Is there anyone that lives close to you that has a Tin Lizzie, or another Rep anywhere close by. I would have the tension settings set back to manufacturer's default settings and start over. You should not be having that many problems with her. I know there are a few that say it doesn't matter which way the bobbin goes in the racer...yes it does, the thread tail should follow the path easily. Second, I had dropped my bobbin racer a couple of times and bent it, my DH bent it back into shape and with alittle bit of practise, all is well. I had to become faithful to the startup ritual to avoid minor problems which are: 1/ Remove all dust bunnies in the bobbin area and on your rails. 2/ Oil her faithfully. 3/ Do the bobbin & bobbin racer yo-yo test. Load the racer and give a gentle tug on the thread, holding it like a yo-yo. If the tension is right, the thread will advance quite easily, if not and the tension is either too tight or too loose then you either get no thread or too much thread released.
I wish you luck, because when you finally get the kinks out...you are going to love your Tin Lizzie.