As complex as these machines can seem, you should be able to expect a long lifetime of trouble-free operation once you’ve learned how to use your Journey machine.  Follow the simple maintenance needs of your machine to keep it running smoothly!

Topic

 Question and Solution
Oiling your
Machine		 Oiling GuideOiling Diagram for the machine
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Replacing a Needle

Replacing Needles

Learn how to replace needles not just to replace them as they break, but also to change them on a regular basis, especially if you rung your machine a lot.  Needles are subject to wear that can over time hurt sewing quality, or most commonly, cause more un-wanted thread breaks.  Follow these steps for replacing a needle on your embroidery machine:
1.  Remove the old needle by loosening the retaining screw at the top with a small flat-head screwdriver, just enough that you can slide the needle down and out of the needle holder assembly with your fingers.  If you’re replacing a broken needle, be sure to remove all of the remaining “bits” of needle that may have broken off and fallen either into the garment or under the needle plate.  These small pieces of metal can scar the needle plate, sewing hook and other surfaces, causing thread breaks and even further needle breaks.
2.  Insert the new needle as far up as it can go into the needle holder assembly.  If you didn’t loosen the screw too much when you removed the original needle, it should just hold the needle in place as it hangs from the assembly.  Don’t tighten the screw fully until the next step.
3.  Rotate the needle so that it is properly aligned. See the diagram below:  the raised ridge or groove should be facing front, and the cut-out around the eye (called the “scarf”) should be facing backwards.  THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.  If not done properly, the machine will not sew stitches on that needle, at worst, or constantly break thread.
4.  Tighten the screw carefully without moving the needle out of alignment.  You can visually check that the needle is inserted all the way by comparing the height of the tip against the other needles on the machine.NOTE: If you continue to have thread breaks with the new needle after replacing, check to see that the needle is aligned properly, or, if the thread is fraying, check to see if any of the sewing surfaces were “burred” or “scarred” from the broken needle, and be ready with emery cloth or abrasive cord to smooth away the sewing surfaces such as the hole on the needle plate, the presser foot, rotary hook surfaces, and any other surfaces that may have come in contact with the broken needle.
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