A frustrating start to the new year - Welcome 2022

I hope, if you are reading this, that you have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to your quilting adventures in 2022.

I am off to a frustrating start with my new-to-me longarm HandiQuilter Avante.  After getting a massive thread jam in December that could only be cleared by throwing off the timing, I had it in to the local shop to get the timing adjusted 

On December 23rd, I got my machine back and the needle moved up and down beautifully.  I got the machine home and realized I had company coming for the holidays and needed to house someone in my long-arm room.  (OK, technically, it was my daughter coming home from college for the holidays and looking to sleep in her own room, but let's not get caught up on semantics here).

After Christmas, I got the machine set up once again on the track, with a new needle, and oiled and threaded, it started to move like a flowy dancer and my heart was filled with joy.  Ever hear that sound of a balloon deflating slowly, that was me when I realized that not a single stitch was actually being made.  I sent an email to the store, thinking they were closed for a holiday break, but within 24 hours they called me to try to help.  They had me reseat the needle, check the needle was at 6pm position, rethread the machine, change the needle.  I finally got it to lock a stitch - hooray.

Hang up the phone, push the machine back while in regulated mode (as it had been before).....and no stitch lock.  I have tried everything I can think of and I suspect I'm back to some kind of timing issue as I can get a locked stitch going back to front, but not front to back.  The machine will stitch nicely going from back to front, but it won't stitch from front to back and side-to-side is hit and miss (mostly miss).

I've inserted a photo for any brilliant ideas you may have but my husband is looking at this thing as a very expensive and very large boat anchor and I'd love to change his opinion.  

Avante Timing Issue?

I have tried all I can think of and have reached out to an online HandiQuilter community to get some advice and will see if they can assist.

In the meantime, I have started in on "Rhododendron Trail", the 2021-2022 Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt and I'm looking to the month of January to finish by "Triad Fiesta" (it's "on" Elm Street Quilts - see picture below).