Hope this is in the right spot. I just picked up a singer model 242 for $8. But it wont pick up the bottom thread and it sounds very slow. Is this normal? Does anyone know anything about this machine? Thought I would check in here before taking it to get looked at.

Thanks in advance

You can check at www.howtomendit.com . Go to sewing machines . You can write a detailed email about the machine and they will email you back . I used this with my old singer , no need for repair shop ! The one here charges almost as much as you can get a new onw from Walmart ! I hope they can help you . Good luck . Annie

Thank you I will check them out.

I played around a bit more with it and the motor case seems very hot and now I have the bobbin thread working but the tension is off..

But if I can fix it with mininal costs it will be a great machine :)

You are very welcome ! I needed the same help not too long ago . Someone posted this link , kept it in my favorites . Have you cleaned the lint and dust out of bobbin area ? This might help , too . This is something I forget to do sometimes . At times the simplest thing makes a big difference . Annie

I am going to take it all apart and clean it tonight when the kids are in bed. I need to pick up some oil tomorrow too..

I'm new to machines.. I have an electronic singer ingenuity 7436 and its acting up on me also. The timing I think is out. :(

I brought my step mom's old Kenmore home after she had passed away and it was very stiff and the timing was way off. I took it in to be serviced and once it was oiled and the timing reset and he did something to the bobbin case. Well, it's quite a workhorse. It's over 35yrs old and still going strong.

where i got the singer was an older style kenmore for $20. I was thinking of getting it to.. I am not sure i like my newer electornic one that much.. haha but i did break a cheap euro pro within a month!

I started out with a cheapy Euro pro, when I first got back into sewing about two years ago. It lasted me exactly one year. But, I got my money's worth, as I paid less than 60 dollars for it. Right now, I have an Elna 1010, very basic portable sewing machine. I really love it. I have my old Kenmore, over 35 yrs old. Great machine!. And I have a Brother 270D embroidery and sewing machine. The Brother is computerized and practically sews by itself. I just kind of sit there and watch it, but you know. I like my manual machines head and shoulders above the Brother. In fact, I'm thinking of selling the Brother. Just because I don't think I'm going to get much use out of it, for the type of projects that I like to make. I'm more traditional and don't really need all those bells and whistles. Just my opinion. I think the older machines are better made and easier to use.

You could try typing in the model number and Google it. There is a website I found and printed out a schematic of a machine for a friend (tntrepair.com). Her machine wouldn't go in reverse but she didn't realize she couldn't adjust the stitch length either. I was able to purchase the part and fix it for her. I checked that site, but didn't find the 242. I did however find instructions for threading the machine at sewusa.com. It could be how the bobbin is loaded (bobbin instructions on sewusa.com too)or if there is lint in there from the previous owner. You could carefully take the bobbin race out and use a vacuum to suck out the lint. That is tricky and you have to be sure everything goes back the way it came out!

Hope someone can help you.

I'm sorry - the website I told you was wrong! It's tandtrepair.com. If it doesn't help you, someone else might find something good there. They have schematics for a lot of Singer machines.