Originally Posted by
haylillan
i found a 401a after searching for 6 mths for one they said it had been tested and i believed them so i cleaned it up and oiled it good well it runs like a turtle makes a beautiful stitch after about 3min it started smoking which believe was the motor heating up good now my questions are #1 why would it run so slow there was a lot of oil on the inside no drip pan #2 would a motor from t and s 700 series work in a 401a and #3 where could i get instructions for putting it in 401a, i have 2 touch and sews thanks for any info you might have
First you will need to clean up excess oil and all dried up oil. Who knows what someone used on it - they probably sprayed it down with WD40 or something to get it unstuck and then sold it as a serviced machine. Just because it moves doesn't mean it has been serviced or that it works. It will need careful cleaning then re-oiling. I recommend Tri-Flow. Someone may have oiled the motor - that oil should burn off. The motor may run slow if there is dried up oil
elsewhere. Try running the motor like you stole it - set like for bobbin winder and run and run - maybe it will quit smoking once the oil is burned off it. When you run it with no load is it still slow? If it is still slow it is the motor. If it zips along you have dried up oil somewhere. You can clean the motor and put in new brushes. There is no motor pulley. You may or may not be able to swap a T&S motor. All you can do is try - see if the bobbin winder works. If the bobbin winder doesn't work you may have to use a side winder. You may want to read everything you can on QB about those machines - there is a service manual link here somewhere - I could give it to you but I think it would serve you better if you search here.