[QUOTE=Jeanette Frantz;5275714]A quick fix for lint in the tension apparatus -- sew a chain on your serger and use the chain to run around the tension apparatus -- that will clean out almost anything and won't harm your sewing machine!
My son who worked on commercial and regular sewing machines is going to look at this in a minute and tell you what he thinks! My son says that it's one of a couple of things -- lint between the disks in the tension apparatus which can be cleaned by using a chain sewn on a serger and running it through the apparatus all the way around.
You can also use a dollar bill if you don't have a serger.