Kenmore 1803, 1703, and 1603 sewing machine models, a frozen clutch is a rare, but serious problem, on these fabulous vintage Kenmore sewing machines. This is the first time I've actually had to tear one down this far, to fix the clutch issues. Usually, it is just cleaning, lubricating, and adjusting the bobbin winding mechanism, and how it interacts with the clutch button mechanism on these special sewing machines.
UPDATE 10/20/2023 - I only learned the belt pulley by the handwheel, on this model was plastic , thanks to Joe Winchester, in one of the Vintage Kenmore groups on Facebook, discovered a brown plastic pulley on his 158.18033, and asked us to check ours. I found plastic pulleys on this 158.18130 (newer than 1603, 1703, 1803 models), one 158.18033, and one 158.17033, but other versions of these same models, both 17033, and 18033, which I worked on, had aluminum/metal pulleys.
The earlier models of 1603, 1703, 1803, which will had a 0, 1, 2, and SOME 3, for the version number, 158.1603x, 158.1703x, 158.1803x, the pulleys are alumunum, or another metal.
1703 front view, with clutch button pushed down, so the needle is engaged to sew.
1603 has a silver decor plate, and is identical to the 1703 and 1803, except it only uses built in stitch cams, and it actually includes the decorative SCALLOP stitch, as one of the built in stitches, not just the overlock and functional stretch stitches, like the 1703 and 1803 (1703 and 1803 take type C cams, and can sew not only the 14 built in stitches, but can take all 45 C cams).
Here is a video of how the frozen clutch knob looks, and doesn't work, correctly
Disassembling clutch mechanism, so you can clean it, is essential, but it helps to have a little help, which I found on Ed Nisley's VERY helpful blogpost, which he has even made so you can PRINT IT OUT! I printed it out, and stapled it together, to review, as I worked on this 18031 clutch. Here is a link to Ed's Tutorial Blog post- 1703 Clutch Disassembly Tutorial Ed Nisley's blog
Remove sewing machine cover, by opening the front noseplate of your machine, then use a flathead screwdriver to gently pop the top of the machine off. Set it aside.
The coverplate on 1803, 1703, and 1603 come in several versions, plastic, a thin stainless steel, or aluminum plate, and plastic with a metal electroplating. Sometimes, the plastic ones crack and break easily, due to age, and brittleness. The metal one may bend, but even if these covers break, it does not affect the function of the clutch, so don't beat yourself up, if your coverplate breaks, or goes missing.
This pick works best, for removing the coverplate, but some come off easily, with a tiny crochet hook, or tiny L shaped allen wrench, small enough to insert in the tiny hole.
Remove the cover of the plastic decorative handwheel, by using a tiny pick or needle, there is a tiny notch at the edge, poke the needle or tool under here, and gently pop the cover off.
Remove the center screw which holds the silver plastic decorative handwheel on, and remove the hand wheel, set the screw inside it, so you don't lose it.
Unscrew the 2 black screws at the top of your sewing machine, one in front of the handwheel, one behind the handwheel, this allows the side panel to tilt out and be removed. (I set the 2 screws in the plastic handwheel cover while working on the machine, you could also just start screwing them where they belong, just a turn or two, so you remember that is where they go, if you are afraid of losing them.)
Slide the handwheel off the machine, it will be a little tight, because of the tension on the belt. (If you have trouble getting the belt off, you can loosen the motor on the motor mount, to loosen belt tension, to make it easier to remove the belt.) If the handwheel is stuck, with dried oil and won't slide off, use a rubber mallet to gently but firmly whack the center of the handwheel, it helps break the "glue" of dried up oil, so you can then pull the handwheel off. The belt will be removed, with the handwheel, set the belt aside.
Outside of handwheel clutch mechanism this slides off the machine, and the belt will fall off. Set the belt aside.
Handwheel clutch mechanism, inside view. This entire center wheel should be able to pivot, but is unable to. Note the wide openings around the screws. When the clutch is working the center piece pivots along this entire opening. The black steel part should also pivot, it should be able to pop out, and back in, but when the oil dries out, this freezes solid. The tiny screw with the hook, and the small black spring, will need removed and cleaned. Set it aside.
Unscrew the 3 large silver screws. The first time we worked on one of these, I had to warm it up with my hair dryer, and have my husband unscrew these, I could NOT get them to budge! Once my hubby loosened them, I was able to remove these 3 screws, and set them aside. Later, I learned that laying the handwheel flat, and spraying WD40 into the opening around the 3 screws that need removed, and between the sandwich of metal around the edge, allowed to soak overnight, made a HUGE difference! I was actually able to unscrew these myself using a ratchet as a lever, after whacking the screws (with my stubby flathead screwdriver in each screw slot, then I whacked it with the rubber mallet, remember to do this on a protected surface, so you don't damage whatever the handwheel is setting on.)
