I am going to continue oiling the axles, pickup rollers, E unit fingers and drum, and the commutators on my locos. The commutator and brushes are the dominant friction source in the loco, and oiling them reduces the friction.
I am going to continue oiling the axles, pickup rollers, E unit fingers and drum, and the commutators on my locos.
The commutator and brushes are the dominant friction source in the loco, and oiling them reduces the friction.
To each their own, neither of us is going to change the other's mind. As I wrote earlier, the brushes are self-lubricating.
I have been oiling the commutators on my locos for about 7 years now with no problems. I use motor oil. I think if you oiled the commutators with 3 in 1 oil or light machine oil, etc., you would have serious problems.
For someone to say not to oil any electrical contact, they are forgetting something. The pickup rollers are electrical contacts and definitely need oil. The axles for the wheels are an electrical contact and definitely need oil.
Anyone who says this won't work has never tried it.
Not sure if I would put it right on the brushes but they claim you can and it will clean them? To each his own,
Joined 1-21-2011 TCA 13-68614
Kev, From The North Bluff Above Marseilles IL.
The last time a discussion on whether to lubricate brushes came up, I did a little research. Other than in the world of model car racing, I could not find any endorsement for lubricating brushes. Maybe someone else could find something. Modern brushes are self-lubricating. Oil attracts dirt. One of the posters on another board went into much more detail about problems oiling brushes can cause.
I've been repairing toy trains for a while now. Some things should NOT be lubricated.
There are a lot of ideas on what to use. All I can tell you is I use a lub "made" for Train motors and gears.
I use Labelle # 107 on the motors, you can put it right on the brushes if you want. Suggested by the LHS.
Works great.
Here is a link.
http://www.con-cor.com/Labelle.html
Thank you servoguy for your additional service tips.
A needlepoint oil applicator comes in very handy to get into those tight spots to oil, like the idler gear studs and axle bearings.
Larry
Larry, you missed something important. Oil the shafts of the idler gears that actually drive the the wheels.
I advise people to use ordinary motor oil as opposed to grease of any kind, 3 in one Oil, Lionel Lube, WD-40, light machine oil, sewing machine oil, etc. Motor oil never dries out and/or gets gummy. Motor oil will work for the gears just fine.
Everything that turns or slides should be lubed. The plunger for the E unit solenoid is best left dry. I started oiling the stub shafts on the end of the E unit drum, as these will occasionally wear out. Oil should make them last longer. I also have started oiling the fingers on the E units. These also wear out and oil should reduce the wear.
First thing to do is give the loco a complete overhaul, cleaning everything with naphtha. Replace the brushes if they are excessively worn. Reassemble the motor, and oil both ends of the armature shaft and the axle bearings. Put a dab of grease on the gears.Try and wiggle the armature shaft left to right, and up and down. Do this at both ends of the armature. If there is any play, either the brushplate or armature bearing plate need to be replaced. Clean the e-unit, and make sure the finger contacts are making firm contact on the drum. Once everything is cleaned, checked and lubed, try the loco again.
The motor is similar to the 2046.
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