It may be simple to you but for me personally I hate taking them apart and I also leave it for the last thing to do and I have been known to buy one 'whole' unit and just replace the unit rather than taking it apart. Just my preference and my bugaboo so I understand where the OP is coming from.
Originally Posted by
SewButch
Why haven't you tried taking the upper tension assembly apart yet? Why would that be a last resort?
It's very simple.
I took mine apart, simply laying each piece down in a row in the order that they came off.
There was a little schmo on the tension plates, as well as a bit of fuzz here & there, but I suspect polishing the plates/discs to a slippery chrome-like shine did the most good. They were a bit oxidized and "flat", which was probably creating a little drag.
Following the instructions in my manual, it was easy putting it all back on. Now it works like a dream. I just set it on 4 and it's always happy. (you'd almost think it was a Kenmore. *snort*)
Do you need an instruction manual? I can send you a scan of the page you need if you'd like.
I have a 15-125, but the tensioner looks similar enough.