Kenmore machines had some kind of oil that gums up. You'll need to oil with a good oil like Tri-Flo - I buy it from a bike store. I had a Kenmore on my bench this week and had to keep re-oiling daily. finally I flipped the machine on its sides - front to back side to side then upside down and ran the machine. Oil just needed time and a little effort to work into the right cracks.