Domestic imperial automatic/white automatic 651
 

I am new to vintage sewing machine. I saved a domestic imperial automatic 651 from the trash. She looks like the white model 651. Does anyone have a manual for this machine? She was completely locked up. Not knowing what we are doing we put liquid wrench on her to loosen her up and lots of oil. The needle was stuck down inside the presser foot and everything was tight. We got her to move a little now and plugged her in to see. She sounds horrible. We are wondering if the motor is bad or she's just still locked up. She came with a few cams and feet. The little plastic knob above the cam door doesn't turn either. Allthe knobs were stuck tight but they are slowly getting loose. Any suggestions?
thanks!

First, I would not try to run the motor until the machine turns freely by hand, too much risk damaging the motor. From pictures I looked at for a White 651 it is likely that the machine is all metal, meaning unless someone took a hammer to it nothing is broken inside (you hope).

I am new here also and have read different approaches to loosening up a stuck machine. Some will us ONLY sewing machine oil, others will loosen with WD40 or the equivalent and then follow up with oil. I have only used oil (OK, I admit I did use a hammer to tap loose a feed dog adjustment rod on a Dressmaker machine, but, well, that was different and the parts were out of the machine) and it just takes time for it to soak in, as in days on one machine I was trying to make move, and it can take multiple applications of oil.

Take off whatever plates or covers you can remove so you can get to metal on metal connections to oil them. Oil is your friend, and I wouldn't rush the job. Once everything is loosened it will go much more quickly.

JoeJr gives good advice. . Turn the machine over and oil all the oil holes and every place there is metal to metal movement. Also since you have a machine with cams, they are more likely than straight stitchers to get gummed up with old oil. heat from a hair dryer can loosen up the old oil and let your new oils soak in. BE Patient. I have been using heat and penetrating oil ( that I rarely use) on a Husqvarna -Viking. After 3 weeks the zigzag lever is turning free enough I can do it cold. Until today It would not turn when it cooled down. Not ready to go back to the owner though. I have pretty strong hands. More heat and oil to come...

Welcome to Quilting Board. I believe you have a machine that was originally made by Gritzner - a German sewing machine company. I knew there were White, Pfaff and Kenmore badges put on these machines. I have a Pfaff 139, but it does not take cams.

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Joe and Leon are correct about oiling top, bottom and nose where metal meets metal. It will generally take time to get all the old dried oil out. Just keep at it. Sometimes it will move okay one day and then a couple days later be frozen again. This happens as the old oil gets some place to jam it. Make sure everything moves freely by hand without any hard spots. Sometimes the motor needs servicing as well. Some motors have grease ports and some have oil ports for oiling the axle, but you don't want oil anywhere else in the motor.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

I had every panel and the bottom off of this one. It does now make pretty stitches. It came to me because it would only stitch in reverse. Reverse button and a truck load more were gummed up. Exercise your machines.

And one other thing, I have seen in a Singer manual for an older machine to use kerosene to loosen stuck "joints" until they move then follow with oil. I have never done that, because I don't have any way to apply it and it really stinks up the garage; and if I move the machine into the house I'm guessing the kerosene smell comes with it, and then my hobby will be seriously curtailed by outside forces.

Hope it is a Gritzner. I could kick myelf for letting mine get away.

It appears to be a Gritzner. They are some of the best machines ever made. I parted one out a few years ago for spare parts for a friend. It appears to be the same model. If so, there is a grease pot under the needle area. It's a square metal "box" directly under the needle, if I remember correctly. It was depleted and the old grease was hard and dark. I would remove that box, clean it out and refill it with Vaseline. (Others might have an alternative sewing machine grease suggestion, as this one is the one I use for Singer machines.)
If it has that box, it's about 1.5 inches square and about an inch or inch and a half deep.
bkay

Thanks. Everything moves better by hand. My husband wonders if it could be the old knee pedal too.
it was filthy and we did oil everything multiple times now. It was completely frozen. I'm still cleaning the outside as it was black in dirt. I will try to post pics.

I hope I attached this right.