New deisel not smoking???

[92hatchattack]

Ok, so i just bough my first TMCC deisel and this was my first time running it, or any deisel for that matter. It is a Liones Great Northern U33C.

I cant seem to get this thing smoking, so i think maybe im doing something wrong, or the smoke unit is not functioning properly. I switched the switch on the bottom of the loco to smoke, and inserted the smoke fluid into the stack on the top of the loco where the smoke is suposed to come out. According to the directions thats where i thought i needed to put it in .

Am i doing something wrong??? I let the loco run for 10 minutes and still nothing . I added 10 drops of fluid(directions said 10-15) but didnt want to add more before i figure out whats up.

Can someone help me out please~!

[92hatchattack]

ok, well i finaly figured out that i can activate the smoke from the cab 1.

Since i can turn the smoke unit on from the cab1 does that mean its okay to leave the smoke switch in the ON posiction even if there is no fluid in it, as long as i have the smoke unit off via the cab 1????

Also, is there anyway to imporve smoke output??? When i fist activated it a got a lil smoke. When i turned it off and back on via the cab1, i got a huge amount of smoke, but after a few seconds that dwindled away, and then i had minimal output again. Not a big deal to me really, but if theres an EASY way to impove im always up for sugestions .

thanks guys!

[MartyE]

See *** Teal's artical about Lionel smoke units in CTT a few issues back. He speaks of replacing the wicking material, and checking the rotation of the fan. Also you may want to blow slightly down the stack in case an fluid bubble formed.

As far as the switch...leave it on. The Cab1 will handle the on/off functions just fine.

[ChiefEagles]

Marty is the first person to mention blowing down the stack. I have to do that on occasions too. In fact, I give a light puff down the stack when I add fluid now. Also, it is better to fill with fluid with smoke unit off. The build up of smoke right after the smoke unit is turned on is due to the element still heating but the fan is off. I would recommend that you turn the unit off with the switch on the engine if not going to use fluid. You can over fill and it will not smoke good but I have found that those units need a good amount of fluid to keep from charring the wick. If you want to take the unit apart, send me an email and I'll give you some hints.

[laz 57]

BINGO the GIZ hit this one!
A slight blow down the stack should clear it up. Sometimes an air bubble forms and needs to be burst. The blow down the stack will clear it.
laz57

[92hatchattack]

ok, cool .. i will give it a try when i get them running a little later ...

one more question... Is the lionel smoke fluid harmfull to the paint finish on the locos???

[92hatchattack]

also, cheif i dont think i want to be pullign engines apart just yet ... Im still messing with the CAB 1... its only my second day with her and let me tell you im loving it. Cruise control is awesome....

when u say i should turn the switch off, is that if im not going to run the smoke for long periods at a time??? Ill probaly let it smoke once a day, when my son goes to sleep. So is it safe to leave it in the on position in this case???(having smoke fluid in the engine of course, but not always turning it on via cab 1)

Is the smoke harfull to breath in??? Should i not run the smoke around my son?(15 months old)

[MartyE]

I say again...I would leave the switch in the on position and use Cab 1 to turn it on and off. It works well. FYI as well when I get a new Lionel engine with a fan driven unit I prime it with at least 18-20 drops of fluid and let it sit over night.

As far as toxic to your son... I'm no scientist but I highly doubt other than being an irritation to young lungs there would be any harmful side effects. That being said I probably would not run the smoke while he is near the engine just because it might irritate him.

[92hatchattack]

ok, heres what i came up with ... after blowing down the stack, when i turned the smoke back on i got an awesome amount of smoke ... but that only lasted id say about 10 seconds.... and then it went back to the point where i could barely see it at all .....

i repeated with the same results a few times .... until even when blowing down the stack the imediate resluts were minimal. so i dont know what to do... should i add more fluid at this point ... i dont know .... im a *** newbie! ... lol

[MartyE]

What is the voltage on the transformer set to? If it is too low it may not be giving the heating element enough to work with.

It maybe that the wicking material around the heater element is already charred as well. Keep the information coming hopefully we can get you going.

[92hatchattack]

voltage????? im using a 135 watt powerhouse

[ChiefEagles]

Put some fluid in the thing!!! By blowing, you were pushing fluid to the element. Now it is gone. To get a new one started, as Marty says, it takes a lot of fuild. You can stop the smoke unit with the CAB1 but everytime you go to startup and it is sitting with voltage on it, lots of the engine's smoke units are heating witout fan blowing. I've got two SD80s that will have smoke drifting out of the exhaust if I let them sit too long with track voltage and do not start the fans motors.

BTW, voltage should be set at constant 18V. Some operate them a 16V to save bulbs. I like the 18V and do not have any trouble.

[MartyE]

QUOTE: BTW, voltage should be set at constant 18V. Some operate them a 16V to save bulbs. I like the 18V and do not have any trouble.

Me Too! 18V no issues!

[92hatchattack]

well, heres an update ... the more i use it the better its getting .. slowly though ......

i just gave it 10 drops and it smoked pretty hardcore for about 2 minutes, and then settled down to a light steam....... definatly better than it was . After that a blow down the stack and shes up and smoking hard again.

So im moving the fluid toward the element when i blow down the stack. Is there anything i can do to get the fluid to the elemnt without blowing? Should i be using more fluid? The book says 4-8 drops when refilling, but i know sometimes instructions are very conservative. Thats why i ask the pros here!!!

[MartyE]

Personally once I prime it with the 20 drops initially I only use about 8-10 when smoke starts slowing down. The only time I increase that amount is after extended down time.

Here is a helpful site on smoke units...

http://norm.beesky.com/smoke.html

[92hatchattack]

ok cools .... how long does the heavy smoking seem to last ??? i get about 2-3 minutes of heavy smoking, and then about 5 mins of so of a nice medium smoke...... is that about right???????

haha, i dont know.... last time i really had smoking trains was years ago, with postwar locos that seemed like you couldnt get them to stop smoking once you dropped a pill in! lol

[92hatchattack]

cool site .... but like i said, im pretty new and this loco is brand new ... so im hoping to hold off from taking it apart till i feel more comfortable with it ....

[laz 57]

92 thats about right for time on the smoke. Initially it works great when you first add the fluid then it will wane somewhat. Seems like you'll be okay.
laz57

[92hatchattack]

great, thanks laz!