Singer 337 speed issue

Hi everyone, I recently inherited a Singer 337 sewing machine from my grand
ma. It didn't move at all when I first brought it home. After consulting th
e manual and looking inside, I gave it a good cleaning and oiling, and now
it seems to be running pretty well. I watched a video to see how my machine
ran compared to other 337s. The speed seems to be good, but my machine has
little/no control over speed like the other machines. It either doesn't go
at all, or goes top speed. No matter how gently I try to press on the foot
control, it just goes full throttle. Any ideas on what may be causing this
and how I could fix it? I wouldn't mind, except full throttle is pretty da
rn fast and I can't keep up!

No expert here, I hope Ron chimes in. But it sounds to me like a rheostat issue. Can you find/borrow another foot control? Is there anyone nearby who services sewing machines?

Learn to sew faster?
Seriously, if the machine was as gummed up as you say, it probably needs a trip in for a professional cleaning... there's probably some more gear lubrication inside waiting to freeze up. Probably about midnight when you desperately need something done by the next day.
Have you checked the pedal for mechanical problems that might cause the pedal to depress fully too easily? Busted spring? Something shorting a resistor? Replacement pedals are available, if the problem really is there.
Kay

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Foot Controllers- General Info. 1. Any foot control will run an all-mechanical machine. 2. The old wire rheostats work fine but the wire will eventually break and is more trouble to repair than it is worth. 3. The carbon pile controllers Work by compressing a stack of carbon discs. They work well and are not difficult to repair. If you have one that is dead, as in rusted out or the ceramic housing is broken, save the carbon discs for repair of other controllers later. You can clean the burnt ones by rubbing them on very fine sandpaper. If your machine won't run until the pedal is all the way down and then starts at full speed, you need to add some discs to your controller. If the machine runs too fast as soon as you touch the pedal, you need to remove a disc. Most of these have contacts outside of the ceramic disc holder that bypass the carbon stacks when the pedal is completely depressed. It is adjustable. These controller spit, sputter, and get hot when you run the machine slowly for long periods of time. That's normal. 4. Electronic controllers are really the best functionally. They all have plastic housings but that's not a problem unless you drop something heavy on them. 5. Any two lead cordset can be wired to any foot control with some exceptions. A foot control that was intended to run a machine electronic needle up or down, thread cutter, backtack or other feature of this nature that is activated by the foot control can be used but will probably have more than two inputs. Plus they're expensive. A machine with more than two wires on the part of the cordset that goes to the foot control either has an extra function or is a Bernina in which case the extra lead was put there to fool you into thinking that you have to spend a lot of money to get a Bernina foot control. One wire can be eliminated. But you must pick the right two of the three or you will burn up your new generic foot control. 6. Early attempts at electronic foot controls such as Elnas work fine until they stop working fine. They still have the old rheostat in them and can be a real headache to diagnose and to reassemble correctly. The new plastic ones work fine. Don't try to use any home sewing machine foot control on a motor rated at 2 or more amps. Actually you're in dangerous territory at over 1.5 amps. Machines such as Sailrite mounted in a Portabase have motors that will burn up a home machine controller. 7. What you should expect to pay will change with time for many reasons. Currently (currently being the year 2009) you can find new generic electronic foot conrols on eBay for $15 or less. You will pay up to twice that at a dealer. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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