Lori, did you remove the plate under the presser foot and put the 'finger' in the groove? It won't stay pointed up and will act up again if you don't. The screws are on the top of the plate. So happy your vintage lady is behaving for you now.
We can work on sergers together. I have one belonging to the church that is giving me fits. My own has a broken looper, but this seems to be intact, just bratty.