WD40 does have a place in fixing, and maintaining vintage sewing machines, but not as a lubricant, it works best, as a SOLVENT, for dissolving old dried up oil, so you can get parts moving, screws released, so can actually properly clean, then lubricate with sewing machine oil, or TriFlow oil. The WD40 needs REMOVED, before you add the final oil.
I applied WD40 to the inner sections of the handwheel clutch, and let it soak overnight. Usually, I have to have my husband undo the screws for me, but using this method, and a judicious whack of the rubber mallet, to my short flathead screwdriver, as it is in the sticking screws. Then I used a ratchet, with a flathead screwdriver bit, so I had the leverage, to help get these unscrewed.
1803 and 1703 view inside the side of your sewing machine. This is a good time to clean up all of the bobbin tire debris, and belt debris, that has built up over the years. check your belts, while you have it torn down this far. If you need new belts, this is the time to replace them.
The sewing machine oil has crystalized, and glued everything together. Even once I removed the black screw and hook, and the large screw, the only way to get this apart, was to warm it with a hair dryer, then gently slide a small flathead screwdriver between the 2 sections, and gently pry them apart, first in one spot, then move 1/3 around the handwheel, and pry again, move another 1/3 and pry again, repeat, until you have the entire center section free. There is a metal pin, which will still be stuck in the actual clutch, but as you separate these pieces, the pin will come free, as well. Clean all of these parts with Qtips dipped in rubbing alcohol, ensuring that you remove ALL dried up oil, even sticky oil.
Notice the pin which holds these together. This pin actually goes into the small round bushing which is part of the actual clutch mechanism.
The black ring is a fiber washer, it needs gently pried loose, and cleaned gently, but thoroughly with the rubbing alcohol on a Qtip. If you leave any of the crystalized or sticky oil, it will freeze up again.
Notice crystalized sewing machine oil on the tip of the tiny stiletto, and how dirty the Qtip is, after being used to wipe off dried oil and debris
1803 and 1703 clutch mechanism was glued with sticky dried old sewing machine oil which dried to look like honey. There is a thin metal plate under the washer, which must also be gently pried loose, and thoroughly cleaned.
Kenmore 1803 clutch mechanism was glued firmly, by crystalized sewing machine oil. Clean off all oil and debris, using Qtips dipped in rubbing alcohol, remembering to pry the thin metal plate off and clean it, too. Underneath this, is where you will find your actual clutch mechanism, which does have some powerful springs, so I highly recommend being VERY CAREFUL, work over a spread out sheet, and maybe a box or cookie sheet, to hopefully contain any parts, if you drop them, or they go flying out on their own.
Ed Nisley's tutorial gives more details on tearing it down, further, but I chose not to tear apart the actual spring and clutch bushing inside the handwheel, just carefully cleaned them, protecting them from front and back, so I didn't accidentally drop them, and send pieces flying, lol! (On later clutch rebuilds, I did one time drop the ring off, so the spring and bushings went flying, but luckily, got caught in tools on the tabletop I was working on, so they didn't get lost! LOL! So do be careful. The spring is 1/2" long, and looks almost like a pen spring, in case you lose yours.)
I degreased both the front and back of all of the mechanisms, applied sewing machine oil (you can use Tri Flow oil instead, if you wish) to the parts where bare metal needed to move against bare metal, and pivot, or slide, as I reassembled them.
Sorry the numbers are hard to read, I had difficulty getting the numbers on the photo, to be able to explain the order they go in.
Part number 2 stacks on top of part number one.
Part 2a slides up into the well above it in this photo.
Part 2b stands on the flat end, right below part 2a, on top of part 1.
Part 3 slides down onto part 2, surrounding it, you may need to use a stiletto, or small screwdriver to push 2b against 2a, to allow 3 to slide down around part 2.
Part 4 lays on top of part 2 and 3, as they are on top of 1.
Part 5 goes on last, and lines up with the screwholes in part 4 and part 1.
When installing the 3 screws, remember the screw with the tallest solid section below the screw top, goes through the black steel lever, to allow the clutch to work, the other 2 screws go into the other 2 screw holes.
After you get the screws in, reattach the tiny spring on part 5, onto the little hook, and tighten that tiny screw.
TEST to ensure the clutch part does pivot, BEFORE reinstalling handwheel.
If you put the 3 screws in the wrong place (I did that once, lol!) you will need to undo them, put them in the correct locations.
If you haven't oiled between these parts yet, definitely oil them now, these NEED to have proper lubrication to keep this clutch system functional. Hopefully, you placed a drop between the various surfaces before reassembling, as I mentioned in another section of this blog.
