My Riccar 9700 has a squealing handwheel. I've taken off the cover from the arm. I've cleaned and oiled every moving part in the manual. What is causing this squealing?

RICCAR 9700 Instruction Manual

Could be the machine needs needle bar adjustment or the machine has not been professionally cleaned & oiled for some time. Old oil solidifies and sticks moving parts together.

Berninamatic 910 is frozen Where can find manuals so that can service it

Um, not sure I understand the problem, however, it is recommended to never turn the handwheel backward. Always, turn it forward.

If it is an 830 Record, it may need a thorough cleaning and oiling. Open the top, the left side, and remove the free arm cover and apply 1-2 drops of fresh good quality sewing machine oil every place where metal rubs metal. Never oil the belts, plastic, or anything non-metal. Gently rock the handwheel and watch where things move and apply a couple drops of oil. Don't forget the feed dog mechanism and the levers & dials. Also get the needle bar and the needle position control on the needlebar. You can look around for little oil ports. There are several near the cams that are activated by the zig-zag control and stitch selector. Also several on the knuckles on the take-up lever, an important one in the back of the feed dogs next to the outer case, etc. There may be one on the back of the machine above the motor.

Be sure to run the machine on scrap fabric and clean up any excess oil before sewing on a project.


If it continues to squeal, it could be one of the belts. You might check to see if they are frayed, worn, or loose.

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Difficult to say. The machine should have enough power to stitch fabric. Could be a problem with the foot control or the motor or multiple other issues.

Is the machine mechanical (NOT computerized)? If so, could need a good cleaning and oiling. If old oil has solidified and is freezing the moving parts, the motor would be straining so that any resistance (fabric) would prevent the machine from operating. Do not try to force the motor to operate as it could damage the motor. Consult your owner's manual. Use ONLY fresh good quality sewing machine oil. Do NOT oil any plastic, rubber, or belts. Open the top cover and the free arm cover and apply 1-2 drops of oil every place that metal rubs on metal. (Slowly hand-rotate the handwheel and watch where things move. Is the handwheel resistant to turning? If so, indicates something is holding it back. Does the oil loosen things? If so, you are probably on the right track.)

If the machine is not mechanical or you continue to have issues, might be best to take it for service.

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Difficult to advise. Can you operate it manually by turning the handwheel clockwise? Does the motor make noise when you step on the foot control but the needle does not move?

It appears to be a mechanical machine. If so, it could need a good cleaning and oiling. That is probably a good place to start. (Consult your owner's manual and use ONLY fresh good quality sewing machine oil.) Could be a multiple of other things, ie loose/broken belt, foot control failure, carbon brushes or capacitor, electrical problem, motor problem... Probably best to take it in for service.

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Is it a mechanical machine (NOT computerized)?

Do this ONLY if it is MECHANICAL. Remove the top lid and the freearm cover (if no free arm, then you'll have to tilt the machine so you can access the lower mechanism).

Use ONLY fresh good quality sewing machine oil. While handrotating the handwheel, watch where metal parts move against other metal parts and apply 1-2 drops of oil. Do NOT oil plastic, rubber, or leather parts as oil will eventually destroy them.

Be sure to oil the moving parts in the lower mechanism as well. Hopefully this will take care of the squeak and get your machine operating 100% again.

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I believe you probably have a Bernina Favorit. A Favorit is an early mechanical Bernina sewing machine and, to Bernina vintage lovers, is a keeper. Favorits are the flat-bed version, not the free-arm version, but is a wonderful machine nonetheless. If you search the internet using:

Brand +
Model +
the word "Manual"

(ie Bernina 640 Manual)

you might have some luck finding a manual.

Or, you can join the Yahoo BerninaThirtySomethings group
Yahoo Groups, where older manuals are available in the Files section. In addition, you will have access to a wonderful resource of Bernina users/lovers including conversations on using, maintaining, repairing, and assorted other advice about your older Bernina.

