Great video. I appreciate it when folks speak clearly, explain well, and edit judiciously.

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate that!

I've overhauled about 10 potted motors for 301's and 401's with complete success using Steve's instructions . His instructions are excellent! However, everyone seems to have overlooked, or not been aware of, one very important step. That is to re-align the upper and lower motor bearings - very important and easy. I will follow Steve's convention and call the bearing in the "gear end" of the motor the upper bearing. Thus, the bearing in the black plastic housing end of the motor is called the lower bearing. The upper bearing is a true ball bearing assembly with a ball race. It is pressed into the motor housing metal casting. I personally would not attempt to remove it. One would need some sort of toggle press to get it, or a replacement, back in square. I would simply clean it with solvent and re-grease it with Tri-flow grease and one drop of Tri-flow oil. The lower bearing is entirely different. It is what we who were in automobile small motor design called an "oilite bronze self-aligning bearing". The bearing itself looks like a 5/8" sphere with a shaft hole thru the middle. The spherical outside of the bearing is the feature that does the self-aligning. It is captured between the black plastic lower motor housing and a spring clip. The bearing is free to articulate when an external force is applied. If you view the lower housing with the armature removed - viewed from the inside, you can see the spring clip. If you remove that clip by rotating it about 10 degrees CCW while flattening it, the clip and bearing will fall out. Beware, the spring clip is somewhat strong - it took all my two thumb strength just to flatten it. Leave the bearing and spring clip in place and just douse the bearing ID with solvent and apply Tri-flow grease and a drop of Tri-flow oil. By the way, the bearing was probably originally cooked in oil at the factory. The "oilite bronze" is porous and absorbs the oil. That original oil was cooked in about 70 years ago - amazing! Now the important part - aligning that lower bearing. First, complete re-assembling the motor, after cleaning the commutator ring, carbon brushes, etc. Next, you'll want to run the assembled motor - first, laying on the bench and then while holding the motor in your hand. BE CAREFUL!!!! Step one - unplug the sewing machine from the wall socket before you attach the two electrical leads on the bottom of the sewing machine into the motor. By the way, the two electrical leads are barely long enough to attach them when the motor is out of the sewing machine. You may need to wiggle the motor around a bit. Then set the motor down on the table (hands off), plug the machine back into the wall socket and activate the foot pedal. The motor should "spin up" and probably dance around on the table. Now to re-align the bearings you will use a small or medium hammer. Don't be 'fraid! Hold the motor in one hand and activate the foot pedal to maximum. You will now "tap" the lower black plastic end of the motor several times while it is running at full speed. The raised area you're going to tap is about the size of a small bottle cap and it has some manufacturing data molded onto it. Listen carefully to the motor RPM while you do this. Remember that the motor housing you're tapping is plastic, so don't tap it hard enough to break it. If you think about how hard you'd be willing to tap your own forearm with the hammer, that's about right for the first tap. The second tap can be slightly harder. I'd say that you're done after about 3 taps. You will probably hear the motor pick up speed after the first or second tap. I hold a single thickness of cloth over the plastic housing before I tap it. Also, I think that a rubber mallet might not work, since you're depending on the "suddenness" of the tap to do the re-aligning. This re-alignment process also works well on many other belt drive motors (Singer, Kenmore, etc.). Good news, those other motors have metal, not plastic, housings!

YOU ARE A MONSTER THAT IS WHAT WE SAY HERE WHEN YOU NOW SUCH MUCH ABOUTS SOME THINGS congratulations from Dominican republic

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

So, so helpful. Thanks!

Thanks for another great video Stevie !

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

No problem 👍

this was so good, thanks!

Great presentation! Thanks for your time and informative video! Cant wait to get both my 401's back up to top speed. They have been getting sluggish!

Super informative.

Thank you for your video

Very informative, thank you I also like the Queensryche in the background!

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Helpful - Thanks!

Thank you for your video. I have a couple 401a’s and one of them has a slow motor. I tried lubing the gears etc and not much improvement. Watched your vid and took out the motor. Used 1000 grit sand paper to cleanup the armature put it together and not much improvement. Took it apart and flattened the brushes like you did and it helped a bit. I bench ran the motor and watched the brushes spark and wear in. Took a minute or two. As the brushes wore in, the motor speed cranked up to hyper warp and now my 401a is working like it should. So flattening the brushes was very important. Thanks again.

