Just obtained a 1948 671 turbine. It does run smoothly. It seems to be bound-up and jerks. It needs full power to even run at all. I cleaned and performed continuity on the armature. No shorts or opens. All is lubed. With the motor removed, it and the drivers, rotate freely. The worm and gear "look" ok. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Bossman
Can you rotate the wheels with your thumb? If not, you most likely have a lubrication problem. Where did you lube the loco? Did you take the shell off to lube it?
Check to see if the motor bearings are loose. If the bearings are worn, the armature may be hitting the field core. If it is hitting, there will be witness marks on the armature. I have had problems like this years with two locos that were run without proper lubrication. If you try to pull the motor apart, be advised that it probably has ball thrust bearings. The balls are tiny. Don't lose them.
Hello, I lubricated the loco inside and out. With the motor installed I can rotate the drivers in reverse but not forward. With the motor removed, it and the drivers rotate freely.
Your problem may be caused by a worn bearing on the axle closest to the motor, with the worm wheel (gear) on the axle. The action of the worm (on the armature) tends to push the gear (and axle assembly) to one side, forcing the back of the wheel against one of the bearings. The end of the bearing can become worn, allowing the wheel to rub against the frame, causing binding. If this is your problem, the fixes are:
replace the bearing (most work)Place whole washers between the offending wheel and bearing (also a lot of work)Some folks take a washer, and cut a small section out of it so it will snap over the axle. Then it can be put in place without removing the wheel. A standard hardware store washer is not going to fit. I've done this with 671 motor washers. I've also done this with thin nylon washers. Some folks have reported using the little plastic clips that often hold plastic bags of baked goods closed.
I read the same tip about cutting a washer somewhere in Lionel's service manual, as well as on the various toy train chat boards. I've tried it, and it does work.
It is likely the armature is hitting something when you turn the wheels forward. The armature moves back and forth a small amount depending on the direction you turn the wheels. It may be that when you took the brush plate off you lost a small shim between the armature and the brush plate. Turn the wheels and see if the armature moves backward or forward as you turn the wheels.
If you need to shim the axle, you can use a small E clip which you can buy at most hardware stores. You can install the E clip without removing the wheels.
It may be that when you took the brush plate off you lost a small shim between the armature and the brush plate.
Those motors do not have a shaft that extends to the brush plate. There are no shims in that location.Both bearings are below the arnature head. The armature should be properly shimmed as Servoguy wrote. There are a couple of variations on this motor. The early, less common version has loose ball bearing at both ends. The later, common version uses a ring with five or six trapped bearings. If you have the version with the ring, there is usually one washer on each side of the ring. Here is the service manual page for the motor with loose bearings: http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/loc671p4.pdf
Here is a service manual oage for the motor with the bearing mounted in a ring. It is for a different locomotive, but the picture is good for referenece.http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/loc736p4.pdf
This problem is not all that uncommon. I have had two Hudsons (2055 ?) that had enough end play that the wheels were contacting the Matnetraction magnet. I used E clips to shim the axle end play. One of these locos also had a loose magnetraction magnet, and I put a screw through the standoff near the magnet to keep it from moving.
Some Lionel engines have more play between the wheels and the axle bearings than others. So a relatively thick washer, such as an e clip or a bread tie (cut down) will work in some places, but not others.
Hello, The washer has 1/8" *I.D. and 3/8" O.D. It is very thin and when snapped around the axle there is still some clearance for the drive wheels to turn freely. The next time I have this problem I will check out the "E-clip" like suggested by the others who replied to the problem. They probably would be easier to use.
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