Kenmore 1603 clutch handwheel, disassembled for cleaning
The spring goes into the well above it, in this photo, and then the bushing on the right, is stood up vertically, and placed against the end of the spring cap (sorry, I can't remember official mechanical terminology at the moment). Then the ring which has the texture for the bobbin winder, slides over the top of this and holds the clutch all together.
I used a small flathead screwdriver, to hold the clutch parts in place, while putting the handwheel back together, as you slip the large ring, with the textured side up, back into place. Once this is on, the flat plate, with the fiber washer on top, goes on.
Now slide the pin into the bushing in the clutch spring mechanism, on top of the flat plate and fiber washer.
The screw on the right is the one which screws into the black steel pivoting clutch part. The other two have a shorter ring under the cap of the screw.
The screw with the tallest ring on it, is the one that goes into the black pivoting steel part. If you use one of the other 2 screws, your clutch won't be able to function, or pivot. That tall ring of flat smooth surface, just below the top of this screw, is to allow the clutch plate to pivot around it.
While the handwheel clutch is disassembled, be sure to clean off all old oil, or sticky, or waxy substances, then add a drop or two of sewing machine oil, or TriFlow oil, to all surfaces which will rub, or move against each other, before reassembling the handwheel and clutch.
Now, I reassembled everything in reverse order. Having Ed Nisley's tutorial photos, and the photos I took, as I worked, helped me figure out how to put it all back together correctly, remembering to oil the key areas, especially as I slid the handwheel and belt back on!
It seems a lot scarier than it is, if you go slow, use both Ed's photos and mine, or take your own, as you work, on your machine. The JOY of FIXING it, gives the GREATEST sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT!
SUCCESS!!! THE CLUTCH MECHANISM WORKS!!! HALLELUJAH!!
Video shows how the clutch mechanism SHOULD PIVOT
Test your clutch mechanisms, once everything is back together, test sew, to ensure the machine actually engages the clutch and sews, and also test to ensure that when the bobbin winder is engaged, that the clutch button pops up like it should. The bobbin winder MUST BE DISENGAGED, before you can push the clutch button down again, a good thing to remember on these special, very unusual Kenmore sewing machines.
In case first video of repaired clutch showing how it SHOULD move, isn't working, here it is again.
BOBBIN WINDER MAINTENANCE & OILING
Oiling your bobbin winder is a normal part of sewing machine maintenance, which is usually left out, because it is usually working fine. I've added photos of 2 other areas, besides the 1 oiling port the manual says to oil, because these do eventually freeze up.
If your bobbin winder freezes up, REMOVE THE RUBBER TIRE DURING CLEANING/OILING, to prevent clean with Qtips dipped in rubbing alcohol, ordeoderized kerosene, then oil with sewing machine oil, or TriFlow oil, try to spin the tire, and engage, and disengage the bobbin winder.
If this doesn't free it up, then you may need to use a short burst of WD40, immediately followed with TriFlow, soak overnight, if it is still frozen, warm it a few minutes, with your hair dryer. WARNING- some of these bobbin winders are made of poor quality pot metal, and MAY BREAK, especially if using heat, only use heat as a last resort!
On the 158.18031, I found that a stiff bobbin winder,where it is so stiff it cannot automatically disengage itself, when the bobbin is full, or even during winding, if it cannot easily adjust to the filling bobbin, it can put too much pressure on the clutch system, to where it can't keep winding, and when disconnected, it may not be able to re engage the needle.
Cleaning and oiling the bobbin winder, until it can snap free when full, but also cleaning and oiling the dual belt pulley (the screw shaft the pulley spins on, not where the belt rides), helps the clutch be able to re engage the needle.
Basically, having one or two gummy, stiff areas, can prevent the machine from working correctly.
Oil 1803 1703 1603 bobbin winder here
Oil 1803 1703 1603 bobbin winder here
1803 1703 1603 bobbin winder oil port
1803 bobbin winder engaged
1803 bobbinwinder disengaged
1803 1703 1603 bobbin winder tire rubs against textured area of handwheel
1803 1703 1603 bobbin winder tire MUST have a flat outside, like a bald tire, to correctly rub against the textured area of handwheel, or it can't turn the bobbin winder, even if the winder spins freely, by hand. A rounded edge bobbin winder tire will not work on these particular vintage Kenmore sewing machines, the round fat bobbin winder tire does work on the HA-15 Straight stitch models.
The flat edge style of tires are often only available at hardware stores, as rubber bushings. Bring your old tire in, to help you find the correct size.
March 10, 2022 someone in one of the Kenmore Facebook groups shared another link where someone worked on a 1703 clutch, after seeing their photos, they are very similar to mine, so I am sharing that link here-
Sorry the numbers are hard to read, I had difficulty getting the numbers on the photo, to be able to explain the order they go in. 
