36
The Carriage Spring
Turn the machine over on a piece of thick carpet (you don’t want to damage the power switch
located on the front of the machine). Use your 3/16” Allen hex wrench and remove the ¼-20 x ¾”
long socket head cap screw that secures the linkage to the “stick-shift” lever’s drive shaft. Drop
the linkage assembly and pull out the “stick-shift” lever and drive shaft assembly. Leave the two
piece linkage assembly attached to the carriage shaft.
If your carriage spring is still attached – grasp the linkages with your left hand and use the linkages
as a lever to hold the carriage shaft from turning when you release the carriage. With your right
hand release the carriage in the same way you would do if you were going to cut a key. This will
require a bit of muscle in your left hand because you’re trying to hold onto the linkages while
trying to release the carriage against the carriage spring at the same time.
When you’ve released the carriage you will notice that everything got easy all of a sudden and the
carriage spring will probably fall out by itself. At the bottom of the carriage there is a1/4” wide slot
with a pin in it – use a small hammer and drive the pin to nearly flush with the bottom of the carriage.
From the front of the carriage install a new carriage spring and retaining pin - the retaining pin will lay
in a milled groove on the face of the carriage. Hold the spring and its pin in place and manipulate the
other end of the carriage spring onto the ¼” diameter grooved pin going through the carriage shaft. If
the spring won’t reach to the pin you have your carriage in the locked back position - release the
carriage and manipulate the carriage and carriage shaft (hold onto the linkages like you did before
when you released the carriage) until the end of the carriage spring can be fitted over the ¼” diameter
grooved pin.
Now holding the linkages attached to the carriage shaft with your left hand at the same time holding
the carriage spring and retaining pin in place with your right hand – lock the carriage back to its locked
back position. Once again you will need some muscle power to hold onto the linkages attached to the
carriage shaft to keep the shaft from turning. Once the carriage is in the locked back position
everything gets easy again.
Reinstall the “stick-shift” and drive shaft assembly and reattach the two-piece drive shaft linkage and
you’re almost done.
Turn the machine back onto its feet and observe the carriage spring attached to the ¼” diameter
grooved pin driven into the carriage shaft. Take your small hammer and a steel rod or drift and drive
the pin back into the carriage shaft. Stop when the bottom edge of the carriage spring almost touches
the carriage shaft.
Test the operation of the carriage and the “feel” of the carriage spring. If the carriage spring seems a
bit to strong – drive the grooved spring pin-retaining pin in a little bit further. If the carriage seems a
bit too weak - drive the grooved spring retaining pin up (from the bottom of the machine) a little bit
further. Test the carriage again.
The Carriage Shaft and Bronze Oilite® Bearings
Refer to the first part of The Carriage Spring to disconnect the linkages and remove the “stick-shift”
lever assembly and the carriage spring. Remove the linkages form the carriage shaft using a 1/8” Allen
Hex Wrench to remove the shoulder bolt.
Drive the ¼” diameter carriage shaft pin used to retain the carriage and the carriage pin.
Look down onto the carriage shaft from the top of the carriage and lightly file the ¼” diameter hold
where the grooved pin was - the knurled section of the pin probably raised up small burrs on the edge
of the hole which might damage the carriage when the shaft is pulled out of the carriage. Also turn the
carriage shaft and expose the milled notch in the carriage shaft where the carriage release mechanism
locked the carriage back. The constant locking back and unlocking of the carriage probably raised up a
Summary of Contents for RY256
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