Hi Patrice...when you close it up, try leaving a box of the refridgerator baking soda in it...it is a screened box so that if it spills....it isn't all over. That may help with the odor.
The Brother is pretty much a universal machine....they are all pretty much the same with a different face plate...
You may be able to find an old book from other brands that look alike.
Try a wooden shim to level that machine out....it worked on an old machine I used to have.