I have a Lionel standard gauge 8E loco. It is from the late 1920's I believe. The e-unit or pendulum unit sticks. How do you fix this?? I was told I can manually switch the directions by sticking my finger underneath of it somehow and switch it manually. It is supposed to switch directions automatically when you cycle the e-unit or pendulum unit. Should I clean the pendulum unit or spray some cleaner on it or something?? Any help will do. Thanks.
Some time ago I obtained an #8. It did not have an e-unit or pendulum reversing unit, rather a manual direction switch, a brass lever, that extended from a slot on one cab end. The switch required a full move to one side or the other of the slot. Anything less than a full throw would prevent operation of the motor. Sometimes just normal vibration will slide the lever toward the middle of the slot. It's possible the brass lever has come off of the reversing unit. Just look underneath at the wires, as they route through the switch.
Good Luck.
My 8E has no lever. The 8 and 8E are a little bit different when it comes to how they reverse. The 8 has a lever that you can switch the direction manually. The 8E has an automatic reversing unit, that is why is has an E after the 8. Because it has an Electronic E-Unit of some sort. Mine has a pendulum reversing unit that I cannot get to work right. It sticks in gear and will not change directions when I push the direction button on my 167 controller. I think I might have to clean it. But, you are right the 8 does have a lever in that slot on the front of the loco. I believe the 8 is a little bit older than my 8E. Thanks.
lionel2 I have a Lionel standard gauge 8E loco. It is from the late 1920's I believe. The e-unit or pendulum unit sticks. How do you fix this?? I was told I can manually switch the directions by sticking my finger underneath of it somehow and switch it manually. It is supposed to switch directions automatically when you cycle the e-unit or pendulum unit. Should I clean the pendulum unit or spray some cleaner on it or something?? Any help will do. Thanks.
lionel2 I have a Lionel standard gauge 8E loco. It is from the late 1920's I believe. The e-unit or pendulum unit sticks. How do you fix this?? I was told I can manually switch the directions by sticking my finger underneath of it somehow and switch it manually. It is supposed to switch directions automatically when you cycle the e-unit or pendulum unit. Should I clean the pendulum unit or spray some cleaner on it or something?? Any help will do. Thanks. Yes spray crc electrical contact cleaner to clean the crap out where the pendulum is conected and it will swing easier as you shake it alittle ,build a loco motor no need to disasemble, just take the motor from the frame and remove contact plate from motor then spray where it rotates, i just did 3 of them no more sticking forward and reverse great Gary
I have a Lionel standard gauge 8E loco. It is from the late 1920's I believe. The e-unit or pendulum unit sticks. How do you fix this?? I was told I can manually switch the directions by sticking my finger underneath of it somehow and switch it manually. It is supposed to switch directions automatically when you cycle the e-unit or pendulum unit. Should I clean the pendulum unit or spray some cleaner on it or something?? Any help will do. Thanks. Yes spray crc electrical contact cleaner to clean the crap out where the pendulum is conected and it will swing easier as you shake it alittle ,build a loco motor no need to disasemble, just take the motor from the frame and remove contact plate from motor then spray where it rotates, i just did 3 of them no more sticking forward and reverse great Gary
My understanding is that the pendulum type reverse units are a finicky bunch. They can be tricky to get to cooperate, and unfortunately, I haven’t yet found a source for information on them. But, although perhaps this comment is much too late, I would like to point out that there is a video series on Youtube, of an 8e restoration, and it shows how you take the whole thing apart, so you could at least figure out how to remove the reverse unit, and get better access to it. My reccomendation, knowing very little, is simply this- clean, clean, clean! Use some alcohol to clean exposed areas, places that need cleaning. I have seen it stated that the contacts in the unit are very fragil, so be very careful with those. Next, apply a very, very light ammount of oil to places that any moving parts could be hanging up in. Lastly, check all contacts, and all the wiring, for any loose or broken connections, and any missing parts. Repair anything that’s broken, and give it another go. That’s all I can think of, I have yet to personally acquire a locomotive with this kind of reverse unit. Anyone else have ideas?
"Unless bought from a known and trusted dealer who can vouch otherwise, assume every train for sale requires servicing before use"
I've got no experience with pendulum units at all, but from what I've read I'd suspect they were never all that reliable to begin with.
Hence, Lionel's purchasing of the dying Ives company. Ives had a reversing unit that DID work, the E-unit that ultimately went into Lionel's trains.
That's one way to solve the problem.
Well, did some more hunting, and found these patent illustrations, which may perhaps be of some use? Scroll down to the one detailing the patent for a “reversable electric locomotive”. It is, at least similar, if not the same device?
http://drtinkertrains.com/Patent%20page.htm#p5
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