Adler 67 (67-73) running smoothly but not stitching; help

[marjo]

Hello there,

I have a beautiful green Adler 67 (67-73) with a servo motor. I cleaned it, oiled it and it runs smoothly.

But… I do have a problem which I cannot seem to solve. It is not making stitches. The hook does pick up the lower thread after putting the bobbin in when I turn the wheel manually and slow. I pick up the lower thread and align both threads before starting to sew. Only, when I start (using my servo motor), the upper thread does not seem to run and no stitch is made. Even in a very slow speed (stitch-by-stitch).

What I have already tried (also with help from videos and tips from this forum!) and what I do:

• Opened up the machine and checked and adjusted the hook timing and checked needle height.
• I cleaned the inside, so no sticky residue or lint jam.
• I cleaned the thread tension unit at the front (dismantled it and put it back together), so no sticky residue there either.
• I threaded the machine with foot up so that the tension discs are released during threading.
• I did a test run with stitching on a piece of thicker paper, stitches are evenly divided and also in reverse the stitch falls in the same holes.
• The needle I use is straight and all intact.
• I am an upholsterer and I use Serafil 40Tex70 thread. I only use newly bought thread for this machine.
• As my machine has a servo motor and not a clutch motor, a tripped safety clutch cannot be the problem.

To conclude, I have a beautiful machine that runs smoothly but does not stitch. And I have the feeling that the solution is very simple and very in my face, but I cannot see it. 

Who can help me out?

Greetings Marjo

[kgg]

1 hour ago, marjo said:

To conclude, I have a beautiful machine that runs smoothly but does not stitch.

What I would check:

i) Needle install properly

ii) Reset Safety Clutch to ensure it is properly set

iii) Slide bobbin cover over and manually handwheel the machine over to see if the hook picks up bobbin thread.

iv) Check servo motor rotation is correct  

kgg

[marjo]

Hi kgg,

Thx for your swift reply. I went through your suggestions.

i) yes, is properly installed, all the way to the top. Needle is facing correct way: scarf facing the hook. Just be sure the needle itself is not the problem, I ordered new needles today (the 134-35 / 120 and 134-35 / 100 as recommended in the manual). They will arrive tomorrow, so I can do a double check on that.

ii) I have a TN-422 servo motor. When I tilt the Adler so I can view the lower hook drive shaft, the two pins are visible, in place and locked. If you suggest additional checks with the Adler or the TN-422, I need some help guiding me through it

iii) yes, it does pick up the bobbin thread in a smooth way, just checked this. Good tip by the way, thanks!

iv) yes, it rotates smoothly and in the correct way (so not in reverse).

Marjo

[marjo]

In addition. If I need to provide photo / video to clarify, I can do that of course. 

[kgg]

3 minutes ago, marjo said:

If I need to provide photo / video to clarify, I can do that of course. 

Yes. Photo's showing thread path to the eye of the needle and a video of the machine with some material under the presser foot and with it sewing by turning the handwheel and when you try it using the servo motor would be helpful. For long video it would be best to post the video on youtube and provide a link.

kgg

[marjo]

Hi kgg,

Put in a new needle and went through all your previous suggestions again. In the end, the problem appears not to be the needle, but the transport direction.

The servo motor is by default in reverse (r.E), so I changed it to normal (r.P). When I changed the servo motor back to reverse (r.E), and tried to sew: it worked! The needle picks up the bobbin thread and stitches are made. Happy days! But wait, no, not yet… because the machine now transports my fabric in the wrong direction. Towards me, in stead of away from me. See short video (6 sec.).

Can you help me how to correct this? 

Thanks,

Marjo

 

Edited August 14 by marjo

[kgg]

5 minutes ago, marjo said:

Can you help me how to correct this? 

The video you posted I can not view. It may be the format but if you post it to a site like youtube chances are everyone would be able to see it.

kgg

[marjo]

Oops, sorry. Forgot to convert it to MP4. Hopefully people on the forum are able to view it now. I do not have a YouTube account yet, so I hope for the moment this will do.

[Wizcrafts]

@marjo

From the video, it appears that the stitch length/direction lever is set to reverse! Move it the other direction and see it it sews in the forward direction.

If reversing the lever direction solves it, but the marking on the direction plate says the opposite, the feed gears are out by 180 degrees. I can't help you, but a good Adler 67 service manual can.

Adler 67-72, -73,-372, -373, -GK373, -FA72.pdf

[marjo]

When I put the handle (see photo) up while stitching it runs indeed away from me. So according to what you say is that on my Adler reverse and forward are interchanged. So this is a machine setting adjustment. I will dive into the manual and see if I can correct it. Thanks for the advice!

Oh yes, if anyone made a video on this... more than welcome 🙂