Hi everyone,
I've recently adopted a Pfaff 230 with serial number dating her to 1956. No paperwork or dial-a-stitch guide, but most of the accessories are there, and just look at the machine! Despite 20 years sitting unused by the previous owner, the machine has cleaned up beautifully with little effort. One knob is still tight, but that's coming along and everything else appears to be moving smoothly.
But. (There's always a but...)
Update: Thanks! As I was writing this post, I tested the machine a few more times and it appears to be working! That's how good this group is -- just the threat of asking for help and the machine straightened up.
I'm still going to share my story in case it helps others, and to see if anyone has advice on causes.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]615189[/ATTACH]
The motor and I were having trouble. My first try after plugging the foot pedal/power cord, the light came on but nothing happened when I press the foot pedal. I assumed I'd need to replace the foot pedal as a first try, but things got interesting:
There is an extra outlet on the opposite side of the motor, which is where an (optional) knee pedal cord would plug in, according to the manual. No knee cord came with mine, although there is a knee pedal on the frame (not connected to anything).
[ATTACH=CONFIG]615190[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]615191[/ATTACH]
When I plugged a lamp into that outlet on the motor, the motor began to hum, and the motor tried to run the machine when I depressed the foot pedal. However, at that point, the machine was tight so I stopped and continued the oiling and clean-up. (The lamp I plugged in dimmed as the motor was trying to work so hard.)
I've got the machine back together, tried the same thing, and the motor would not engage to run the machine. There was still a hum when the lamp is plugged in (why would it hum?), but nothing beyond that.
Then I unplugged and plugged in the machine, the motor ran beautifully for a few seconds, then quit again (light still on, lamp light still on, just no rotation).
I've repeated that a couple of times, plugging and unplugging, and now we're at the point where the motor will run without anything plugged into the extra outlet. So... it's fixed! I'm guessing that the primary issue is with the connection to the power cord. The cord itself looks in great shape, although there is what looks to be a minor incomplete crack in the head.
Has anyone run into an issue like this before? I'm trying to figure out if it's just a loose cord / buy-a-new-foot-pedal issue, or a potential motor issue.
The motor honestly sounds fabulous, eerily so knowing that it sat unused for so long. I've not replaced motor brushes before, but I'm thinking this might be the machine on which I learn that skill. I can share my progress if anyone is interested, and I'm sure it'll be this site that helps me work on the motor. I've just joined to post in the forum, but have been reading for a long time and have many of you to thank for lots of knowledge!
Thanks! Happy tinkering!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]615192[/ATTACH]