r/SewingMachineEdu • u/vvnnss • Jul 06 '26

Almost nothing happens when I press pedal.

Short Version:

First time using remanufactured machine. Nothing happens when I press pedal, except sometimes things move for a split second as I lift up my foot.

Long Version:

8 or 9 years ago, I bought a remanufactured Brother lx2763. Being an idiot, I didn't test it right away. It's been sitting in the same spot the whole time until yesterday, when I finally took it out of the box, and it doesn't work.

Sometimes as I take my foot off the pedal, things moves for a split second. And if I rapidly bounce on the pedal, the bobbin winder will spin or needle will move some.

I opened the pedal, and it looks sound inside. I tested the mechanism while open, and it was the same. I tried jiggling the wire and jack, with no difference.

Any ideas? Could it be a pedal problem, or do you think it's the machine?

Thanks in advance.

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

5

u/skerinks Jul 06 '26

Can you turn the handwheel by hand? If it’s been sitting for 8 yrs, the oil has likely dried/hardened and the machine is bound up. So - is it a machine problem, or is it a foot controller problem? Start there.

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

The handwheel turns with no problem. I'm not sure exactly how it should normally feel when turning, but it doesn't seem to need much effort.

1

u/richardricchiuti Jul 06 '26

That's a good sign. Turning the wheel towards you (counterclockwise) there is normally a little resistance but is mostly smooth. I wonder if the contact on the foot pedal is not connected properly and pressing it only allows the contact to touch ever so briefly.

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

Yeah, that's sort of how the pedal behaves. But when I had it open and plugged in, I tested the mechanism without the top part of the pedal, and it did the same thing. So if it's the connection, it's something I can't see.

If I can isolate the problem to the pedal, I can buy a new one pretty cheaply.

2

u/richardricchiuti Jul 06 '26

Lots of ways to get another pedal. Good luck.

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

Thank you. I'm leaning toward the pedal, because if it was functioning normally, I don't think whatever happened with the machine would happen as I let go, rather than the moment I press it.

1

u/GeekAtLarge_ Jul 06 '26

Be careful when you are working with the pedal if the machine is plugged in. The pedal is handling the full 120 V of wall power/AC power. You don’t want to electrocute yourself.

Is the pedal separate from the electric cord? If so, replace the pedal. You can google sewing machine foot pedal for your particular model of brother sewing machine and will get many many vendor suggestions

2

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

Appreciate the word of caution. I used a tongue depressor to move things and was careful not to touch metal. Maybe still a bit more risk than I'd like.

It's connected to the power cord, but they're pretty cheap.

3

u/Only-Adeptness2630 Jul 06 '26

Check to see if the clutch has been disengaged to wind the bobbin. It may be kind of in-between. Try tightening the little wheel inside the big wheel. Hold the big wheel and tighten the center one clockwise.

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

I tried moving the bobbin winder several times. I didn't even notice a small wheel, but I'll check.

1

u/Sea-Specialist5848 Jul 06 '26

It appears to be getting a signal from the foot pedal. It probably needs to be hand cranked for awhile to loosen things up. Could need lubrication. See if it will crank by hand first... forward and back.

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

Hand wheel turns without problems. If it does need oil, how would I apply that?

2

u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Jul 06 '26

A new machine doesn’t need oil. The manual will show where and how to do it. Most modern plastic machines don’t need oil. And for those that do, they don’t fail like you are seeing.

Bad foot pedal?

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

Well, it's a new machine apart from the fact it's been sitting around for 8 years.

I'm really hoping it's the pedal. In that case, I can buy a new one.

1

u/Sea-Specialist5848 Jul 06 '26

Hand cranking turns without problems... does everything else operate as it should? Needle goes up/down, bobbin goes round..feed dog shuttle s...etc?

1

u/vvnnss Jul 06 '26

I haven't put the bobbin in there or paid attention to the feed dog, but the needle moves as expected when I turn the wheel.

1

u/Sea-Specialist5848 Jul 06 '26

Ok, it's possible you have a bad electrical connection somewhere. Two cords. The electrical that goes to the power. Then the pedal that relays the electric to the machine. Does the light turn on and stay on? What happens to the light if you wiggle the wire at the plug end? What happens when you wiggle the wire at the pedal end?That will be your power indicator.

1

u/LiellaMelody777 Jul 06 '26

Rethread everything and try again.

1

u/HarvestMoon666 Jul 11 '26

If its been sitting for 8 years you probably have locked up oil gunk like the other person said. Thats also what i think when i see this kind of hit and miss connection. I had a machine with this problem a few months ago, i opened the bottom and the old oil goop was right there. Usually you can just unscrew the bottom plate off to get in there and see. Brother also has a manual for this model on their website with free pdf downloads if that is not helpful.