Elna SU 1970's model flywheel wont turn. Tried taking cover off and oiling. No cotton wrapped round bobbin, Metal bobbin case. Been serviced, but not used for 6 months. Anyclues please?

remove the needle plate and the bobbin, there's two spots marked with red, in centre of the bobbin case place a drop of good quality sewing machine oil, and also to the left on the case, beside the tension dial. A drop in both, then run the machine slowly for a minute until the oil has spread through the innards. You can also remove the top cover but this is not covered in the manual as there's the recommendation in the manual to have your machine serviced annually. However, it can be done, unplug, then undo the two screws on top which hold the top cover on. Push down the spool holders, then wiggle the top panel around the lifting handle so you can slide the top panel vertically to the back around the handle. Then look down and oil on the needle bar bearing, turn the flywheel towards you to go through the stitch cycle and you will see the bearing coming around, drop of oil onto it. DONT oil on the right side near the friction drive and motor, just on the left area, metal on metal moving parts.

check for lint and cotton wrapped around the bobbin shaft and jamming against the housing

The tension dial is on the front of the machine right above the needle. The higher the number, the tighter the tension is applied to the top thread. HINT: When threading the top thread, ALWAYS RAISE the presser foot throughout the entire threading process. This allows the thread to seat completely in the tension disk. Tension is correct when the top and bobbin threads meet in the middle of the fabric.

Elna Lotus Instruction Booklet

Elna Lotus SP bobbin case repair Removing cotton jam from Elna Sewing...

Elna SP ST SU sewing machine repair tips (I use liquid Tri-Flow Synthetic Lube or silicone spray to loosen parts seized from old oil. Do NOT use WD-40, cooking oil, motor oil...)

Elna SP ST SU sewing machine repair tips - YouTube

? 2:25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqrbimZyP1U
Oct 24, 2011 - Uploaded by Absolute Sewing
More Photos on replacing gears and some repair ti... ... I amhaving trouble with my Elna SU 62 skipping stitches when I sew on knits. ... Elna Lotus SP bobbin case repair - Removing a cotton jam from a Elna Sewing machine ...

Amazon.com: Bobbin Case 627569106 - Elna, Janome ...

Hey I can help you with this, its a long detailed explanation though. Have you removed the bobbin holden, ie,undone two small screws and lifted out the silver bobbin case, leaving a black round thing? This black bit is the lower ring guard, you have probably undone this to remove a thread caught in the edge of the bobbin case or umderneath. Elna manuals never detailed cleaning here but it is simple enough and needs doing from time to time, i have seen big wads of felted threads and lint under guard rings when pulling apart machines. This video shows how to line up the lower guard ring, the outer casing and the bobbin case.

Elna Lotus SP bobbin case repair Removing cotton jam from Elna Sewing...

I always turn the flywheel until the opening of the lower casing is facing forward, then look at the black lower guard ring and turn it until the cut out bit is facing the front. Now look a the bobbin case, it has a couple of silver Beaks and these need to fit in between the stoppers on the outer case. You will know if lined up right as it just fits straight in, wiggle a bit left or right until its lined up. Those two silver screws have to marry up with the two holes in the lower guard ring.
Once aligned , tighten up the two screws until firm. There is a dark coloured screw too, leave it alone.

Hope,is helps, once youve done this a couple of times, its easy.

either a jam up in the bobbin which is preventing the needle bar from coming up, internally siezed up, or the friction belt internally to the flywheel has broken/worn out.

There are a couple of different SU models, the Star Series and the Air Electronics both had an SU (supermatic) model so I'll be general in my description. Firstly remove the needle cover plate and check around the bobbin race for jam ups. Or if the machine has been packed away for a long time unused, then we could assume this is a sieze up. FIRST REMOVE THE POWER PLUG FROM THE MACHINE FOR SAFETY. You'll need to remove the top machine cover and delve into the insides with a bit of patience, good quality sewing machine oil (tri-flow is perfect if you can obtain some, bike shops have it or I got mine from Ebay) and Qtips or something similar.

