Pfaff 145 troubleshooting

[Jianis]

Hello Everyone

 

I have got a Pfaff 145 H2 for a few days to try out.

It has some problems I should like to see if I can fix by myself.

The stitch is changing all the time adjusting the bobbin or upper thread tension does not help.

Turning by hand gives a little better stitching.

Using reverse after a couple of turns the machine blocks.

The hook timing seems to be ok.

Using the motor it gets worse: The stitch length adjusting lever starts vibrating and the machine blocks.

The lever itself behaves strangely sometimes it returns normal from the reversing position and its spring seems to be strong enough other times it sticks.

Do you have any suggestions other than ditching it for me? or is there a workshop manual or something similar online for troubleshooting and adjusting?

 

Thank you

Jianis

[Constabulary]

Did you read the manual? Maybe not correctly threaded.

Please post some pictures of your threaded machine and one view from the open slide plate that covers the hook.

[kgg]

5 hours ago, Jianis said:

is there a workshop manual

Here are two manuals which may be of some help.

kgg

Pfaff_141,_143,_145,_151,_153;_142,_144,_146_Instruction_Manual.pdf pfaff_145-manual-EN.PDF

[Jianis]

16 hours ago, Constabulary said:

Did you read the manual? Maybe not correctly threaded.

Please post some pictures of your threaded machine and one view from the open slide plate that covers the hook.

I threaded according to a manual I found on line.!

[Uwe]

I have a feeling this is an adjustment issue (most likely in the feed mechanism) or a missing or incorrect part (for example, the spring for the reverse lever is broken or missing) 

Top thread path in your picture looks good.

Try this: Dial in maximum stitch length and turn the hand wheel until the feed dog is in the very front. It should NOT touch the front of the throat plate opening. Flipping the reverse lever up and down shows the full range of motion of the feed dog - it should not touch the throat opening at either end. If it does, that’s a problem.Ideally the movement of the feed dog is centered in the throat plate opening. 

Remove the motor belt and lift the feet with the manual lever. Turn over the hand wheel by hand and feel for resistance. There should be almost no resistance when turning the wheel, and any resistance should be very even during the entire stitch cycle. On the Pfaffs I had, giving the hand wheel a good spin would keep the machine spinning for two or three cycles before it stopped due to friction. If you feel strong resistance or a “tight spot” at any point during the cycle then that indicates a problem somewhere in the mechanism.

Sometimes, when the feed motion mechanism touches something it shouldn’t, the reverse lever start moving to compensate. If your stitch length/reverse lever moves during the stitch cycle, something is wrong. 

One thing I noticed in your photos is that your bobbin case opener finger is not adjusted correctly. The gap between the finger and the bobbin case is much too big. If it’s touching the throat plate it may may cause a bind.

This may not be the cause of your stitch length issues or bind/block, but it’s definitely something you should fix. It’s easy to adjust.Here’s a video that shows how that finger (bobbin case opener)  works and how to adjust it (shown on a Juki 341, but he bobbin case opener function is the same on your Pfaff 145.)

 

Please report back, and please post some additional pictures (type plate on front of machine, and the underside of the machine would be useful.)  Videos a super helpful when trying to solve motion problems. Figure out how to upload a video to YouTube to help with remote trouble shooting.

 

The Pfaff 145/545 are generally VERY nice machines and worth spending time to adjust them correctly. They’re among the smoothest machines I’ve worked on.  

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Uwe

[Jianis]

19 hours ago, kgg said:

Here are two manuals which may be of some help.

kgg

Pfaff_141,_143,_145,_151,_153;_142,_144,_146_Instruction_Manual.pdf 5.84 MB · 1 download pfaff_145-manual-EN.PDF 726.7 kB · 2 downloads

Thank you Kgg I had both manuals already but the information for the 145 is limited.

[Jianis]

12 minutes ago, Uwe said:

I have a feeling this is an adjustment issue (most likely in the feed mechanism) or a missing or incorrect part (for example, the spring for the reverse lever is broken or missing) 

Top thread path in your picture looks good.

