Thanks again
cant say to much about the spring tensioner yet. The spring I think is wonky is behind the faceplate in the head of the machine where the mechanic for the needle are. I would think it is supposed to push against the tensioner to open the tension disks. It’s is not sitting flat on the tensioner.
Yes when I move the lever the dogs change the length they move with the plate on or off. The dogs do come pretty close to the front of the plate opening.