Sewing Machine Problem !! Elna. Feed dog shaft.

[abrogard]

Here's a long shot. I guess it would be the first ever post about sewing machines and it might even get thrown out.
But I got nothing to lose, can't find the answer anywhere - and it's DIY people who try to fix their own sewing machines as well as everything else, right?

So on my Elna 3003 the feed dogs are stuck in the down position.

When I look inside under the dogs I find a 'feed dog shaft' with a cam on it and I see the cam is stuck at the right side of the shaft, near the spring.
It needs to be on the left to raise the dogs. I can't get it over there.

I do see there is a pin through the shaft and it protrudes and perhaps is stopping the thing.
But I also see the thing seems to have a recess to fit the pin and I'm guessing that recess goes right through the cam and allows the cam to travel completely over the pin left and right. But just controlling the position it is in when it does it. Else why have a pin there at all?

And the cam does not pass right over that pin.

Is all I know. I put a pic or two on imgur. not that it matters really. It's so simple anyone with the knowledge or a janome or Elna of their own to look at they'd be in no doubt as to what I mean.
feed dog shaft and cam
and another

 

[MarineBob]

Old news I guess. I played around with my old, old Kenmore machine. Feed foot sometimes worked, sometimes not. Simple answer, open up the case, take a look at the mechanisms. I found a not-too-loose but loose enough clampling gizmo that sometimes allowed the dog to to work, other times not, it would just slide. Figured out how its supposed to work, adjusted it properly, tightened it up. Works better than I recall for a lot of years. While you are at it, lube everything up and tighten anything with a screw. Look on Youtube for a video

 

[abrogard]

This gives me a good opportunity to update my query with the answer to it: lest any of the thousands of old elna3003 owners in a the future have the same problem.

Here is the answer: The pin through the shaft is meant to protrude. What's wrong is that it is turned on its axis. The pin appears circular but close inspection reveals that it is not. It has two flat sides machined on it. So that when correctly oriented it can pass through the slot in the cam and allow the cam to pass to the left as we look at it and put the feed dogs in the up position.

If it has happened to you simply turn it a little to the right orientation.

What caused it? I don't know. But in the dogs down position the cam is held back against the spring by this pin. I'm guessing that the vibrations of long sessions in this orientations perhaps gradually turns the pin. A bit of a nuisance.

Great machines for all that.

 

[MarineBob]

I am convinced most every problem has been solved. Just got to find the answer

 

[abrogard]

for sure... thanks to the internet we more often find it than not... when i was a child if dad didn't know and it wasn't in the library i was stuck. today I query a hundred things a day maybe - and get an answer !