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Babylock 5260 problems is the motor dying?
LBWalkup Advanced TX USA Member since 9/24/08 Posts: 25	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/24/08 11:48 AM I have an older Babylock serger that sews great for the first several yards of fabric then starts to slow down to a crawl then nothing. If I turn it off for a while it will sew again. It is fine to do a seam here or there, but it it has been a great workhorse for 15 years and if it is a cheap fix it would be great to keep it going. Do I need a new motor which I can pick up for $100 or is there something else it could be? I was in the middle of a project yesterday so I converted my Huskylock back to serging from coverstitch and the stupid thing broke. The upper looper snapped right off. I ran to Walmart and picked up a $190 Singer serger which is OK but I already had to adjust the tensions and it is a little slower than the old Babylock (when it works). I hate to spend much on a 15 year old machine but the basic machinery is fine it has to be either the motor or something else electrical that is overheating. Has anyone had this symptom on any machine before? It runs great when you first turn it on, then after several minutes it slows down like it is running on batteries and they are dying. Turn it off for a while and it works again. The longer you leave it turned off the longer it will run before crawling to a stop. -- Edited on 9/24/08 11:51 AM --
betta1 Advanced CA USA Member since 6/18/04 Posts: 361	Login to reply to this post In reply to LBWalkup Like this post Date: 9/24/08 11:58 AM Yup - my Bernina serger (after only 15 years of continual use ... imagine that!) did that exact same thing (slow, slow, then dead...I thought it was something electrical). DH urged me to get it looked at 'cause I love it so much. It cost me $150 to fix and was well worth it. I too bought a $150 Janome serger to finish my work, but I gave it to my niece when I had the Bernina back, and I wouldn't trade again. I thought it was the motor, but they did something with the brushes?? Got me - works like new, well worth the $150. Gail
Betakin Advanced AZ USA Member since 4/22/04 Posts: 7279	Login to reply to this post In reply to LBWalkup Like this post Date: 9/24/08 2:03 PM Are you sure it is the serger itself that has the problem or could it be the foot control?
betta1 Advanced CA USA Member since 6/18/04 Posts: 361	Login to reply to this post In reply to betta1 Like this post Date: 9/24/08 2:43 PM In my case, I had a new foot control so it was easier to determine, but I sent it along to my repair person anyway. For Bernina, the foot control is $150, so the cost would be the same for me . . . Gail
LBWalkup Advanced TX USA Member since 9/24/08 Posts: 25	Login to reply to this post In reply to betta1 Like this post Date: 9/25/08 1:17 AM Well I couldn't resist the urge to take the cover off the machine and see what the innards look like. I oiled everything I could find that moves at all then plugged it in and floored the foot pedal for 5 minutes and it started to bog down. I took off the belt and turned the wheel and it was hard to turn. It appears something is expanding with the heat and hanging up so the motor is working too hard. I think the motor is fine but it will burn out if I keep sewing when it starts to labor. It is running better now after all the oil but still starts to hang up after several minutes. I'll keep it as a backup but I think a newer machine is the way to go if I want to serge a seam longer than a garment. I'm currently working on a couple dozen fleece baby blankets. I can't be stopping every 2 or 3 blankets to let the machine cool off.
Country Lady Member since 6/2/08 Posts: 41	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/28/08 11:05 PM Mine is in the repair shop now for what sounds like the same thing. I'll pick it up next week, but when I talked to them, they said it was the bushings or brushes (I'm not sure what the correct word is). Anyway when I asked about the cost of repair, she said well, the replacement parts are just a few dollars. She wasn't sure what the labor would be. I'm hoping and thinking not too much.
LBWalkup Advanced TX USA Member since 9/24/08 Posts: 25	Login to reply to this post In reply to Country Lady Like this post Date: 9/29/08 9:11 AM I would be interested in hearing how much the labor was and what the part is called. I have an idea which part might be the problem from looking at the machine. There is a small (about 1/4 inch tall) cylinder shapped piece that drives the big gear and it looks like it isn't turning as freely as it should.
Country Lady Member since 6/2/08 Posts: 41	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/29/08 2:49 PM My husband said the lady said it was the brushes that needs replacing. I'll pick the serger up the end of this week, if they have it fixed by then. I'll let you know the cost whenever I know what it is. I had thought it might be the pedal, but it wasn't. I sounds like yours is doing the same thing mine was.
lynnie Beginner UT USA Member since 2/12/04 Posts: 9	Login to reply to this post In reply to LBWalkup Like this post Date: 10/3/08 0:21 AM I also have an older Babylock (5380) and the same thing happened to mine. It is in the shop right now and I called on it today. He said he replaced a part that was $15.00, that's in addition to the $100.00 it cost to have it serviced. I also went looking for a new serger and what I noticed was " they don't make them like they use to" granted they are probably easier to thread and do more things than the older ones but I am used to threading mine and it does all that I use it for. So I decided to get the old BABY fixed.
LBWalkup Advanced TX USA Member since 9/24/08 Posts: 25	Login to reply to this post In reply to lynnie Like this post Date: 10/3/08 1:11 AM My new (used) Babylock Eclipse arrived today so I am enjoying serging again. It threads like a dream with the jet air threading and runs great but it isn't quite as snappy as the old one on thick fleece so I will probably get it fixed one of these days. The $15 part is no problem but the $100 I was quoted just to open it up and look is what I have trouble with. When my commercial embroidery machines act up every couple of years the guy comes to my business, replaces the part, oils and checks the machine, charges me $100 plus parts. He is in and out in an hour or so and I'm up and running again. My sewing machine repair guy fixes machines between answering the phone and waiting on customers looking at new machines so the repair might take a week or so once the part arrives.

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