It's a COMMUTATOR, but this is none the less an awesome video

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Yea I do that a lot hahaha. I didnt wanna reshoot it.

I LOVE that you put on a mix tape. I miss tapes and vcrs and the lack of digital copyright encryption...

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks its my old boombox when I bought as a kid ive kept it repaired and restored all these years. I just cant seem to let it go.

@mikenelson1495

3 жыл бұрын

Great point about digital encryption.

this is so helpful! im going to try this on my 401a motor that's running kinda hot. 🤞

Thank you sooo much

Good job show in video 👍

Thank you so much for your video! My friend gave me a 401A that was really, really slow. When I took out the motor it was like burnt toast, but because I have nothing to lose, I cleaned it up like you described, ground down the Commutator and bushes and now she’s ready for NASCAR! I was scared to do this, now I may be obsessed with repairing machines! AND, I have a Poison song stuck in my head from your mix tape!!!

Hello Stevie! I am back studying your electrical motor expertise! I have done only one of these previously. Now I have a few so I'll be hanging out here a little more regular. I had forgotten to hit the notification icon so I nailed it today! Thanks Stevie and 'Hi' from downtown, snowy, Montréal, Québec, Canada! I love the USA too!

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Its not crazy hard is it. And the benifits are a lot.

@JebbAdams

3 жыл бұрын

@@SewSaveMe Hey Stevie, thanks for yakking back, lol! So true! Besides I DO enjoy it! So thanks for the help . Hi to Crystal- I watch them too! I have 3 more PA10-8 ready so I am bingeing on your PA Motor vid ... so thanks for the help!!

You are a hoot… I wish you were my neighbor! Impressive repair skills. Thanks!

@SewSaveMe

3 ай бұрын

Wow, thanks

Your the best i enjoy you video

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it.

Hey Stevie, just serviced my motor and it went easy (after watching the video). The commutator was all gunked up and the dremel work the trick to polish it up. Low speed performance is much better! I don't know how you managed to keep your hands so clean, I am a mess. I had been unimpressed with the machine , but now I new respect for it. Happy Day

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Dish soap washing my hands many many times during the video shoot so it looks more like a glamorous Mary K commercial vs a nitty gritty lets fix old greasy dirty dusty things. It helps with confidence so im told to make sure you always have clean hands :D.

Thanks, Stevie! This is very useful. I found that the ball bearing in the motor of my 503a was hammered. It's easy to find and replace. It has a 7mm ID, 22mm OD, 7mm wide. The generic part number is 627zz, where the zz refers to the metal shields on each side. Easy to find on Amazon or ebay. As you mentioned, it's relatively easy to press the armature out. A wire retainer holds the bearing in the housing.

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

Im sorry for the Delayed Responce I had no idea youtube was holding the comments until now. Nice thanks for that info. I have one I need a bearing for but was being to lazy to yank it out and haul it to the bearing shop to get it sized. Now I got a part number.

@fenrislegacy

5 жыл бұрын

I'll save the video of this DIY project as soon as you release it. :-)

Nice. Just picked up a seized 401. Got the cam shifters unstuck from A-K 3. Turned smooth on the drive shaft, but the motor was slow and no torque. Will try a brush and commutator service as shown. If works. Great. If not, find another motor.

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Right on

Is that a motor in your hand or are you just glad to sew me really great instruction to this Aussie singer sewist I am going to rewatch you a few times before I begin

@21:35 - I thought the same thing, asbestos that lasts forever...lol!😃

You might show connecting the motor to the pedal with the pedal unplugged from the wall. That way there are not any metal parts or screws to touch and get zapped. Or even better, have the pedal plugged into a power strip that easily switches off and on!

I discovered your channel yesterday and was so glad! Another good, very clear and concise video! Thank you! A question, where would you look to find a 401a that was still operating and could still be used for years to come? I don't want to get ripped off by buying a machine that has no hope of giving service. thanks

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Most singer 401a's can be brought back to smooth sewing conditions. Ive had 8 of them my self and none of them had major serious issues. They were all filthy gummed up and dry as a bone. Cleaned up the lint soaked them down with triflow and fiddling got them all running again.

@ca6177

3 жыл бұрын

@@SewSaveMe thanks, I'm going to be on the hunt for one.

