Timing got off with reducer pulley!

[rockthecasbah121]

So after a speed reducer we broker a needle and kept getting a couple of issues with the bottom thread. I looked at the motion of the machine without the belt on and can see the bobbin pushing the thread slightly to the left when it hits the bottom of the indent (Juki 5550).

As a total novice, how do I adjust this?

 

[chrisash]

Is the needle fully home?

 

[trash treasure]

Does this machine have a safety clutch ?  Or maybe the needle bar got pushed up - It looks like the needle's a bit high, as the hook passes.

[brmax]

As best as I can see the hook looks to be in the scarf area. Though it may need to sit a bit lower, so the point is above the thread slot of the needle. 

As mentioned, and its happened to many the needle needs to be checked so its up in its mount fully. 

 

Good day

Floyd

Edited July 14, 2018 by brmax

[CowboyBob]

You say your having issues with the bottom thread ? What do you mean & state size of thread & needle your using.

[Mark842]

I'm just curious about your title, "Timing got off with reducer pulley!"

Please explain. This is like suggesting that putting a different size wheel on your car is making your pistons fire out of order. A different size wheel make make them move faster or slower but will not change their timing. If your machine timing is wrong with the reducer, it was wrong without it.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I'm assuming that that the hook's timing didn't stand a chance against the power of the speed reducer.

I can't find the DDL-5550 but I have a link that should work for a Juki DDL-8700 CLICK HERE.  Hook timing, needle distance to hook point, and needle bar height adjustments are all in there.  

 

[Uwe]

It's possible that the needle bar is simply set too high. If the needle is too high the thick part of the needle just below the eye doesn't ride against the needle guard and this may allow the needle to come too close to the hook. Ideally, the needle guard prevents the hook from touching the needle even if you push the needle towards the hook.

Check the safety clutch first, though (assuming the machine has one.) The increased torque from a speed reducer is indeed more likely to trip the safety clutch. Some safety clutches are so tight they keep spinning the hook even after they trip. You have to make sure the safety clutch is properly engaged before you evaluate or adjust hook timing.

If there is no safety clutch the hook may have slipped on the hook driving shaft and now arrives at the needle too late.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Uwe

[DrmCa]

I have a few pictures and PDFs for this machine, but PDFs won't upload due to size. You can download them from my FTP

EDIT:  Files uploaded, see below pictures.

DDL-5550DDL-553InstructionManual.pdf

DDL-5530 Parts List.pdf

 

Edited July 16, 2018 by Northmount
Uploaded files

[Uwe]

And you're sure that you have the correct needle in the machine, right? Maybe the needle is simply too short. Installing a needle from an unmarked container or a loose needle you found in the drawer is asking for trouble.

[rockthecasbah121]

On 7/14/2018 at 2:38 PM, Gregg From Keystone Sewing said:

I'm assuming that that the hook's timing didn't stand a chance against the power of the speed reducer.

I can't find the DDL-5550 but I have a link that should work for a Juki DDL-8700 CLICK HERE.  Hook timing, needle distance to hook point, and needle bar height adjustments are all in there.  

 

Gregg- that file was helpful and has better pictures than the one I found online for the 5550. 

I think I identified and fixed the issue- but I don’t know the exact order things occurred in. My wife snapped a smaller size 18 needle on a collar. After looking through that document, I could tell my timing was still correct, but the hook had somehow drifted too far to the left and was now slightly nudging the needle when it came back up through the plate. 

Whether something got messed up with the pulley or whether the snapping of the smaller needle caused the movement, I might not ever know. 

 

Does anyone know if it is possible to align the take up lever and the needle to both be in the highest position at the same time?

[Uwe]

On some machines, if you change needle size drastically you may need to adjust hook-to-needle distance. I'm guessing that you put in a much thicker needle after your wife broke the thin one - although you haven't really told us yet what size needle you're using now. A thicker needle will simply come closer to the hook because it's ,well, thicker. Some machine designs are more sensitive to this than others. Many industrial machines are not the one-adjustment-fits-all needles kind of machines. It's often more of a one adjustment fits exactly one particular combination of needle/thread/material etc. Some needle manufacturers make specialty needles where the hook-to-needle-scarf distance does not change as you change needle size to avoid the need for hook distance adjustments. 

As for adjusting needle and take-up lever to reach the high point at the same time, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Both are driven by the main arm shaft and the relative movement/timing is fixed in the design on most machines - and for a good reason. I am curious as to why you'd want to change that.