Main Motor Lock & Shaft Error in Embroidery Machines

Experiencing a main motor lock or main shaft error with your embroidery machine? This common issue can prevent your machine from turning or stopping correctly. Follow our troubleshooting guide to diagnose and fix these problems effectively.

DIY MACHINE REPAIR

9/22/20245 min read

One very common error that you may get with an embroidery machine is when the main shaft does not rotate. You will get any number of error codes and phrases such as Main Motor Lock, Main Shaft Error, Sewing Motor Lock, and Z-axis does not work. This error is common in most embroidery machines including Avance', Barudan, Butterfly, Dublin, Feiya, Happy, Highland, Melco, Mesa, Meistergram, Pantograms, Pro Capsule, Ricoma, SWF, Tajima, Toyota, and ZSK.

The first thought that most people have is the main motor has locked up. Even though this is a possibility most of the time there are other issues that cause this error.

Barudan

  • D06 Main motor Trip error

  • D07 Main motor overload error

Chinese machines: Avance', Bai, Butterfly, Highland, Meistergram, Ricoma ETC...

  • E-50 encoder abnormality, Stop Position not at 100 degrees

  • E-51 Stop position abnormality

Happy

  • E-050 C-Point, machine has failed to return the main shaft position to its at-rest position (270 degrees) after it last stopped.

  • E-018 Main Shaft, unusual mechanical resistance was encountered as the main shaft tried to turn

SWF: Error

  • 100, Main shaft is not at the fix position,

  • 101: Main motor driver irregular signal detected.

Tajima: Error

  • 311, Encoder A signal status does not change for 5 seconds

  • 312, Encoder z signal status does not change for 5 seconds

  • 314: Main shaft rotation failure,

The base problem you have when you get this error is the main motor or sewing motor is not turning as it should. This could be the motor going out however it is very rare that the motors fail on these machines. The vast majority of the time the issue will be a broken needle jammed in the Rotary Hook. So, this is how I diagnose the issue.

Is this a physical error, hardware breakdown, or a software issue?

The first thing you should do is check the machine to see if it will turn past 360 degrees.

Turn off the machine.

Depending on your machine use the handle, knob, Allen wrench, etc. to see if your machine can turn all the way around. Watch the rotary hook and look for the following things:

  • is the rotary hook rotating all the way around? The rotary hook rotates twice every time the needle comes down once.

  • is everything moving smoothly? You are looking for resistance.

  • If the machine is off and the turns easily then you probably do not a physical error.

What may cause a sewing motor lock? Here are the most common list of components:

  • lubrication

  • rotary hook

  • broken needle

  • birds nest

  • thread wrapped around the axis

  • take up lever driver

  • loose screw or part

  • encoder

  • "0" position sensor

  • motor driver

  • motor

  • power supply

  • worn bushings

  • defective bearings

If you do have physical resistance:

  • Look for a wad of thread (Birds Nest) at the top of the rotary hook under the needle plate that my be keeping it from turning.

  • Look inside the rotary hook for pieces of broken needles, thread, or other debris that may be wedged int he rotary hook.

  • check behind the rotary hook for thread building up. Sometimes thread gets wrapped around the main shaft behind the rotary hook and can cause problems.

  • Polyester thread and Rayon thread are basically plastic. if it gets hot it will melt and can jam your machine.

Here is a video I made about clearing the rotary hook.

Piece of needle stuck in the rotary hook.
  • Look inside the rotary hook for pieces of broken needles, thread, or other debris that may be wedged int he rotary hook.

  • Remove the Rotary Hook Support (pictured to the right and below Item #18). See if you can turn the machine. Some brands of embroidery machines call them fingers or holders. Its purpose is to hold the center of the rotary hook in one place when the outside of the hook rotates. If the machine rotates after removing the Hook Support you most probably have a piece of needle stuck in the rotary hook.

Needle stuck in rotary hook: Facebook video on jammed rotary hook.

Takeup Lever Drive Lever Malfunction

Another common reason for a Main Motor Lock or Main Shaft Error, or My embroidery machine won't turn! is the drive lever malfunction.

  • Are all your takeup levers lined up. The picture to the right shows takeup levers. When the machine is at its starting point the take up levers should be lined up.

  • If one of your take up levers is up by just a few milimeters this could jam up the machine.

  • The most common cause for this error is the Take-up Lever Drive Lever (pictured below right as part #33) being damaged or out of adjustment.


Worn bearing or bushings.

Sometimes your machine may stall because the bushings are worn and sieze. Here is some information on bearings an bushings

What is a bearing and what is a bushing?

Bushings, also called sleeve bearings, slide over smooth rods and provide an extremely low friction motion which minimizes power consumption, noise, and wear on parts. Bushings look like plain metal tubes

Rolling (Ball) Bearings


A bearing is a mechanical component that usually possesses a rolling or sliding component that further reduces the friction between the moving shaft and the stationary hole or reference point. The most common and easily identifiable type of bearing is probably the ball or roller bearing.

Many commercial single-head embroidery machines are copied from the Toyota and Tajima models including Avance', Butterfly, Dublin, Highland, Mesa, Meistergram, Pantograms, Pro Capsule, Prodigi, Ricoma, and many others. This was a remarkably successful design and proved to be economical and very sturdy.

Most of these machines probably have bushings on the upper and lower shafts which are sleeves made from bronze or some other soft metal. When oil dries it sometimes hardens and or becomes sticky. This can cause the shafts that pass through the bushings to create friction and can cause the main motor to stall.