Jim...the tails aren't getting stuck. I have been gently holding them out of the way until I'm sure there's no way possible of "stuckage", unless I'm doing something wrong, which we all know is possible. Checked for burs, nothing there either.
Jon... I sigh, lower my head, feel my cheeks turning red, turn my head in embarrassment, and sadly admit I removed the screw. After I did it, I saw in another manual that is says to NEVER remove the screw....but I did. Arrrg!
When I first got the timing fixed, I noticed that the thread was really hard to pull through and up, and figured it may be due to the thread clearance. What I did was loosen the screw, just a trifle, and it seemed to do the trick...but with my luck, I probably wrecked something else. Oy!
I guess the thread getting stuck in and around the bobbin due to the thread clearance could cause some binding, thus making it seem like the needle doesn't want to move, right? It would explain why when I pull out the thread and run the machine by itself all is well. However, it still runs fine most of the time. I wonder why it's only happening intermittently?