Needle stuck I have an electronic/digital sewing machine. The needle is stuck and won't go past the needle plate. It had just hit the needle plate and the needle was bent, however I replaced the needle and now it will not go past the needle plate. When I turn the knob/dial it only goes part way in either direction (yes, I know it's bad to turn it backwards, but I was testing it). Any suggestions on what could be wrong?

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• 397 Answers
• Posted on Jan 21, 2008

SOURCE: needle keeps hitting the plate and breaking

possibly off timing,

SOURCE: needle breaking b/c it hits needle plate

Is the needle pushed all the way up into the shaft? It may have worked loose and slipped down a bit.

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You are absolutely correct - your machine doesn't come apart much because it is an electronic machine. There really are very few moving parts in modern sewing machines - and the electronics are better left to a technician who's been specifically trained.

It sounds as if your machine is no longer in time (needle rubbing the plate as it goes around if I'm understanding correctly). While not really a "major" repair, unfortunately with computerized/electronic machines, retiming your machine is something better left to an authorized Pfaff technician.

If the needle struck metal as you were stitching/basting, there may also be a rough spot/burr on the hook that your technician will be able to smooth off as well.

Hope this helps get you back up and running soon.

Happy stitching,
Kim & Linnette
www.sewingexpressions.com

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Your needle is probably to long or you need to open it more

SOURCE: I just bought a janome mini sewing machine. I

First, in order to get the bobbin thread up, you have to turn the wheel backward, not forward. If you try this, and it is not the problem, keep going.

Next you need to check the needle. There is a screw on the right side of the needle carriage right underneath the underside of the top...unscrew this and the needle should come right out. The flat side of the needle shank should go towards the back of the machine. If it isn't, switch it so that it is and try again.

If this doesn't solve your problem, what has happened is that the gears in the machine have gotten out of alignment. There is an easy fix:

Take off the plate that covers the bobbin chase...there are two screws one on each side. Remove these...you need a stub screwdriver, because regular ones will not fit under there.

Remove the bobbin carriage and the bobbin, making careful note of how they fit back in. Take a picture before disassembling it so you have a reference.

The part that carries the thread around the bobbin is still in the machine. Turn the wheel and you will see it rotate. What has happened is that the needle is not going down in the machine at the right point because someone kept sewing after it jammed and one gear kept going while the other one didn't and now it is out of alignment. These machines have plastic gears and the can slip past each other if you aren't careful not to stop immediately when they jam.

To fix it, you are going to have to do some trial and error. Grab the rotating part of the bobbin chase and hold it firmly. Rotate the wheel forward until you hear it click once. Then rotate the wheel backward again and see if it grabs the top thread. If it doesn't, repeat holding the bobbin chase and turning the wheel forward until it does.

Once you have the gears basically aligned, you will need to reassemble everything. Put the face plate back on and put at least one of the screws in all the way. The face plate holds the bobbin chase in correctly and if you don't fasten it it will not work correctly.

Now try sewing. If it starts to jam, stop immediately, cut the threads and look at the back. If it's a loopy mess, you are going to have to dissamble as before and again grasp the bobbin chase and turn the wheel forward one more click, then reassemble and try again. Eventually, you will find exactly the right alignment and the machine will sew perfectly.

I just had to make this fix on my own machine...I didn't want to take it in for repair because the bench fee alone would cost as much as the machine did!

There are some great video's on YouTube for help with threading the machine...look for StampTV and you should find them. Good luck!