Lionel 8111 DT&I Switcher Starting Problems

[O-GaugeOscar]

My Lionel 8111 switcher (approximately 40 years old) has problems starting from a dead stop (both in forward and reverse).  With a little "nudge", the locomotive runs fine in forward (and will remain running).  (I've removed the body to observe the unit on a test track.  There appears to be no broken wires; everything is clean as the locomotive hasn't seen much use in the past thirty years.) 

In reverse, however, the unit requires much more throttle to achieve the same speed (again, once given a little push to get started).  Is the slower reverse speed normal or should there be no difference in speeds, given the same throttle setting? 

Does the unit just need some lubrication?  If so, where can I get the correct instructions? (I'm afraid the original instructions were probably lost many years ago in my youth.)

Many thanks for any assistance.

 

 

[phillyreading]

Oscar,

Due to the age of the engine, about 36 to 39 years old(according to Greenberg's, also an MPC era engine)you may need to clean the brushes in the motor and armature contact area, as well as lubing the gears and axle points. Have you cleaned the wheels of the engine? Dirty wheels will contribute to your problems as well.

You may need to spray contact cleaner inside the reversing unit if all else fails to improve performance of your engine.

Lee F.

[ADCX Rob]

As above, regular cleaning & service is probably all it needs.  Also, if this is a very early 8111, the collector rollers are quite different and will need some special cleaning attention.  They are hollow tubes floating on a plastic spindle that contact the rail at the bottom and a copper alloy wiper at the top while under way.  They wear faster & accumulate dirt faster.

Old Style - ~1971:

Newer style:

Rob

[O-GaugeOscar]

Thanks for the suggestions.  Over the past weekend, I finally started the repair project.  I disassembled and cleaned the motor and lightly lubed the gears.  However, upon further inspection, I noticed a slight (approximately 1/8") separation in the upper and lower (containing the drive gears and wheels) motor assemblies in the forward right "corner".  The slight separation was apparently large enough to cause a misalignment of the motor armature and thus, the sluggish performance.  Thankfully, there were no broken wires or solder joints. I fixed the problem with a  shim. 

The lesson to be learned:  check (and recheck) the entire motor beyond the obvious potential problem areas.  I suspect the tab/slot method of attaching the upper and lower motor assemblies was used to lower manufacturing costs as this Lionel locomotive is not a "high-end" model.

Hopefully, this follow-up post helps those who may be experiencing similar problems with their MPC-era locomotives.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

 

 

[nickaix]

Hmm, that IS interesting, and worth knowing.  Glad you were able to fix it, and thanks for sharing your findings!