oklahomamom2

[ATTACH=CONFIG]562830[/ATTACH] It is a Brothers 273c and for some reason last night it started making a funny noise. I have done many quilts on this already and I love my sewing machine. So I cleaned it out and put oil in it but it is still making a weird noise. Why It may be because its so old and the fact that the fabric was thick. I was sewing binding when it started happening and be for that I was sewing flannel. The picture posted was the only one I could find that looked my sewing except mine has the slide plate. Do I need to have it worked on I don't know what to do next?

Onebyone

It looks like the top of the machine will come off easily. Take the screws out and look inside. Turn the wheel slowly and listen. Clean and oil the moving parts you can see. Also the side where the light will open up. Look in there while you turn the fly wheel.

Garden Gnome

What kind of noise? Does it sound like it's coming from the motor, like a hum or a grind? Or from the bobbin area, like a thump or click?
Did you change the needle? A bent needle could be hitting against the foot. Are you sure the pressure foot is attached firmly? Does it make the noise when sewing through thinner fabric? Are you sure the bobbin is seated properly? Since flannel is pretty linty, there may be a gob of lint under the plate that covers the feed dogs. Did you take that off and brush it out? Lots of other things to check out, that I can't think of. Maybe someone else can add to the checklist. If everything else has been eliminated, then you may need to take it in to a professional.

PaperPrincess

Also, does the stitch look OK? Any loops or skipped stitches? My machine (different brand) makes noise when the thread jumps out of the take up lever or if the tension is messed up because there's lint in the tension discs. As stated above, clean thoroughly again and oil per user manual. Also change the needle. if the needle got bent when you were sewing thick fabric, it might be hitting the hole in the needle plate.

cashs_mom

^^^^^^^ What they said. It's good advice. Try all of those before you do anything else. Sometimes it just takes a new needle and rethreading plus taking the bobbin out and reinserting it and everything is fine.

romanojg

I may just need a new needle or a different kind of needle. Maybe its not sharp enough to go thru the binding.

QuiltnNan

did it start after oiling? many modern machines don't need oil

Cari-in-Oly

ALL machines need oil. Many machines have sintered bearings, meaning they're oil impregnated and won't need external oiling for several years but eventually they need to be oiled. Other parts need to be oiled when the machine is serviced but machines sent to North America are supposed to only be oiled by a tech because here we've been taught to be afraid of our machines instead of being taught to service them ourselves. It's all about the $$$.

Cari

Onebyone

I watched a tech oil all moving parts of a high$ computerized Bernina. I said I can do that at home. He said sure anyone can that but try getting the housing off without the right tools and in the right sequence. LOL The new models are not made to have easy off housing.

quiltedsunshine

There's lots of great suggestions.

When you say "It has a slide plate," do you mean it has a drop-in or top-loading bobbin? On those drop-in bobbins, the little spring in the front gets bent, or the bump that hits the spring gets scratched up, and then it makes a rhythmic thump, thump, thump with every stitch. You can take care of that by gently smoothing the bump with a very fine sandpaper (400 to 600 grit). It only takes a few strokes, so don't go too far. And the spring can sometimes be bent back in shape. However, if the bobbin case or spring are too damaged, they will need to be replaced.

If you have a front-loading, oscillating hook system (like in the picture above), sometimes a piece of a broken needle (or some other thing) will get embedded in the "race" (the ledge that the hook sits on), and make a terrible racket. Sometimes it's too small to see, but you can feel it by running a big pin all the way around the race. If you find something embedded in the race, you can use a small screwdriver or a big pin to remove it.

Another noisy thing that happens with an oscillating hook system, is that the hook driver gets loose. Then it bangs against the hook with every stitch. You can tell if it's loose by removing the hook, and pushing the driver at both ends with your fingers. If it's got a wiggle, that's something you don't want to try to fix yourself -- that's something for the tech to fix.

I hope you're able to quiet your machine, so you can keep on sewing.