you may find having the extra guide works better. I think when they put the motor on this machine (would not have come that way) that it sewed too fast than it was designed, and that caused looping of the thread. So the extra guide probably helped keep it in place. this is actually a very common problem with my first long arm machine - and many people have added extra thread guides to keep the thread from whipping around and tangling, or popping out of the tension dial.