Fixing a Sewing Machine Foot Pedal (Too Fast, Gets Hot, etc)
Making repairs is a fact of life. No matter what you do in life, you will need to make repairs to favorite items at some point. But most repairs don’t have to be costly or require a professional. You can do it yourself and save. That factor keeps giving you a good feeling when you are successful.
Fixing a sewing machine foot pedal: The inside of your foot pedal does not contain a lot of parts. Fixing them should be easy. The first place to check is the power cord. Make sure it’s not cracked, frayed or faulty. If it is, just remove the old cord and replace it with a new one.
To help you solve your foot pedal issues just continue to read our article. It explores the world of foot pedal repair to make sure your work interruptions are not long or expensive.
Fixing a Sewing Machine Foot Pedal 101
How Does a Sewing Machine Foot Pedal Work
The design of the foot pedal is simple and easy. Its interior does not contain a lot of working parts so it is not a complicated device to use or master. Just a slight touch of your foot should get your foot pedal into action and your sewing machine operating as it should.
That is how simple the foot pedal is to use. You push down on the movable plate and the interior parts make the electrical connection needed to run your machine. That is all there is to it.
The foot pedal has a few wires to make sure the power flows unobstructed to the connections. Once the movable plate hits the little metal switch underneath it the power flows and you can sew.
Bernina Foot Pedal Problems
Berninas are great sewing machines. They should be for the price you have to pay to get one. Sometimes, these top machines do not work as well as they should and one of the areas you may have problems is with their foot pedals.
One quick fix for an intermittent hesitation that can occur is to check the foot pedal’s location. If it is on uneven ground, then the foot pedal won’t make a proper connection and you lose power from time to time.
To fix this little problem just move the foot pedal to even or level ground to keep the connection nice and strong. Another issue may be that the foot pedal is running too fast or too slow.
The source of this problem may be that it is just dirty and needs a good cleaning. Or the capacitor is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. Another source may be the printed circuit board.
For cleaning, you just need to carefully open the foot pedal and use either a lint brush or a toothbrush to get the dirt out. For the other sources of your trouble, you can remove the capacitor easily enough and replace it with a new one. It is not hard to make the right connections.
The printed circuit board will require some soldering and if you are good with that process, then replacing it should not be that hard at all.
Pfaff Sewing Machine Foot Pedal Problems
Pffaf makes good machines as well but sometimes their parts selection judgment is not always the best. Inside the 7550 and the 7570 sewing machines, there is a tiny little part that is quite fragile.
As the sewing machine ages so does this part and when it gets old enough, it will break off. You can use a little epoxy glue to fit it back together. This quick-fix should hold up until you take the foot pedal in to the repairman and get a more stable replacement part.
The owner’s manual will help you solve a number of foot pedal problems sparing you the trouble of going into the service shop. A small part may cost you about $10 to fix or if the foot pedal is too far gone, about $100 for a replacement.
The little parts inside may not be available in America, because they are not designed to fail, although it happens from time to time. The easiest thing to do is to replace the foot pedal. One person tried to fix the small part and the repairman had her machine for 6 weeks before it was finally fixed.
How to Repair a Sewing Machine Foot Pedal
Fixing an older foot pedal may only take a little time as they are very simple pieces of equipment. As with any electrical device, make sure you unplug your sewing machine. Even if it is turned off, unplugging makes sure accidents do not happen.
Next, check the power cord. If it looks burnt, cracked or has other damage you should replace it. That only takes a couple of minutes after you return from the store with a new cord.
If the power cord is fine, then look at the wires. If they are loose all you need to do is tighten them up and you should be good to go. Of course, you may have to remove the circuit board on some sewing machine models to do that.
Finally, replace any broken wires and then clean the foot pedal. Dirt, lint and other small items have their way of interrupting your sewing time. A good cleaning saves you a lot of future frustration.
Don’t forget to put your foot pedal back together again and plug your machine back in.
Sewing Machine Foot Control Too Fast
On common problems like this you should check your manual before doing anything else. The owner’s manual has a lot of information for you on how to fix your particular machine when things malfunction.
Inside the manual it should tell you if there is a speed adjustment screw or dial you can turn to slow your foot pedal down. Many modern machines do come with this feature and that is the second place you should look. A slight adjustment of this feature should slow your foot pedal down.
If you have a computerized sewing machine, you may have a speed adjustment you can alter. But being computerized you may need to take the machine in to the shop and get it serviced there.
On a side note, industrial machines may not come with a speed adjustment. They are designed to work fast once you press the foot pedal to a certain point. The best bet would be to talk to a repairman over the phone to get the right advice for your machine before taking it in or trying to fix it yourself.
Sewing Machine Foot Pedal Adjustment
Usually all it takes to make an adjustment on a foot pedal is a screwdriver. You can open it up, realign the contact points so less power goes through the foot pedal to the machine. The lack of power slows your machine down.
Or if you want to go faster, you just reverse the process and make sure there is a large contact point to add more power. That is how it worked for many older machines. There is a different issue for more modern sewing machines.
The foot pedal is often controlled by a circuit board. This board, unless there is a speed adjustment feature elsewhere, cannot be adjusted. This example comes from a Brother sewing machine.
