I recently was given this Singer 401a and I just can't seem to get it to work. I know absolutely nothing about sewing machines but I'd like to start using it. I opened it up and nothing appears to be damaged. I oiled some of the gears that seemed like they needed it but I've had no luck. The big spindle on the right and the gears it connects to run just fine but nothing else moves at all. I've tried every switch and lever I could find but nothing seems to work.
I'm hoping there's something simple I'm missing simply because I don't know what I'm doing lol
If this is the wrong place for this kind of post please feel free to let me know i just thought I would ask here first before I resort to paying someone to look at it
Grandma had one of these bad bois. Im not sure but these are very mechanical and if youre not getting movement the simplest explanation is the cord or motor. If your getting noise and its sounds stressed then you might have something bound up and then its a different decision tree.
https://sewingiscool.com/singer-sewing-machine-401a-troubleshooting/#tab-con-3
I bought a new cord and pedal for it and the motor spins fine but it's not engaging with the rest of the machine. I think it might be the bobbin setting someone mentioned in another comment. I did check for any bound up thread but didn't find anything
If it's the bobbin winding mechanism, the wheel will spin but the needle won't move. In that case, tighten the centre of the wheel. Here's a quick & dirty run through: https://youtu.be/DFwollQFufI
The 401 is an excellent machine and very much worth repairing.