Nothing Ventued, Nothing.....

Well you know.  I am working on this very dirty 500A.  I am not sure that it will ever stitch.  It is just so dirty.  I had wanted to gain access to the needle bar area.  I figured the best way was to remove the presser bar tension adjuster.  The screws would not loosen and I managed to bugger them up.  I did manage to remove the dial but that didn't get me much access. The machine was just not happy in zz mode and I wondered if the plunger was all gooked up.  I finally decided to just remove the needle bar.  I loosened the set screw, as directed in the service manual, but that f*#$%ing thing would not let go.  I had to apply heat, alcohol and more heat and use the persuader.  If I ever get this machine to stitch, its name will be The Persuader.

I removed the needle bar, not much caring that I will have to reset the needle bar height and I have NO GAUGES.  I cleaned out the bushings and cleaned the needle bar and proceeded to re-assemble it.

This is the same point, right side up, on the same machine, only different (a 401)

The lower bushing was pretty gunked up and I tried my best to clean it out.  I hope I was able to clean it well enough.  Degreaser may be tough, but years of oil and dirt are tougher.   I thought about removeving it but could not figure out how.  

I put the plunger back into the machine

Then I put the needle bar in.

 I forgot about the bushing.

I also forgot to put it in correctly.  See the threads in the above photo?  Those threads should be facing the front, not the back.  I just had to switch it around, so that the set screw would fit. 

The action wasn't all that much better.  There is another "plunger" point but it is under the camstack.  

I looked in the service manual.

Really?  That's IT?

Well, of course I had to try.

I reckon I will have some more cleaning to do this weekend.  I do think, though, that the hook gears are not meshed correctly.  The machine is so unhappy with the stitch width on 5.  Of course, there could be all sorts of gunk in there and cleaning may result in happier movements.  Time will tell.  I am, admittedly, ready to put this machine aside.  That Necchi BU SuperNova needs me.