Hello fellow vintage train enthusiasts. I would like to share with you my experiences with a common train repair issue. As you are probably all too aware, the e- unit causes the majority of the issues with postwar Lionel. If you are having a problem with an engine, and you blame the E-unit, you are probably 95% correct. I just wanted to say to not be intimidated, or afraid to jump in. It's not that bad. There are so many You-tube videos that can can guide you through, step by step. If you watch enough of them, you will feel like you have done it already. I have rebuilt 2 now, it wasn't that hard. This is the key to a great running engine. Just finished the 224e, and she has never performed this well. I'm totally jazzed!
Paul Your thoughts ?
If you are going to rebuild e-units, do yourself a favor and get yourself an ST-303 E-unit spreader. They are used to pop the e-unit apart without having pieces fly all over. My favorite parts dealer sells reproductions for less than $5.00
Paul, I would agree that an e unit is the problem that will bring your postwar locomotive to a stop. But I have been working my way through servicing my collection of postwar GG1s. The problem which is most common and and is taking the most time to correct is lubrication. There is too much, too little, or the wrong stuff. For the first time I had to change an armature because the worm cut into the armature shaft was worn out. The white Lionel lubricant turns to concrete and has to be cut out with an Exacto knife. The ball thrust bearings are completely empty and many are installed upside down. Commutators flooded with oil. i just changed two collector rollers that had so much black goo on the pins that I had a hard time sliding them off the shaft. One GG1 I just finished is over sixty years old and appears to have never been taken apart. Sixty years with out being services. That certainly speaks to Lionel design and workmanship. But is causes unnecessary wear on the locomotive.
Lionel did not make the postwar GG1 easy to service, but it needs to be done. One way to make it a little easier is the unsolder the field wire from the center terminal of the brush plate, remove the brush plate, and just leave all the other wiring alone. Then the motor and truck can be separated and serviced without having to resolder everything when finished. After the truck and motor work is done, I reassemble them, but not on the frame, and test run them using a loaner brush plate out of stock.
Sorry, I did not mean to hijack your e unit thread, GG1 servicing is just on my mind now. Can you recommend a couple of the Youtube videos on e unit servicing you found most helpful?
Thanks,
David Johnston
Thanks, guys ! By the way, I need to get a GG1, you just reminded me ! CW, thanks for the tip . I have a C ring remover that works well, and spreads the plates from the inside when squeezed. But, great tip.
David, wow! That technical stuff is so fascinating to me, I learned a lot about GG1's. Great reading, thank you!
I think I was trying to make a point with this thread, but may not have articulated it properly. Let me try to clarify:
when a person is relatively new to the toy train hobby, we hear some things about how difficult it is to rebuild an E-unit. And this may discourage someone from attempting a rebuild. In my case, I lived with a problem in the 224e for 7 years, at times keeping the E-unit lever locked in forward. Now that I have completed the rebuild, I find myself wondering why I waited so long. The payback is HUGE! My message is to anyone with less experience then you two gentlemen who may be hesitant to attempt it. So, jump in !
Incidently, the 1688's e-unit was a 1 on a scale of 1 to 5 of difficulty, 5 being most difficult. The 224e was a 3 in difficulty. So, I am just saying to not be intimidated by it.
David, the you tube videos are most abundant, under Lionel, then e-unit. A full night's entertainment!
Paul
One way to make it a little easier is the unsolder the field wire from the center terminal of the brush plate, remove the brush plate
I always unsolder the field wire from the brushplate. here's why: over the years that field wire will have been flexed many times by whomever tried to service the motor. Over time the wire will become brittle and will eventually break. Who needs that! - it's a whole lot easier to do a little soldering.
Well that's a great tip ! I unsolder routinely when servicing the whistle motor, because that wire is extremely short. But I'll take your advice and make it a habit. The wire I had hanging loose when I first tried to fix the 224e's E-unit was from the field coil. Not a bad habit to get into.
I think next month CTT will have an article about postwar Lionel, and E-units. Don't know if they mean replacing with an electronic E, but should be informative. Anybody have any experience with an electronic E-unit in a postwar? I like the vintage feel of the lever, and solenoid, but it does provide another option.
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