The first thing you should probably do is pick up a good quality sewing machine oil (Bernina oil for CB Hook is recommended--however, never use 3-in-1, WD-40, cooking oil, or the old oil can that you might find in the machine's accessory box). Consult the owner's manual in the Maintenance section to clean and oil your machine. If the machine has not been used in several years, the motor may sound like it is straining to move the mechanical parts. Most likely, the old oil has dried out and is sticking things together. Do not force the motor to move things without first cleaning and oiling the machine.

Remove the top cover and swing open the cover on the left side where the lightbulb is located. Gently hand rotate the handwheel and while watching the moving metal parts, apply ONLY one-two drops of oil every place that metal rubs against metal. (Sometimes the oil ports are marked with red paint as a guide, but some machines are not marked.) Use only 1-2 drops at a time. Do NOT over-oil as too much oil can be as damaging as no oil. Gently move all the levers and dials and oil those moving parts as well. Do NOT oil the white plastic gears, the belt, or the large round metal cams (which your machine may or may not have). Then, tilt your machine back and remove the bobbin & bobbincase and with a soft brush, remove any lint, dust. Then while hand-rotating the handwheel and moving the levers and knobs, apply oil to the moving parts under the machine. The feed dogs are usually a problem so be sure to test the feed dog knob. If anything seems to be sticky, resistant to movement, you can also direct hot air from a handheld hairdryer into the interior mechanism to help loosen things. Be sure to place a drop of oil on the bobbin hook in the bobbin area (the manual should show this).

If there is anything that is still sticky, then a few more drops of oil and the handheld hairdryer should be employed until things are moving well again.

A Bernina is a great machine for the sewing enthusiast, but only if it is maintained and cared for regularly. Cleaning and oiling should be performed approximately every 8-12 hours of constant sewing, or every time a bobbin is emptied, or at least every six months if not in frequent use.

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Older machines usually suffer from dried up oil and a build up of fuzz and lint. You'll need to do some serious cleaning and oiling. Look for trapped threads between moving parts. Use "liquid wrench" to clean capture drips and allow to soak for a bit. Then wipe down and use a good sewing machine oil.

Also if you mean that the needle is hitting something... that means the machine is out of time and needs to be timed.

I've tried to look up the manual for this but haven't found anything free for download. However there is a "608" that should at least give you some hints on what to do for your machine, oil points etc.

Get cleaned and oiled up really well... then if you still have bindinding issues check the timing.

http://www.riccar.com/ftp/whitepapers/608_Instruction_Manual.pdf

hi there,
this type of problem related to "overload protection" the motor can't overcome the load work,then it would able to stop your machine,theres problem on motor assembly try to check the carbon brush.if worn out replace,handwheel are couple to motor pulley inside machine.there an opening for the belt.if you want to check it loosen bolt cover,have move the belt you can figure why handwheel moving tight.if you realease the belt handwheel will move independently but handwheel is connected to a cam shaft w/mechanical link connected such as gears,cam and bushing that
can also suspiciuos of obstruction can came there.take this to service center if trouble link to mechanical problem.have a nice day
rate me and thank's

There are two key points I suggest customers can do themselves to help lengthen the life of their machine. One is your hook and the other is the needle bar...
Hook - Open your bobbin door, removee the bobbin case/bobbin. On the upper left corner there is a small latch, push in the latch and your shuttle race ring will fall down forward. You can now remove your stainless steel hook. You need to keep this hook clean and the lip it fits back into clean and void of lint and debris. On the back of this hook or the "lip" that the hook fits back into apply a small amount of hook/sewing machine oil.
Needle Bar - Open up your head cover, the needle and needle bar clamp is attached to a long stainless steel rod that travels vertically inside your head. All sewing machines have a needle bar that looks like this. This bar travels thru two brackets attached to the frame of the machine. Rotate your handwheel and clean the needle bar well of debris. Rotate the handwheel so that the needlebar is in it's highest point and apply a small amount of oil to the upper and lower bracket of the frame, rotate the handwheel so the needlebar slides back down and therefore lubricating it and the inside of the brackets.
Hook oil or sewing machine oil is relatively inexpensive from all quilt, sewing machine, repair shops.

Be sure to take your machine in a minimum of every three years for proper cleaning and lubricating of all the other parts (This is of course for average home sewing machine use 8hours a week)