Stitchnripper

The inner one pushes in and that side moves up and down. the other one pushes in and the screw moves outside the back, but nothing else moves.

miriam

OKAY!!! The little plate thing that goes in the groove may have oil dried up under it - take a q-tip and a little solvent and dab it a little in every direction - especially inside and under that plate. You may have to lay the machine on it's front on a towel to get it worked in - protect your paint - pack something to catch drips - see if anything happens. I don't know if rubbing alcohol would free it up a little or not. It may have dried up oil in the slot or on the bottom of that little plate thingy. Put solvent on each notch above and below, too. Get yourself a really good light, too.

Stitchnripper

We do have rubbing alcohol so will try that and report back.

ArchaicArcane

Oh THAT pin!! I do get that one, with the way I oil. Turning the hand wheel the whole time, when it moves, I squirt it.

They do require more exercise than the 403s for instance, but they're a very robust machine when properly cleaned then maintained. The problem with a lot of the ones we run into, especially at thrift stores, is they often have seen no maintenance for some time.

Think of its homecoming cleaning and oiling as bonding time.

I phrased that badly. A 403 will only do a straight stitch without cams. If you want anything, including a zig zag, you need cams. That said, the cams "duplicate" some of the built in stitches on the 401, and I usually like the fashion cam version better.

I had a sneaking suspicion that was going to be the answer. Try moving the right stitch selector into another position and see if the left one is willing to move. Try a few positions.

the one directly left of the center of the cam stack, right?

Now I'm confused.

The red lever is stitch width (and has some other functions wit the built in cams).

So let's see if I have this right. Both "knobs" of the stitch selector (looks like a piggy snout) can move in or out as they're supposed to, and the inner one will turn, but the outer one won't, -and- the stitch width lever is still a little messed, yes? Have you been able to check to see if the needle bar is swinging freely yet? Push it at the joint, it will move about 1/4" to the right, and let go. It should snap back, not move lazily or stay put.

I'd say that there's hardened oil or possibly even grease in between the "collar" and the pillar for the left side of the stitch selector. It looks "brownish" in between to me... it also looks ever so slightly "jammed", probably because of the stuck between a and B thing. If you turn the handwheel backward a smidge, the cam should turn backward a bit too, and you may be able to dislodge the finger for the left side selector.

She said they did above (push in and pull out, but no turny on the left side is what I think I understood)... it really looks like the one is a little jammed though

miriam

That front selector is all the way to the top - try putting it all the way to the bottom. Then try moving the back one.

ArchaicArcane

Yeah, I just went and pulled a top for the 411G. The front one is the inner knob. Put it down and you have a better chance of the back one moving. If it's fully at the top, it tends to "jam" that whole mechanism from letting the other side turn. Ditto if the left (back) one is all the way up.

I shot some video of what these look like when they're operating, and am going to try to figure out how to upload to YouTube.

amyjo

Boy you gals are good. Fixing machines by computers. Glad we have you on board, we would spend way too much money on SMG's.

miriam

I have seen those little slots so gummed up it isn't funny - took a lot of going over and over with solvent to get all the gunk out. Once you get it to move freely put some T-F on it where Joe shows it. If you use SM oil or 3-in-one oil expect to have to do this all over again. SM oil has paraffin in it. You might be able to just heat it and get it to free back up. These Singer 401, 500 and 600 machines have to be regularly oiled and regularly cleaned to function optimally IMHO. Maybe that is why I love my Singer 403 and the 503 so much - they are more forgiving and I am so lazy.

miriam

I have serviced MANY of these selectors. They are a chore to do. Tammi has done her share of them, too. They have their quirks. I don't see many of those machines with out the same issues or more. We will for sure need a way to 'find' this again. This should be the end all on the selectors by the time Tammi posts a UTube video.

Stitchnripper

Have been working the rubbing alcohol in. So far nothing. Does it need to sit awhile? I'm tempted, but not really, to pour it in there and then dump it out.