There should be a couple of screws holding the top cover onto the machine so remove these and then lift and tilt the cover to the back around the lifting handle and making sure you clear the bobbin winder mechanism on the right. Really good idea to take photos with your mobile as you go so you can remember where things went. Now apply triflow to the metal moving parts you can access, in particular the top of the Elnagraph shaft which should have a red mark for oiling point, and the needle bar swing bearing. Keep oil away from the belt/s on the right side of the machine where the flywheel is driven by the motor.

You'll need to carefully clean, oil and gently move the flywheel back and forwards until things free up.

I'm pretty sure these have a wick in the rotary hook under the black plastic bobbin holder where the bobbin sits. Everything else is nylon gears or designed to be lubed during your annual recommended service by an Elna technician.

You can oil the wick yourself (don't do what I did and pull it out with tweezers, dooh). Take out the bobbin holder black bit (your manual should cover this in cleaning) and see if there is a depression/hole in the middle of the metal rotary hook. If so, just put a drop of oil in there once every couple of months.

More important is to clean out the rotary hook well regularly and everywhere else in there, just use the little brush to collect the lint, then wipe it off on a piece of cotton fabric waste to clean the brush, then clean a bit more until no lint remains. Now put the bobbin holder/case back into position lining up the marker point against the stopper. Done.

Hope this makes sense to you and matches what your machine looks like. Happy Sewing, Tally Girl

You could have some cotton wrapped around your take-up arm. If you remove the cotton it should go again.
It could be needing oil on the upper shaft bush close to your flywheel. Maybey a drop of oil behind your bobbin case.

Does that model have a plastic or metal Bobbin case?

On the Carina SU there is a button on the flywheel to disengage when winding a bobbin. Be sure this button is pushed in.

that's a nice machine, one of the last mechanical Elnas with the discs for extra stitches. Firstly, you need to wind a bobbin, always use Elna swiss metal bobbins, with holes on one side only, slightly dished. Put on top of the bobbin spindle and take the thread from your spool on the spool holders at the back of the machine across to the tension disc on top left, its white bump, thread through the tension then back to the bobbin and pull the tail through a hole in the top of the bobbin. Flick bobbin across to the right against the stop, disengage the clutch by holding the outer flywheel and turning the inner towards you. Now press the foot pedal to start winding a bobbin, holding the thread tail so it starts off. Wind one full coverage of the bobbin so that the starting point is covered, then stop and cut the tail off with scissors. Now continue winding at 3/4 speed until bobbin is full, watch as it winds and give the thread a nudge with your finger so it fills top and bottom as well as in the middle of the bobbin. When it is full, the bobbin spindle will stop winding. Move it to the left, cut the thread and reennage the clutch by holding flywheel and turning the inner the other way. Now install the bobbin and click the thread into the tension device, see image.



Now thread up the top thread by taking the top thread from the spool, through the tension discs, across to the eyelet on top, down to the check spring, back up to the take up lever, then down to the needle catching the thread into the two thread guides enroute.
See this image.


Now thread through the needle front to back, hold the top thread, close the bobbin cover leaving the tail sticking out the top, lower the needle down by turning the flywheel towards you through one cycle and pull the top thread, drawing the bobbin thread up to the top of the needle plate with it. Pull both threads under the pressure foot to the back and your ready to go. Remember, top tension should be on 5 and bottom tension should be on the red 1, don't change it. Brush out the bobbin holder assembly each time you use this machine and add one drop of oil into the middle of the bobbin holder, there may be a red dot or just the indenation. Run the machine for 30 seconds after oiling without thread, slowly to spread the oil through the bobbin mechanism. Standard 130/704H needles, change regularly (6 hours of sewing) and pick right sized needle and type point for the work you are sewing. Good luck with your SU. If you wanted to join, there is a Yahoo group called "Elna Heirlooms" for fellow Swiss Elna owners.