Elna 745 serger won't sew

Hello. I have a 945, which has similar features, I believe. I had this problem as well, until I discovered that the safety features were preventing it working. 1) presser foot needs to be down, 2) needle clamp down, 3) the lower front cover perfectly closed. Perhaps this helps.

To replace the presser foot lever on an Elna 9000 Computer model sewing machine, follow these steps:

1. Raise the presser foot by turning the handwheel towards you until the needle is in its highest position.
2. Release the presser foot lever by pressing the button on the back of the presser foot lever and sliding the lever to the left.
3. Remove the old presser foot lever by sliding it off the presser bar.
4. Align the new presser foot lever with the presser bar and slide it into place.
5. Secure the presser foot lever by pressing the button on the back of the lever and sliding it to the right.
6. Lower the presser foot by turning the handwheel away from you until the needle is in its lowest position.
7. Test the presser foot lever to make sure it is functioning properly.

If you are having difficulty replacing the presser foot lever or if the machine is not functioning properly after the replacement, it is recommended that you consult the user manual or contact Elna customer service for assistance.

Be sure to thread each in the ORDER specified--for most machines (but yours may differ) upper looper, lower looper, then needles. Follow (closely) the threading diagram on the machine. Missing one guide or hitting the guides out of order will throw you machine into a tizzy! On my serger, the lower looper has to lay over the top of the upper looper/thread before it all gets pulled under the presser foot toward the back of the machine.

It also may help to RAISE the presser foot when threading the machine.

Having problems threading my Elna Pro DE 4 sewing discussion topic...

Threading elna lock pro 4 DE green knob

... not quite sure what you mean by "not stitching", here are a few things to check. If the problem is more specific, please leave me a note with more details.
Let's start right from the beginning (for 4-thread overlock/serge):
1. According to the serger manual, ensure that the proper needles are being used. That they are inserted all the way up into their positions and that the flat side of the needle is facing away from you. The left needle will appear to be shorter that the right, that is OK, all is going perfectly.
2. Use four good quality spool of serger thread (good quality sewing thread is fine also) and place them on the spool or cone holders. There should be "little bucket looking things" that fit onto the cone pins to make the cones sit nice and straight, use them. Rattling thread will cause grief.
3. The first thread to be loaded onto the serger is the Upper Looper ...it is the big needle looking thing that swings left to right and back again above the sewing surface. Follow all the threading guided according to your manual, the threading guides are generally coded in a colour specific for this looper. Once the eye of the Upper Looper is threaded, place the thread under the presser foot and to the left. Presser foot down.
4. Next is the Lower Looper, the big needle looking thing that swings left to right and back again under the sewing surface. It can be a bit tricky in some sergers as the thread need to pass to the left and then back to the right under the sewing surface. Your manual should have a good diagram if you can not follow the threading guides on the serger itself. Again the threading guides are generally colour coded with a different colour but specific for the Lower Looper. Once the looper is threaded, it is important that the thread is placed directly OVER the Upper Looper as it comes out of the eye of the Lower Looper. Place the thread now under the presser foot and to the left. Presser foot down.
5. Thread the right needle front to back and place the thread under the presser foot and to the left. Presser foot down.
6 Thread the left needle front to back and place the thread under the presser foot and to the left. Presser foot down.
7. Hold the four thread ends firmly in the left hand and give each thread individually a good pull down over the serger and behind, this will ensure that the threads are all engaged in the tension dials.
8. Set the tensions to the middle number, although this may vary with the brand and model of your serger. If you have the manual check for the correct settings specific to your unit.
9. Set differential to 'normal', or '0' (if your unit has one)
10. Set stitch length to about 2 1/2 to 3.
11. Make sure that the blade is in cutting position. We can trouble shoot blade position later if needed.
12. Make sure that you have the overlocking plate installed ... not the rolled hem plate (if your serger has two plates). Some sergers use the same plate for both functions.
13. Using two layers of medium weight fabric do a test stitch, what is the result? Is a chain forming? Are there stitches on the fabric? Are they looking the way they should?
Hopefully this has helped you, please let me know.
Cheers.

Try Central sewing Machines in Edmonton Alberta. Looks like they have it in stock

here's a link for parts, if this isn't the right model,, then let me
know
http://www.sewingpartsonline.com/elna-905dcx-sewing-machine-parts.aspx

Yes, any low shank should work. If it doesn't you can always regift it to someone.

I found two sites with a manual for this model. Both are around $15.00 - sew4less and sewusa.

If you open the front of the serger, there should be a threading guide printed on the serger or on the inside of the door.

Raise the thread antenna to it's highest position.

Set the tensions to zero and raise the presser foot.

Turn the handwheel until the loopers are at their highest position - the handwheel may have a mark on it that aligns with one on the side of the serger to help with this.

Starting at the right, thread the upper looper first.

After threading, reset the tensions back to approximately mid-range.

Lower the presser foot and stitch a chain of thread to make sure the serger is stitching as it should.

I could not find a manual for this model, but did find a fairly universal guide at Singer - http://www.singerco.com/pdf/14SH654_threading.pdf

A very good book for sergers from threading to maintenance is Nancy Zieman's Serge With Confidence.

Raise the antenna to it's highest position.

Raise the presser foot and set the tensions (if not auto tension) to zero.

Thread in the order indicated in the download or on the front of the serger/inside serger door.

Here are 2 dillers that will repair it for you.

Sew Pros Inc 393 Broadway
El Cajon, CA 92021 (619) 442-3100 4.61 mi Burdick's Chula Vista Sew 278 Third Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91910 (619) 422-5325 10.56 mi


Good luck and please rate