Not all foot pedals are designed to work in the same way so you may have different adjustments available for your machine. But if in doubt for Brother or any brand name, you should call the company and talk to their servicemen.
They would have the knowledge and expertise to help you make the right adjustments if it is available. Sometimes you just have to break down and take your machine into the shop and have it adjusted for you.
Sewing Machine Runs Without Pressing Pedal
Again, older machines and newer ones are not the same. The latter models come with a completely different set of interior parts that may cause you more problems if you try to fix them yourself.
The older machines, this problem was solved by replacing the malfunctioning capacitor. That is the part that looks like a little battery. When it goes your sewing machine had no controls stopping it from running all the time, even when you do not press the foot pedal.
The newer machines have an electronic controller for the most part and these usually need a qualified serviceman to fix. In the modern versions, you have to change the foot pedal to solve the problem.
This may run you a few bucks but it may be worth it in the long run. It is certainly the fastest way to solve your problem. The last source that may be the problem is your foot pedal or the sewing machine has a wire that shorted out.
This problem needs a trained repairman to find and solve. If it is a short, do not try to run your machine as the problem will only get worse and cost you more to get fixed.
Why Does the Foot Pedal on My Sewing Machine Get Hot
You may notice this little problem from time to time. When it occurs, it is not a serious problem and you should be able to take care of it yourself. Even if you are not mechanically or tool inclined, you should be able to handle this issue on your own.
The foot pedal becoming hot is due to one or two simple things. Either the wires inside have broken or there is a loose connection. The latter only takes a proper screwdriver to solve. You just tighten up the screw and your problem should be solved.
With the broken wire, you will have to replace it. The only difference between the two fixes is that you need a replacement wire that fits your machine. The rest can be handled by your screwdriver.
Sewing Machine Foot Pedal Sticking
Taking the simple fix first, to unstick your foot pedal, a little lubrication may be in order. Just put a little oil on the rivets or spring and that may clear up your problem.
If that doesn’t do the trick, it may be that your spring has weakened or broken. Replacing the spring should take care of the issue and get you back to work fairly quickly. Also, you may want to see if any bits of lint, thread or dirt are clogging the spring up.
If so, just clean it out and you should be working like normal again. If these quick fixes don‘t solve the problem, you may want to contact your local serviceman and have them tell you how to fix it or they can fix it for you.
How to Test a Sewing Machine Foot Pedal
The best way to test a sewing machine foot pedal is to get a tester. And by tester we mean a device that monitors electrical connections, Ohms and so forth. There are many different types and some of the best are a TVOM, Continuity Tester, Circuit Tester, or Resistance Testeris.
Set the tester to test resistance in ohms. Then place the probes on the correct wires, then press down on the foot pedal. After that is done you read the results registered on your meter.
If the meter gives you the okay, then there is nothing wrong with the foot pedal. If you do not get a positive reading you may want to check your connections first before contacting a serviceman.
Your probes may be off a little or the connection is lose and so on. Double-check your readings before making that repair phone call.
How to Open a Sewing Machine Foot Pedal
Opening up a foot pedal may be easier than you think and on some models you may not even need to use tools. The bottom just slides off and you are looking at the inner works.
Or you may need a flat head or a philips screwdriver to loosen the screws before the bottom slides off. Usually, all you will need is a flat head screwdriver or a flat knife and pry the bottom off.
The foot pedal is probably the simplest part you have on your sewing machine. So it won’t take you a lot of effort to get the bottom off to access the interior and make your repairs.
The key is to make sure to unplug your machine when you do it. You do not want any electrical surprises taking place when you want to explore your foot pedal and see if it needs cleaning.
Sewing Machine Foot Pedal Circuit Diagram
There are a lot of sewing machine models in the world today. Not just the modern computerized ones but also a lot of older and antique models that have been built to last. The bad news is that there is a myriad of foot pedal circuit diagrams to look at.
We can’t put them all here as that is just not practical. Sewing machines are made by a variety of companies throughout the world and all foot pedals may not be the same even when made by the same company.
Here is one diagram from Brother to give you an idea of what a foot pedal circuit looks like:
As you can see the circuit is quite simple. If you do not own a Brother sewing machine, here is a link to a variety of circuit design images. You can locate yours and see how it is supposed to look.
Singer Sewing Machine Foot Control Repair
A lot of your repairs will depend on the age of your Singer sewing machine. Over the generations, Singer has made a lot of upgrades even to their foot pedals. A quick search shows that there are a variety of designs and styles for their foot pedals but the internal circuitry should be fairly close unless you have a more modern machine.
If you are having issues with your machine’s foot pedal, always check the simple solutions first. This saves you time and money. The first thing you should do is check to see if the pedal is dirty.
You wouldn’t believe how a good cleaning solves many sewing machine issues. If it has a circuit board or a computerized link, take your machine to a qualified repairman. That is the best way to have your Singer fixed.
Some Final Words
Foot pedals on sewing machines may be simple parts but they are very essential if you want your machine to work properly. Unfortunately, they break down or malfunction from time to time.
The best thing to do is check your owner’s manual as that little book has the best quick fixes that may solve your problem. If not, then go to the simplest fix first and move on to the more complicated when that doesn’t solve the problem.
If in doubt, the qualified serviceman is always a phone call away and they should be glad to help you over the phone if the problem is not hard to do.
