What does the 5th # of the model 158.1802 mean?
 

I have a 158.18024. I find a lot of info about 158.18023 but not 4. I ordered a manual for my machine and I swear some of the oiling spots pictures don't match my machine. Is there a difference in them? Also do you know if the needle can be moved to the center instead of left? Thank you so much. I love the knowledge that is here.

Kristy in snowing MI

Hopefully, one of the Kenmore people will see this and answer. I cannot because I have exactly one Kenmore buried in the hoard somewhere that I've never played with yet. I do know the 158 portion to be a desirable prefix on the Kenmores.

I think it means that they didn’t get it right when they put out the model with just 4 numbers......

CD in Oklahoma

Mine is a 158.18023, so I can't help you out with yours, but I did have a Kenmore one time, and the last number indicated what height of shank the machine had.

The needle can't be moved to the center.

After a quick look at the parts diagrams at Sears Parts Direct, it looks like the 18024 comes with a separate foot controller, which the 18023 doesn't.

Maybe the 18023 only came in a cabinet, which has the knee control attached to it. That's how mine is.

Actually, the 18024 is the only model out the five versions of the 1802x that has a separate foot controller, so it's hard to say.

Mark,

Could you tell me how you found the diagram on the Sears site? I search and it doesn'the show me anything on the foot control.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/KENM...2/1200000.html

The foot controller is shown in the motor assembly diagram.

Here are the diagrams for the 18023:

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/Kenm...094/00007.html

Mark,
I saw that on the website but not that mechanically inclined to figure it out. Do you know if the motor needs to be oiled/greased like my 221? My manual doesn't mention it the blown up diagram in the manual has one area that doesn't match 100% and I want to keep this machine in it's perfect working condition .

Kristy

I'll have to look when I get home, but I don't think the motor would need any lubrication. If it does, it would be just a drop of oil in a small hole on either end of the motor where the ends of the shaft are.

I found this thread because I just bought an 18023 a couple of days ago. I don't know what the 5th number indicates, but assume there was a sequence and someone with more knowledge might be able to tell the year it was made by that number. For example, the 3 may mean 1973 and the 4 would be 1974. They probably did not change a lot from one year to the next as long as the first 4 numbers were the same.

The manual identifies the machine only as an 1802 zig-zag. At first glance I thought I had the wrong manual because you'd assume the 158 at the beginning of the model number would be a critical part of its identity. I'm sure I have the original manual that came with my machine, and will say that the oiling spots are a little hard to make out. I just oiled in the vicinity of where the arrows point, finding the areas where parts rub or when available, using the hole. Sometimes you have to turn the handwheel a little for the holes to come into view. It would have been nice if they'd included close up pictures of each detail, but they probably assumed that the buyer would get a demo in the store. As after market purchasers more than 40 years later, we get to wing it.

The threading diagram isn't very clear, either. Although you can tell what order the guides are supposed to be, it's not immediately obvious where the thread goes into the face cover thread guide. I think I have it figured out, popping the thread in from the front into either the left or right (or both for double needles).

It definitely came with the foot control because it is mentioned in the manual, and there is no mention of a knee control, even among optional parts available at the time. The foot controller has a device that would let you hang it on the side of your cabinet to use with your knee if you wanted to.

I'm reasonably sure that all the 1802 models had the super high shank as described in the manual and as I have seen on Youtube videos of machines with various 5th numbers - although I have yet to even see an 18024.

There is no mention in the manual of oiling or greasing the motor, which is a 1.2 amp model 2139.