Follow these instructions when you’re ready to send in your motor and/or foot pedal after sending payment (see payment instructions on “Mail-In Motor Repair” tab).
Instructions are being shown from a Singer 201-2 (gear driven machine) – if you have a belt-driven motor it is more straight forward by removing whatever bracket the motor is attached to.
INSTRUCTIONS
Tools/supplies you will need: a medium and large-sized flathead screwdriver, marker (I use a Sharpie or white chalk marker), rubber mallet (not always needed) and plastic bags to put your parts in.
In some cases you’ll need more torque than what a regular screwdriver will give you so a ratchet equipped with a 1/4″ socket and a large flathead comes in handy!
REMOVING CORDS/WIRES
This is how the original wiring of the machines looks – the pedal is hardwired to the back of the terminal (the cord coming up through the table) and the power cord is separate and plugs into the terminal.
I’ve mentioned how I highly recommend switching the original cords out for a double-lead cord, which looks like this (both cords in one):
The double-lead makes your machine look cleaner and easier to store (not to mention most of these older machines really need updated wiring anyways).
Going on, I will show how to remove the original pedal from the terminal while we are re-moving the motor wires… but if you choose to keep your pedal attached to your machine, that’s fine too!
Unscrew the black screw at the top of the terminal body.
Behind the terminal, each wire is attached to either the yellow (#1), black (#2) or red (#3) post.
Unscrew the caps from the yellow and black posts – you can follow the pedal wires up and remove them (tweezers come in handy for this)…
…just like this!
Remove the red cap and the first wire should be the lightswitch wire… remove that (there was a copper washer on top of it that I took off as well)!
Follow the motor wires down and remove them off the black and red posts. Replace the lightswitch wire onto the red post (and the copper washer if there was one).
Screw the caps back on (they don’t need to be tight until later when your motor is put back on).
Set wires/pedal aside and screw the terminal back onto the machine for now.
RE-MOVING MOTOR
Unscrew the small screw on handwheel.
There’s a black washer behind the silver knob you don’t want to fall off (so we can mark it’s location – have your marker handy) – hold this in place with your flathead while you unscrew the knob.
Mark the washer and middle post like so – this ensures it gets put back the same way.
You should be able to pull your handwheel off. Some are harder than others. Most of the time wiggling back/forth while pulling will get it off…
…other times gently prying is required…
…and very rarely I’ve had to use a soft rubber mallet to give it a few taps (tap, turn the wheel 1/4 turn, tap, turn, tap, turn, etc).
You’ll see 2 large screws inside where the handwheel was – these are what holds the motor onto your machine.
You’ll want to use your large flathead screwdriver for these – you want it to fit snuggly into the groove to prevent stripping/slipping. You’ll need a lot of torque to get these screws loose so ensure you push hard while turning. Some screws are more stubborn than others…
…occasionally I’ve had to resort to a ratchet for the better grip. Do NOT use power tools for this job! Ask a neighbor or somebody to help if needed 🙂
Wallah! You did it!
These are all the parts you need to keep safe in a bag and set aside for when you receive your motor back.
Here’s what you’re left with! (You can throw the power cord away if you’re upgrading to a double-lead cord for the pedal). Carefully wrap your motor and pedal for shipment – make sure there won’t be any movement inside the box.
Once I receive your parts I’ll need about 7 days to get them back in the mail.
I’ll take pictures of the re-wire process so you can see the insides of your motor! 🙂
After receiving your parts back, the next step will be to follow the link “Re-Attach Motor” under “Mail-In Motor Repair” tab.