I too, have had to oil the wick in the bobbin area. I kept putting a small amount of oil on bottom of the bobbin case before I discovered the wick. I too have never been told anything about it.

Following up on this....I cleaned the machine again, very thoroughly. Oiled again, too. It helped. Guess I'm just learning the ins & outs of a new machine. Finally got everything aligned for good free motion stitching as well and that makes me really happy!

sounds like it either needs cleaned or/and a new needle needs to be put in. Believe it or not it's probably something that simple.

Glad it's working better for you!