tropit

I got my Singer 403A the other day after bidding on it on EBAY. It's in beautiful shape and looks practically brand new. It was moving pretty stiff, so I oiled and greased it thoroughly, removed the bobbin case and cleaned out the bobbin area and applied more oil. There was hardly any lint in it...it looked pretty clean. It runs much smoother now, however, it's still sounding a little rough in the bobbin area and is making a minor grinding noise. It sounds like the noise is coming from under the feed dog, perhaps hitting a rough spot when the hook makes a complete rotation. I have another 403A that I've had for ages, so I'm pretty familiar with this machine, but I've never ventured to take apart the entire bobbin area. Do I need to? Tips please...thanks so much.

~ Cindy

Quincunx

My Kenmore was doing the same thing. Lucky for me my cousin was here and he has an engineer's brain and went at the problem in a logical order. I took out a part at a time from the bobbin area and he would turn the wheel and report whether it was still sticking or not. In our case the stiffness did not go away until the shuttle came out. It turned out there was a tiny rim of dirt at the very bottom of where the shuttle sits. I am still working on getting the very last of it out because the shuttle carrier part does not come off and I have to get in there with Brasso on the end of a toothpick.

tropit

Thanks Quincunx...just send your cousin over here, would you please? I think that it just might be dirt, or the feed dog is sitting a little low. I forgot to mention that it still stitches beautifully.

~ Cindy

SteveH

you can try taking a small amount of superfine (0000) Steel wool and wrapping it around the Q-Tip and use it with the Brasso

Quincunx

Aww, man. We even took him to a redwood forest in your county before sending him back home. To Europe. Sorry, tropit.

And we tidied up for the visit SteveH and I cannot even find the steel wool or half the minis painting supplies right now.

tropit

Ahhh...and you were so close. I'll bet I know the exact forest you're talking about...just a short drive from my house.

So, I take that I have to take the whole dang thing apart to clean it with the steel wool and Brasso. :::sigh:::

~ Cindy

miriam

Did you put a couple drops of oil under the circle in the bobbin carrier? I had one once that was not moving freely. I laid it on it's side and oiled like I was Wilbur and then I ran the machine on it's side. All of a sudden it took off - dried up oil. Lay it on the front then lay it on the back so oil can run. I would do that a few times before I took it apart.

w1613s

Keep at it and best of luck with the "search the problem out" mission. I love my 403A and don't remember hearing anyone with a discouraging word to say about any of them. When she came to me she had been in my parents' home and was completely gunked up with glop from Mother's little, black cigar sort of cigarettes and Dad's pipe. Why the two of them did not die of lung cancer passes my understanding. Anyway, I can also authoritatively say that my worries about the gunk invading the machine's finish were unnecessary. And the paint even came clean!

I hope that you've discovered the problem was a simple one and are now "un-probleming" your way into no more grinding. Thank you for the thread. I want to keep mine and use her until one of us goes. Problem is who should get her then. I love mechanicals.

Pat

tropit

LOL..."oiled it like I was Wilbur,"...that one I have not heard before. I've been letting the machine marinate for a few days while I've been sewing up quilt blocks on another machine. I'll get back to it this weekend and run/oil it some more. Thanks!

~ C

tropit

Yes, I love my 403A too. This is a second one that I recently bought on EBAY. (The first one I bought in 1972 and has been worked to the bone, but amazingly, it is still going strong.) My dau is drooling over this new one and she doesn't even sew. I told her that I'd teach her to sew on a 99k and then, maaayyyyybbbeeee, just maybe, I'd give her one of the 403As after she learns to be a seamstress. She just frowned...ha, ha.

~ Cindy