Thank you for the videos, I purchased a 401A from a thrift store for 30 bucks I cleaned it up, oiled and greased while it watching your other videos thank you very much they were so helpful. The motor has a burning rubber smell within a minute of stepping on the pedal. I cleaned the motor brushes they were grimy. I don’t feel comfortable taking the motor apart. Any idea how much a replacement motor should be?

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

Good question. And even if you get a replacement will it be washed out oiled and ready to go? Go watch my geared motor video is simpler then you think.

at 9:34 the label says communicator but it is really called a commutator. A communicator is what Capt. Kirk spoke on to have Scotty beam him up. LOL

@SewSaveMe

2 жыл бұрын

:) some one was paying attention.

Thanks for the excellent video. You sanded the brushes flat. Is there a reason for that? The commutator (rotor) is round and will make them convex after a little use. The convex shape also increases conduction. I prefer your method of cleaning the inside with CRC, I just used an air compressor(always wear a mask!) I loved your way of polishing the commutator. A polished commutator will increase the life of the brushes.

@SewSaveMe

Жыл бұрын

Because when you polish the Commutators it could change there profile slightly so if you sand the brushes flat it will make them regrind back to the exact profile of the commutators. Thats the reason why when you buy new brushes there Flat not already profiled. When I wasnt sanding them sometimes it would take longer for them reprofile because the rounded angle has much more surface to wear into vs a flat squared surface. Or worse they would only make connections on the extreame edges and not the hole brush maken the motor not run correctly for a while til they broke into the commutator.

Have you changed the spindle bearing (ball bearing) at the end yet? My husband did on ours as it was still rough as yours at 8:28-30. That made a huge difference, smoother and quieter at all speeds.

@SewSaveMe

Жыл бұрын

Nope I sure havent. Its quit a bit smoother after the motor has been ran and that oil/grease fully soaked in. But that takes time and I didnt want to spend that much time revisiting the video.

Hi Stevie, I was looking to see if you ever did a video on servicing the 3 lead motor from a 620 or 640 as you said you would do after you converted the 401 to the 1 amp motor with speed switch. I converted my 401 with a motor from a 620 but it is just a 2 lead motor with a switch that slows it with a resistor I think. I am trying to convert my 503 now with the motor and two speed foot pedal from a 640 and am having trouble figuring out how to wire it. I thought seeing you rebuild the 3 lead motor might help. I wiring diagram would too. Any help would sure be appreciated. Thanks, Jim

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

I always use the wire harness out of the doner machine as the Stock 50x and 40x wire harnesses dont have enough pins in the connector to run a 3 wire 2 stage motor. I suggest you use the 640's wire harness in the 50x machine. Then the only thing you have to wire up is the light.

Question - removing bearings, why not bend the tab back and let the spring slide out?

When would you suggest you servive a motor in this way?

Was that plain rubbing alcohol you used to "clean things off? Great video

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

Sorta I use 91 percent try to stay away from any thing less as there is a lot of water in any thing less then 91 percent.

Thanks for these great videos! I have a Singer 401A I bought used a few months ago. The motor got increasingly weak over time. I serviced it following along with this video. The problem got a little better, but now the speed is inconsistent. I can hold the foot pedal all the way down, and the motor will speed up for a few seconds, then slow down a bit, then speed back up, etc. Any ideas on why it does this?

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

Im sorry for the Delayed Responce I had no idea youtube was holding the comments until now. Might want to clean the carbon piles up in the pedal or make sure the wide open bar inside of it isnt burnt though or carboned up real bad. Or try a known working pedal.

@johnwinn5947

5 жыл бұрын

Folsoml, I had the same problem. Those old push button controllers stink. Reading on a bunch of Singer forums/FB pages, a good upgrade is to buy one of the newer electronic pedals and replace the old one. I could not find one with the special plug for the 500a so I bought a cheap one on Amazon, cut it off the harness, cut mine off the harness and wired the new one in its place. Two wires like a lamp cord. Soldered the wires and covered with heat shrink then electrical tape. Ladies said the old ones are also a fire hazard because they use resistance whereas the new ones are electronic. The new ones have much better speed control, especially at low speeds. I'm not directing you to do this, just telling you what worked for me.

@deemay3864

5 жыл бұрын

John Winn m

What liquid did you use to wipe off the communicator and shaft after polishing?

