Originally Posted by
danydany
Hi. Thanks for your reply. I do have the owner's manual already, and it does not address getting into the "guts" of the machine to fix it. What I am looking for is the *repair* manual (the shop manual), not the owner's manual. But thanks for the info.
...dany
I too looked at that website and figured if you bought more than one machine new, you had a few manuals BUT take a look at that service manual that is there. At 29 pages to print out, you may get some help from the section on the stitch selector. Granted, the service manual is for a different and older model, but much of the advice carries over to models by the same manufacturer. The best part about that service manual is the part that gives detailed info on taking apart the casing to get to the inner workings. In googling Kenmore 385.16231, it appears several people have asked for help regarding that knob. One of the suggestions was using a hair dryer to soften the grease, no dismantle needed. It looks like a good machine with 32 reviews on sewingpatternreview. I don't have any kenmores that new, all older and heavy as boat anchors. I think Janome deliberately built in way too many steps for operating the kenmores, stitch length at longest, take-up lever at hightest, stars all lined up, toes crossed etc. before moving the knob, nothing intuitive about it. The sewer may have jammed that cam past it's proper place, and there is info in that service manual for cam servicing. All you have to lose is ink and 29 sheets of paper.