Originally Posted by sewbizgirl
Hi Everybody,
Well today I joined the Featherweight Club. I bought a 1955 221 that had been stored in it's case in a barn for decades. It was dusty pretty bad, but the worst was that the motor was barely functioning when we plugged it in and hit the button. It made a labored sound and barely turned the belt at all. How bad will this be to get it going again? Does it sound like it just needs grease, or a whole new motor? The motor belt needs replacing, but there's something going on with the motor, as it just doesn't turn the belt much at all. What can I try? All the wiring looks surprisingly good.
Yes, the motor probably needs grease, at least the older motors have to be greased! The machine probably needs to be oiled and deep cleaned to make sure there isn't hardened oil causing a drag. I wouldn't even try to run that machine until I had cleaned, greased the gears and motor, and oiled the machine. There are about 11 oil holes behind the face plate, several under the bottom cover, under the slide plates, and on the arm of the machine.
Good luck, I really love to sew on my Featherweights in classes!
Nancy