anyone on here have one? I'm going insane...I am trying to quilt on it for the first time. My thread is tooooo tight it seems after i thread it and when i go to use it...it breaks. I tried adjusting the tension knob, but i just feel like i am doing it wrong...

Can anyone help before i just cry and give up???

Thanks
Kimberly

i have one make sure your threading the needle that the needle is in the highest position. Then also make sure the thread is coming off the spool correctly (just learned this last night) this should work the tension pads will tighten if the needle is not in the highest point and squeeze the thread incorrectly.

REally??? The needle to be in the highest postion? How do you adjust the tension knob??? It seems real tight, i thought maybe i would oil it, but that did nothing :-(

I have found this out the very hard way with mine. I have my tension set to about 2. I am not sure about oiling it but you might want to try and take a piece of dental floss and see if you might have some thread or lint stuck in them. Try this and let me know also find a small paint brush to clean around it also.

You should turn it counterclockwise, I believe. Mine came adjusted too tight for me from the factory. Also, you know the metal tab with the three holes? Check to make sure you're going through that the correct way, and perhaps only go through two...

I tried the metal hole thing, It was on 3 holes, then i went to two...but the tightness starts AFTER that part and you can feel it on the tension knob...I tried it at 1, 2, 3, and so on, but it still feels tight, for the last two days, i used it with NO PROBLEMS...today i tried for the first time to quilt with it and this is when it happens. It is machine quilting thread i put in there, and usually use aurofil thread (which seems thicker than what i am using today)...I'm sooo lost.

If I get going too fast too soon I break thread. Also, if there's fuzz somewhere that could cause a hangup. If you've changed threads and this is the first time using that thread it could be your Juki just doesn't like that brand, kwim? I use Maxilock to quilt and it's good.

Start over from the very beginning...open up the tension, rethread, oil the oil holes, and see what happens. Start slow and work up to speed, just a few seconds is all.

Also: Make sure you are oiling the bobbin case(with the bobbin out) Take off your plate on the bottom and make sure there is not lots of lint built up under it.

Put your stitch length at 0 if you are FMQing.

I unthread and re-thread the entire thing if I'm having problems. make sure your thread isn't hung up on itself. With some threads, I use the hangy thread thing, even if it is not a large cone, just because it seems to make it easier.

I put the stitch at 0, i have rethreaded it about 30 times so far, and I have even created new bobbins for it LOL, We are trying 1 more time and if we can't get it to work, i will contact the person who i bought it from and have her give me some lessons with it. I do know she had the machine serviced and cleaned right before i bought it, and i have used an air can to clean out lint...I keep that on hand since i use alot of flannel.

OK, so we took the thread off and new bobbin, put aurifl on, worked like a charm....Now we are RE threading my pink thread and seeing what happens...If its the thread im gonna be upset LOL

What type of thread are you using? Is it a quilting thread? a quilting thread is a thick thread I believe meant for hand quilting I made that mistake a few months ago it will not work on our machines.

When I first got my Juki I had that problem, I called a machine repair center and they told me the Juki's like the same thread on the top and bobbin. I was using a prewound bobbin and changed and have not had a problem since.

My Juki doesn't like thick thread, but I use pre-wound bobbins all the time with no problem.

my juki is on a quilting frame and usually pretty reliable..it sat all summer and this fall when I started quilting with it I was getting loopies on the botton. Had to re-adjust the bobbin. NOW WHY would that change over the summer...never had a problem before but now she is cooperating very well again. They are such nice machines..would love to take her to retreats but its such a pain unhooking etc and she is very heavy. Good LUck. BYW I only use 2 holes on the side and oil after every second quilt...sometimes I think too much is not good either

I bought a used Juki TL-98Q on the a Grace GMQ Pro frame about a year ago. Unfortunately, I've never gotten the machine to work correctly. I've had it serviced, but it still has the same problems. (Too long ago to take it back and have no receipt.) If the thread is not breaking on top, it's clumping on the bottom. I've taken it off the frame and used it as a regular sewing machine, but I have the same problems. (I wasn't sure if it was a problem with the machine or the quilt/frame.) I'm about ready to give up, but I see that nearly everyone here that has this machine loves it. I love it too, until I feed a new piece of fabric in and it clumps/breaks the thread. Any ideas?

stupid question but are you absolute sure it is threaded right? is the bobbin going the right way..just some things I would check. its always something simple...

I had the same problem. This is what my tension is on and it works great. Hope this helps!

Guess I better get my book out and double check. Thanks for the ideas.

I have wondered also why the tension woulld change once it is set right. I love my machine but that is one thing that bugs me. It can make a beautiful stitch IF the tension is set correctly.

The quilting thread may require a lighter tension than the Aurifil.

With the constantly breaking thread, I'd probably suspect the needle, first.

The thread should lie smoothly in the groove on the needle shank without a lot of extra room and without overstuffing the groove - and it should pass easily through the eye of the needle without squeezing it.

The groove protects the thread from abrasion as it's being pulled down into the fabric - and the same little section of thread may saw back and forth through the needle many times before it's deposited in the seam. :)

If the needle doesn't fit the thread to protect and guide it, you're going to have broken thread and needles and skipped stitches.

Try a size larger, then two sizes larger - or even the same size but in a large-eye type, like for top-stitching or metallics - and see if that doesn't help.

If you're already using a large needle and you've gone down to a finer thread, the eye may be too big, allowing the thread to whip around and catch on the point or otherwise tangle and break. Try a size smaller, then two sizes smaller.

I hope you can get it working well for you! :)