paper towel or scrap fabric and run it until the motor warms up and see if the squeak stops? I am not an vintage machine person so I am not much help.

KenmoreGal2

I did run it without thread with no change in the squeak. Hopefully time will take care of it??

Thanks!!

tessagin

You can do like Tartan says and while it's running oil til it stops squeaking. shouldn't take that long. Check your manual. Maybe you missed a spot. Good luck! Let us know what it was. plz.

Tink's Mom

I have had the same problem with my industrial machine...oiled until I didn't know what else to do...finally sat and ran it without thread for about 20 minutes and no more squeak. Must have worked it's way into the right spot.

KenmoreGal2

Sad to say I did that. Darn. Thanks for replying. I will definitely let you know how this turns out.

Cari-in-Oly

Same thing happened to my BFF a couple weeks ago. It was driving her crazy. Turns out it was the foot. You say it's your FMQ machine? What kind of foot are you using? If it has a spring........

Cari

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Cari but I checked the foot already. It does have a spring. It's a pivoting darning foot but it doesn't squeak. Darn.....

Susie - my reply must have posted at the same time as yours. I was actually replying to tessagin. I did run my machine (I was trying like the dickens to finish the FMQ project). I don't think I had the guts to keep going for 20 minutes. I was afraid I was ruining my machine. You say it worked for you?? Interesting....

J Miller

I have had the same thing happen to a Singer 518. A squeek, just apears out of nowhere. Clean it till you can eat off the bed. Oil it, oil it, grease it, oil it till you think it would be better to just soak it in a tub of oil ... and it still squeaks.

Finally both my wife and myself said: "Run or blow up." She went on with her projects. Many hours later ( I could hear it squeaking all over the house she took a break. I pulled the top, oiled it again. Turned it over, oiled it again. Stood it on the hand wheel and oiled it some more.

She went back to sewing and it still squeaked.

Then I went downstairs and she was sewing away .... and ..... no squeak. My theory is that a piece of thread got stuck somewhere it wasn't supposed to be and had to work itself out.

I still hate that machine.


Joe

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Joe. It's sounding to me, from the responses I've gotten, that running a machine with a squeak will not damage the machine? I assumed metal on metal - I'd kill my Kenmore. Not true?