Try this: Dial in maximum stitch length and turn the hand wheel until the feed dog is in the very front. It should NOT touch the front of the throat plate opening. Flipping the reverse lever up and down shows the full range of motion of the feed dog - it should not touch the throat opening at either end. If it does, that’s a problem.Ideally the movement of the feed dog is centered in the throat plate opening. 

Remove the motor belt and lift the feet with the manual lever. Turn over the hand wheel by hand and feel for resistance. There should be almost no resistance when turning the wheel, and any resistance should be very even during the entire stitch cycle. On the Pfaffs I had, giving the hand wheel a good spin would keep the machine spinning for two or three cycles before it stopped due to friction. If you feel strong resistance or a “tight spot” at any point during the cycle then that indicates a problem somewhere in the mechanism.

Sometimes, when the feed motion mechanism touches something it shouldn’t, the reverse lever start moving to compensate. If your stitch length/reverse lever moves during the stitch cycle, something is wrong. 

One thing I noticed in your photos is that your bobbin case opener finger is not adjusted correctly. The gap between the finger and the bobbin case is much too big. If it’s touching the throat plate it may may cause a bind.

This may not be the cause of your stitch length issues or bind/block, but it’s definitely something you should fix. It’s easy to adjust.Here’s a video that shows how that finger (bobbin case opener)  works and how to adjust it (shown on a Juki 341, but he bobbin case opener function is the same on your Pfaff 145.)

 

Please report back, and please post some additional pictures (type plate on front of machine, and the underside of the machine would be useful.)  Videos a super helpful when trying to solve motion problems. Figure out how to upload a video to YouTube to help with remote trouble shooting.

 

The Pfaff 145/545 are generally VERY nice machines and worth spending time to adjust them correctly. They’re among the smoothest machines I’ve worked on.  

 

Thank you Uwe!

I will try to follow your advise and ofcourse report back. !

[shoepatcher]

HOW heavy a thread are you using.   Stick with #138 and below.  Will sew #207 on top but #138 is better top and bottom.

glenn

[Jianis]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:08 AM, Uwe said:

I have a feeling this is an adjustment issue (most likely in the feed mechanism) or a missing or incorrect part (for example, the spring for the reverse lever is broken or missing) 

Top thread path in your picture looks good.

Try this: Dial in maximum stitch length and turn the hand wheel until the feed dog is in the very front. It should NOT touch the front of the throat plate opening. Flipping the reverse lever up and down shows the full range of motion of the feed dog - it should not touch the throat opening at either end. If it does, that’s a problem.Ideally the movement of the feed dog is centered in the throat plate opening. 

Remove the motor belt and lift the feet with the manual lever. Turn over the hand wheel by hand and feel for resistance. There should be almost no resistance when turning the wheel, and any resistance should be very even during the entire stitch cycle. On the Pfaffs I had, giving the hand wheel a good spin would keep the machine spinning for two or three cycles before it stopped due to friction. If you feel strong resistance or a “tight spot” at any point during the cycle then that indicates a problem somewhere in the mechanism.

Sometimes, when the feed motion mechanism touches something it shouldn’t, the reverse lever start moving to compensate. If your stitch length/reverse lever moves during the stitch cycle, something is wrong. 

One thing I noticed in your photos is that your bobbin case opener finger is not adjusted correctly. The gap between the finger and the bobbin case is much too big. If it’s touching the throat plate it may may cause a bind.

This may not be the cause of your stitch length issues or bind/block, but it’s definitely something you should fix. It’s easy to adjust.Here’s a video that shows how that finger (bobbin case opener)  works and how to adjust it (shown on a Juki 341, but he bobbin case opener function is the same on your Pfaff 145.)

 

Please report back, and please post some additional pictures (type plate on front of machine, and the underside of the machine would be useful.)  Videos a super helpful when trying to solve motion problems. Figure out how to upload a video to YouTube to help with remote trouble shooting.

 

The Pfaff 145/545 are generally VERY nice machines and worth spending time to adjust them correctly. They’re among the smoothest machines I’ve worked on.  

 

 

[Jianis]

Made some photos.

The spring of the stitch adjusting/reversing lever itself seems to be fine.

Measured the resistance and it takes a force of 4 Lb to move the lever to the middle position!

It is difficult to make a clear photo of the plate it reads 145-H2-6/1 BLN.