Janome MyLock 634D Mechanical Sewing Machine - Page 8 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

With the door open, the needle plate removed and no threads in the machine, slowly turn by hand one or two revolutions & take a close look at the motion of the loopers and the needle/s, are they colliding, or is the needle becoming jammed by the black guard surrounding the lower looper ?

Ensure there are no threads or fabric debris jammed anywhere.

If it is "new" and under warantee, it would be worth a call to the dealer asking for their advice and see if they will take a look at it for you........arrange to meet with the technician if possible.

The easiest way to remember them is to observe the machine while you turn the handwheel and see. If it rubs put a drop of oil on it.This means on the end of each shaft, on parts which slide; any place which has a friction point. NOT on the knife blades.
sewman7

Remove the needle plate, you should be able to spot the broken end of needle by pulling on threads jammed underneath. If you have to use something to pick it out, be gentle. You do not want to damage the mechanism. You could always try a magnet.

If you can't figure it out, take it back to retailer. As a courtesy, they are usually pretty good at helping new owners out of a "jam".

My first inclination would be to change the needle. I could have been defective from the beginning. If it will serge without left needle, then you know that everything else is threaded correctly. Good luck.

You probably have not adjusted you stitch width and length.
Also a manual for this machine is currently being sold on Ebay for $4+. Probably would be a good investment for you.

winding the bobbin for the pfaff tiptronic 2020 machine or maybe to get the sewing manual I have all the stichtes guide

Can you post a photo of this so we can ident the actual spring and etc, if it is the check spring, it certainly will affect thread tension.

Post to here or via
www.bargainbox.com.au and I'll see what we can do to help if it is not too late so many months after the original plea.

You may need to purchase a Gathering Attachment
Part No. 200 217 101

BUT be sure it is suitable for your model first
(I am unsure which one you have)

Thread tensions are set at manufacture to all = 3 for standard work, your manual is generally helpful for many answers.

The "Janome Overlocker Sewing Guide" is a very detailed publication and has this to say about Gathering without any additional attachment.

Did it jam while stitching, or after a long period of no use, so the handwheel just does not turn ?

If the former, look here for notes on how to untangle the mess.

If it just won't move at all after some long time without use,

Have a vacuum cleaner and small brush ready when you...

Take the base off, there may be a load of lint, so be careful where you choose to do this !


Once you clear out all the loose and clinging old oil and lint "clag".......you can use methylated spirit or similar ethanol based solvent......Use a penetrating spray luricant sparingly amongst the metalwork of the lower shaft and cams.

Try a little movement of the handwheel back and forth without forcing anything too much, sometimes it will free up quickly, if not, put the kettle on, have a nice cup of tea and come back in 30mins and give handwheel a bit more of a go as above.if this still won't seem to improve, you may find you need to allow the penetrating lube to do its work for longer....try overnight....I have had to wait for up to 3 days on an old overlocker that lived in a damp garage near the coast before any signs of life came.

If you need more detail, or this is not getting to your problem, post again and give an update or a more detailed description of what happened when the event occured

Self threading is perhaps not exactly correct, however there is a guide with an armature to release the guide to enable easy access........have a look in you manual

Also take a look at this image and move the lever to use it.....all will be easier to see with the needle plate off ....until you become familiar with the operation

Undo the needle/s at the holder screw in needle arm and gently manouver any fabric out of the way ... enough to access the screw holding the needleplate on.....very gently try to loosen & remove the needle, needleplate and fabric in one bunch.........cut threads a few inches from the jam and try to ease the whole jam away from the needles and looper, you can then sort that mess out later........

During all these processes, Do Not pull or force anything as you may bend something or throw the timing out (if it is not already out)

Once all is clear, replace only the R needle at this stage and very slowly rotate the handwheel towards you and watch the motion carefully to ensure that there are no drastic collisions of loopers and needle.

If all appears well, re-thread and do a sample test.

If things are not so rosy, you may contact me via the "contact us" page at www.bargainbox.com.au and I shall see what can be done for you to reset the timing and clearances.......if you feel up to the challenge.

 If you have the machine threaded correctly, and are absolutely sure. New needles installed and it still does not sew, you most definitely have a timing problem. You should take to a qualified service center to be properly timed.

 Well, first of all, while it might be possible, I highly doubt it.
More then likely the timing is off. There are several adjustments that need to be made correctly or you will end up with more problems. Your best bet is to take it to a qualified service technician.

Well, there are a couple of things you might want to take into consideration.

1. Install new needles
2. What is the condition of the thread
3. If something like "5 for a dollar", throw it away and purchase a good quality thread.
4. Get you user manual out and make sure you have threaded correctly.

And then last, but certainly not least. Pray a little!

Set you differential at 1.0 and your loopers at about 3-4 the needle thread tensions are usually around 5 to 6.
 I would also suggest that you place four different color threads on machine to make it easier to adjust all. Now if you are using only 3 threads the same applies.
 Also------patience.

They don't have a manual online, this link; http://www.janome.com/product_show.php?id=362 Gives you some more details which might help, if not i would contact them directly, they are usually helpful; http://www.janome.com/contact.php They do have a good list of FAQ's on that link also, maybe you see what you need there. Hope this helps :)

1. Power Off: Turn off your machine completely. Make sure it's not just in standby mode but completely powered down.
2. Unplug: Disconnect the power cord from the outlet. Wait for about 10-15 seconds to ensure all power is drained from the machine.
3. Plug Back In: Reconnect the power cord to the outlet.
4. Power On: Turn on your Janome 300e and see if the screen is responsive now.

If the issue persists even after performing a reset, there might be a more significant problem with the machine's software or hardware. In such cases, it's advisable to contact Janome customer support or a certified technician for further assistance. They may provide additional troubleshooting steps or recommend servicing the machine.

Page 27 of the manual refers. (by the number on the pages, not at the top), use CTRL+F and type the word 'Number'.

Instruction Book

Janome https://www.janome.com > embroidery > mc550e PDF q Stitch back key w Stitch forward key e Stitch count r Total number of stitch count. The pale blue bar in the stitch count window is the progress bar. The ... 76 pages ..

Are you having any problems moving the needle bar with the hand wheel? Make sure that the presser foot is up and the needle bar is fully up. Then redo the top threading for the machine. Try unplugging the machine and blowing any loose debris out of the needle bar area. (I'd suggest compressed (canned) air or equivalent to minimize excess moisture in the electronics.) Also check if the machine gives the same message with the presser foot and needle down on restart. If the problem persists, then the issue is likely to be a faulty control board. I don't know if any sewing machine repair technicians still have spare boards. They aren't on the in stock parts at two vendors that I know. I hope this helps. Cindy Wells

I would look on the manufacturers web site; https://www.janome.com/blog/need-a-janome-manual-many-available-for-download-here/