DonnaC

Thank you, David. I promise - I'm not ignoring the questions people are asking me - I just haven't had time to get the machine back out and try all of these things, but I will. And I'll come back to this thread and post and probably have 20 more questions by that time!

DonnaC

Okay, I have some answers to the questions that were posed regarding my FW issues. I hope somebody is still reading this thread! Would love any input or comments.

Foot Pedal: I used the machine for quite a while today. The foot pedal works perfectly at some times (in other words, I step on it and off she goes), and other times I step on it and nothing happens. (David W – Since you asked, I would say it probably does this about 1x out of 10 that I press the pedal.) If I turn the hand wheel it goes. I have ordered myself a new foot pedal from Nova Montgomery so I’ll see what happens when that arrives and I can try a different pedal. Hopefully it’s just the old pedal that has issues and not the motor.

The Motor & Belt: When I used the machine for a while, the motor did get very warm, but not hot enough so that I couldn’t lay my hand over it without getting burned. I assume that sounds about right? The belt seems fine to me. It’s hard to tell if the belt is too tight but I don’t think so. Is there an easy way to tell?

The Loose Wires Inside: I took another good look at those loose wires (the second photo in the first post on this thread). It seems the top item is a black-coated wire, and the other two are simply pieces of fabric covering that are unraveling. The wire concerned me. I ran the machine laying down with the drip pan off so I could look at what was happening underneath. I didn’t see anything unusual – no sparks off that wire or anything like that. Any ideas?

Greasing: Joe, I greased those gears. With Vaseline because that’s all I have right now and I read that some folks use it if they don't have the Singer grease.

I ordered a bunch of stuff including new motor brushes, but I need to find somewhere to order the grease for those. I assume the Tri-Flow grease that Sew-Classic sells would be just fine, so I will probably order from there. (I got the motor brushes and drip pad from 221 Parts, and the foot pedal from Nova because she tests each one before it’s sent out. I know someone else on the Board got a non-working new pedal this week so I’m hoping to avoid that scenario!)

DonnaC

Sorry, I mis-spoke above and wanted to correct myself. I need the grease for the motor wells, which are not the same as the motor brushes. Nova says use only the Singer grease to fill the wells. Sew-Classic says use Vaseline because the Tri-Flow grease isn't the same as the old Singer grease. My head is starting to spin. Would like to know what everyone else does.

dwerther

Your problem is almost certainly a bad commutator segment in the motor. In plain English that means you either live with it not starting by itself 1 time in 10 (on average) or you have someone install a used motor from Ebay. I have done several jobs like this for customers and if you are handy with tools this is also a job you can do yourself. Good luck with it!

David Werther
www.quilters-connection.com

DonnaC

Thanks again David - I think you may be right. Today I received my new foot pedal from Nova, but I'm still having the same problem. I'm a little bummed out because I really though it was that old pedal.

ArchaicArcane

Barny, you're still using Singer Lube for the motor right? TriFlow grease is synthetic. It's melting point is... uh well it isn't. Singer Lube has a low melting point which allows it to flow into the spots that the lubrication is needed when the motor warms up.

Donna, I'm still waiting for an answer to my question about the motor. Does is growl when you step on the pedal but the machine doesn't turn, or is there no sound at all?

The belt should be incredibly loose on a featherweight. It should be only tight enough that it doesn't slip. I usually test by making it as loose as I think it should be, then starting up the machine very slowly with two fingers holding the belt. If it's too tight, the belt will come out of my fingers and turn the machine. If it's about right, the belt will slip. THAT loose. Any tighter than that and the belt is wearing the motor out, and an artifact of that is the heat you're feeling.

These little motors don't like the kind of heat you're describing. Warm to the touch, not hot, not very warm. Usually if the belt is too tight, the motor will growl a little and need a little help starting, especially with the presser foot down, fabric under the foot and the needle in the down position trying to come up.


This has been discussed many times here:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...e-t228143.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...w-t204220.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/search....archid=8813448

For whatever reason, the lube I've been getting here in Canada is still that brownish color. I know that it's getting harder to find in the US for some reason where the white grease seems to be showing up.

DonnaC

Sorry about that Tammi! No, when I step on the pedal and it doesn't go, there is no motor growl. Just uneasy silence. And maybe a little cursing under my breath.

I did try some experimenting tonight with the belt. I loosened it quite a bit, but there was a lot of slippage. So I tightened it up again (not quite as tight as before) and it seems to be pretty good. Time will tell! Now that I know how to move the motor about and tighten/loosen the belt I can try different settings to see what works best.

Thanks for the reminder on the grease, too!

ArchaicArcane

LOL! I know that uneasy silence and the cursing. Especially the cursing! My cursing also sometimes comes with non-silent problems.

I would definitely say keep playing with the belt. It's tiny tiny little adjustments with that machine. Sometimes it's hard to tell there was a change between too loose and good and too tight.

One of these days I'll get Ronnie out and use the digital thermometer on her to see what temperatures she gets to. I know it's usually her pedal (in need of adjustment) that gets warm enough for me to stop first, not the motor.

As far as the no sound at all when you step on the pedal, I agree with David. This can be tested, but requires you to take the motor apart to do it. I would say if it's livable,... leave it alone.