Singer 328K Foot Pedal Gets Hot
 

The foot pedal gets super hot on my Singer 328K when I use for any length of time. I Have to take breaks to let it cool off. Is there anything I can do to fix it or would getting a new foot pedal help? It is a Singer brand foot pedal that is probably original to the machine.

Had the same problem with my Singer 401 but when the foot pedal got hot, it also made a popping noise. Took it to a local shop, hoping for a repair but they said since it was so old(it was the original), best to replace it. Cost me about $35. Works like new now.

Mike,
Good dissertation on how to use one of those. I don't do it that way, but who cares? The way I do it is to place the ball just behind my right little toe on the go button and push up or down. I do that cos my ankles are trashed and to do it the way the blog entry writer says is all but impossible for me to do.

Sarabela,
Take the controller housing apart and check it. It could be corroded, full of lint and debris, rusted, or the carbon disks could be broken and shorting out. I've seen all of those.

If dirty, corroded, rusted then clean it. If it needs adjustment ArcaicArcane has a great tutorial on how to adjust them.

If it's beyond that, replacing the controller is easy. I keep replacement as the last option though. Just me I guess.

Joe

I didn't write the blog Joe, but that's how I use these FCs. If the machine's sluggish (or I'm doing a long straight seam) I use your method and she goes faster.

If it is one of those (and Sarabela hasn't said that it is yet), open it up: The cause of the problem might be obvious. If one or both of the copper contacts are broken or missing it will cause heating, but slow sewing (high resistance) will heat it most quickly. Worse, if it heats up when you're not even using it then it needs adjusting.

I second Joe's recommendation. Tammi's article on how to fix and adjust them is hard to beat. You can Google "singer at the races" or look it up from the vintage resources thread. These FCs are very good and reliable. One clean and service is probably all it needs for a lifetime.

Yes Mike that is the one.

I opened it up and it wasn't bad inside. There was a little bit of something built up on the connectors which I brushed off. Everything else looks great and clean inside. I was using the controller wrong. I had it turn around backwards so my foot was covering the whole thing and I was using my big toe to depress the foot control. I was also sewing slowly as I was doing some work with lots of turns. I think the combination of sewing slowly and having my foot with a sock on covering the whole controller was causing the problem. Thanks for the help and the link.

Well that's great news. Nothing to see here, move along now :p

Sarabela,
Glad that got figured out.


Mike,
Aw common, I wanted to watch and see all the smoke come out ..... :D :D :D


Joe

Glad you got that worked out, Sarabella. Those two are a hoot this morning--and tell Joe that your big toe might not be as big as his. I myself have never had a problem with the FCs heating up on the Singer ones, but the other kind with the mash down (metal) type have; I just get the DH or son to replace it for me when that happens. Pretty easy to replace a foot control. The worst case I've run into was with a Simplicity that came with no FC, and I searched all over creation and back before the Sew Classic people helped me through it--cost me $35 plus shipping to get a free sewing machine up and running, but I did it, gave it to a cousin of mine, she went home happy, and I had a little more room for bringing in another broken down pitiful thing.