American Flyer reverse units

[Briago]

Mr. S.

Any tips on improving those sticky Flyer S gauge reverse units?  I've cleaned the drum, contacts are in good shape, seems like the rest of the unit is clean but still sticks.  The little arm/tooth mechanism seems to be in good order.

Any tricks I don't know about?

I use a bottle of level oil (for musical instruments).  It is designed for small linkage joints and comes with a long needle applicator.  I put a drop at each joint (on the arm and at the pivot point on each side of the reversing unit).  After applying the oil and working it about 5 cycles it never misses a switch.  The first unit I did this on would not switch at all before applying the oil.  Now two years later it still doesn't miss a switch. 

Now I actually disable the auto-switching because I never reverse, and I stop it relativly frequently and don't want to go through three switches to go forward again.

This site has some examples, but your local music shop should have something liek it as well.

http://store.osmun.com/browse.cfm/rotary-valve-oil/2,266.html

[stetz]

Look at the side of the unit and you will see a arm protruding a wee bit.

Carefully give the arm a slight bend upward using a needle-nose pliers- but be careful not to bend it too far.

Try the unit again and repeat till you get it working properly. This is the arm that trips the reverse unit drum, and if not adjusted properly, will stick in the up position. This is ometimes due to ware or the rivet joint at the bottom of the arm needs lubing.

hope this is of help to you.

 

[Major]

Another area often overlook is the where the brass arm is attached to the steel plate.  If this area is cleaned and lube than the joint sticks and the brass arm does not drop down properly.  It really has to be free moving no sticking at all.

[Mr. S.]

Ah, good point.  Will look for that.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Matt,

          Be sure to clean the point where the pawl is riveted to the armature plate.  Sometimes the top of the pawl will wear a notch into the metal side of the reversing unit and get hung up.  Use a small file to smooth it out. 

[arkady]

richhotrain

This will seem like blasphemy to the purists, but when all else fails, install a Dallee electronic reversing unit.  Portlines sells them for about $40 and they work flawlessly.

 

Or even convert to DC with a bridge rectifier.

Nevertheless, it sounds as if the OP wants to keep the locomotive as original as possible.  If that's the case, I can only recommend cleaning, cleaning and cleaning till the reverse unit works.  And I might add that just spraying on solvent is probably not going to be enough.  For me, it's always been necessary to use toothpicks to get into the little crevices where parts move against each other, to get out the very last vestiges of crud.

 

[Mr. S.]

Yeah that's what I use.  I don't have much experience with the Flyer units yet, I'm a postwar Lionel guy, but I'm getting into them now.  Enjoying myself but as I said Flyer is more fickle than Lionel it seems.

Thanks for the input.

Matt

[aflyer]

Mr S,

Hi, not sure what you are using to clean the unit, but I have been using a spray tuner. I am not sure if it is leaving some lubricating value, but it seems to work well for me.

George 

[richhotrain]

This will seem like blasphemy to the purists, but when all else fails, install a Dallee electronic reversing unit.  Portlines sells them for about $40 and they work flawlessly.

Rich

[Mr. S.]

Hi,

Any tips on improving those sticky Flyer S gauge reverse units?  I've cleaned the drum, contacts are in good shape, seems like the rest of the unit is clean but still sticks.  The little arm/tooth mechanism seems to be in good order.

Any tricks I don't know about?

Thanks!