You were right!! Someone put the wrong screw on one side. The screw itself was binding on the siderod. So, quick fix. I got out my dremel and drill out a little bit of the hole on the siderod. Now, it works perfect. No binding now. But, one other small problem. The front truck is comming off the track when I go counterclockwise around layout, but is fine when going clockwise around layout. Any ideas?? I put a brand new rear truck on, as the original was cracking up and falling apart. Just wanted to play it safe with rear truck. The front truck is original and in good shape. Any idea on how to gauge the front truck as I think this might be the problem. As the wheels on it can be loosen and tightened by hand, just by twisting it a little bit. Will a postwar wire lead from a turbine be used on my 390E to wire up the front headlamp?? I have a black wire with the insulation thing on the end, looks like the on my 390E now, but it needs replacing. Wonder if it is okay to use that wire lead?? Thats pretty much it for now. As, i still need to wire up the headlamp and that front truck straightened out. I put new brushes in the 390E, now it flys!! Any help will do. Thanks.
Since it is running, and you say that the screws unscrew themselves, the problem may not be the quartering, but rather that your wheels have the wrong kind of screws. I would expect them to be shoulder screws, that is, screws with a short unthreaded part just under the head, of a larger diameter than the threaded portion. If someone put in ordinary screws, they would bind the rods to the wheels if tight, or unscrew if left loose. A shoulder screw can be tight without pinching the rod under the head. Could that be the problem?
Bob Nelson
The rods will bind if the wheels are not quartered properly. Turn the wheels by hand until the rods on one side of the loco are all the way down, parallel to the track. Look at the counterweights and screws for the rods on each of the drive wheels. All the wheels should be in the exact same position. Turn the engine around, and look at the wheels on the other side, examining for the same condition. Chances are you will find one wheel that does not line up on one side of the loco.
Another condition that may cause the rods to bind are very worn axle bearings, causing the wheel(s) to wobble.
If you can turn the wheels by hand with the loco upside down, you can see exactly where the rods are binding, and which wheel.
Larry
well i found out what is wrong. The brushes were bad. replaced them both. But, now i need to replace the front head lamp. how do you take off the boiler front? And now that i got it running, the connecting rods look as if they are binding up on the drivers. The screw that hold the rods on unscrew themselves when running the loco. I ordered a new headlamp, link set of connecting rods, and rear truck. Any ideas on how to stop the rods from binding and unscrewing themselves? Any help will do. Thanks.
You don't need to replace the wires. You can unsolder one end, break off all of the old insulation, and cover the bare wire with shrink tubing. Then solder the free end back on. I do that with my old locos and it is much easier and quicker than replacing the wires. In particular, you may not be able to get at the solder connection for the pickup rollers. No need to disassemble the whole motor assembly just to replace one wire.
Also, I don' t disassemble my locos and clean them. I usually just oil them. I have removed the brush plate on some of them and cleaned the brushes, brush plate, and commutator including the commutator slots. I have never replaced a set of brushes in 60 years of playing with Lionel trains. I use motor oil (5W-20) to lube the locos including the gears. It never dries out or gets gummy, and it is very cheap. I have been using the motor oil for 50+ years. I stay away from grease, 3 in 1 oil, WD-40, Lionel Lube, etc., as I have had poor experience with them. I have had locos that were oiled with motor oil stored for 45 years and they ran just fine when I took them out of storage. Can't say the same thing for locos that were greased.
Actually, I am thankful for the grease as I have bought some locos that were frozen up and I bought them cheap. If they had been working I probably would have had to pay more. Two that come to mind are a 736 and a 2333.
Your welcome, my friend. As for the wires to the field coil, just unsolder the old wiring where they are connected to the field wires and solder in new wires.
Clean the reverse unit as you stated. If you cannot get the unit to work, you may be able to cycle it manually to get the engine to run.
Thanks for the help!!! As I will do as you said. Now, one question, the wires that are brittle, I have some that are going to the field assembly, do I just unsolder and replace or do I have to cut the wire and resolder a new wire to that field assembly?? I think maybe the Pendulum Unit is stuck in no gear. As it will not move. The wheels spin freely. Just need to clean the reversing unit as it is old and unreliable.
Approach the diagnosis and repair of this locomotive just like any other locomotive, new or old. First off, did you check to see if the bulb is good and works outside the locomotive? Next, disassemble everything, as you will need to service the entire locomotive anyway. Check to see that all wires are intact, especially from the pickup to the reverse unit and headlight. Replace any bad, broken, or brittle wires. Next, see if the reverse unit functions. Remove the brushplate and brushes, clean the commutator on the armature, then clean and relube all the axle bearings, the motor armature bearings and the wheels, just like any other loco.
Hello all, I have a 390E with 390X Tender that does not run. Any idea what might be wrong?? The head light does not light up, seems like no power is getting to the motor. What and how should I repair?? How do you drop the motor down? Do I have to take off the side rods and linkage? And take off the front and rear trucks? Any help will do as I am no good with these old trains. Thanks.
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