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

Im sorry for the Delayed Responce I had no idea youtube was holding the comments until now. I used the electra clean that was in the bucket :)

Hey, I just love following you and doing these videos TOGETHER. I'm putting my motor back together, and the tape holding the copper wire (the little bundles on each side) is totally frayed out. It's still (kindof) holding the wire bundle together, but the fibers in the tape are all frayed out and really a mess. Can I use electrical tape? Should I even attempt to replace it? I put it back together with frayed ends inside....I'm a little scared to rev it up. Let me know what you think. I have no idea what kind of tape it is....stringy tape? :-)

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

With out a picture im not sure how to respond. But I do know that electrical tape isnt the best idea ether. The heat and vibration wont make it super permanent. Plus Tape eventually loses its sticky. If your talking about the wire that holds on the to the contact in the motor you could always try resoldering. If its just the old cloth insulation on the wire try shrink tube its pretty handy stuff.

@karenpercival2360

4 жыл бұрын

SewSaveMe i have the same issue with the string tape wrapped around the reddish coloured wire bundles. Do you really need any tape at all? They all (the wire bundle) seem to be meshed together and not touching anything.

Hey Stevie I have a question I have a 301 do you think upgrading the motor from a 400’s series fit my 301 ? If yes I would change the warm gear from my 301 to the upgraded motor but am asking like is the shaft the same ? I would like to upgrade the motor on my 301 to a higher amp motor..do you think it’s possible ? Thanks 🙏🏼

@SewSaveMe

Жыл бұрын

Im not sure actually Ive never owned a 301.

@james30k

Жыл бұрын

@@SewSaveMe thanks for the reply I guess I’ll take the risk but if it does work I’ll keep you posted..have a great day 🙏🏼🤘🏽

is the 500 motor basically the same as this one? Good videos!

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

There all pretty close singer used that style of motor for a long long time.

great video! going to work on rebuilding my 401a motor this weekend. so you don't think lapping the brushes to fit the curvature of the commutator is necessary? some other videos i watched they wrap sandpaper around the commutator and sand brush like that to get curvature. had a lot of fun watching your video at 2x speed!! thanks for sharing the knowledge :) .

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

Im sorry for the Delayed Responce I had no idea youtube was holding the comments until now. I usually just flatten them. They will wear back into the commutators ive found. That way they are broken in to your motor. Most new brushes are flat to begin with even in new motors.

How to service Singer 301...Thanks!

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

Im sorry for the Delayed Responce I had no idea youtube was holding the comments until now. Next one I find in the wild Ill do a video.

Pron: commutators, not communicators and no, the turn-on smell comes from the ozone produced by the brushes arcing, it's normal. Your nose senses it and then ignores it quickly. Many modern motors are brushless and controlled by stepper circuits. So we tend to think it's an old-timey electric smell.

@SewSaveMe

5 жыл бұрын

I was wondering when some one was going to pickup that typo. :)

How do you remove motor without damaging it and how due you remove top bearing

@SewSaveMe

3 жыл бұрын

I havent had to replace or seen a reason to remove the top bearning so far. Ive yet to see one in that bad of shape since you grease the top gears that grease tends to seap down into that bearing and keep it from wearing down. But if you Have to remove the bearing there is a retention clip that holds it in on the top if I recall. But I dont usally mess with them since the plastic can be very brittle. If you have to you can always soak it in triflow and spin the shaft to clean out the bearing and reoil it.

What is rouge?

@SewSaveMe

Жыл бұрын

It metal polishing compound. I use some stuff that was made for harder metals like copper. But you can use a white rouge too thats ment for alum.

a number of procedures fall outside of camera view, are blocked by hands, or are too darkly lit to see well. if u fix that, videos will b more watchable. nevertheless, this gives me courage to try this. if i need rewinding i hope u will have that video ready.

Commutator, not communicator. Not sure you accomplished much without going thru or replacing the top bearing.

@SewSaveMe

Жыл бұрын

Its service the motor not rebuild it. The two Dozen or so motors ive come across only one of them had slop in the top bearing. So Most of them didnt the bearing replaced, all of them needed oiling. ;) I said that on accident never reshot because I was cerious to see how many people watched the hole video and paid attention. Quite a few to my surprise I didnt think I was that interesting.

Commutator. Not communicator. Great video though. Thanks.

@SewSaveMe

2 жыл бұрын

Seeing how many pay attention. And your totally right.