Solenoids can and do go bad, I've replaced enough of them in the past 27 years in my job as a copier repair technician.
Doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
I have checked all those things on the 455 butleryard. I am running it at around 14V but it doesn't operate much better at 16V. I am thinking of swapping out the coil. There isn't much more I can do.
What voltage are you operating them at?
You may have to experiment a little to find the right voltage.
12-14 ac is recommended when they were new. This may now go to 14-16 volts because of age.
Also have you cleaned out the coil and cleaned off the plunger a little tuner cleaner and q tip will do the trick.
On the 455, there is a set of contacts on the bi metal strip (thermostat) that may have carbon built up on it causing reduced voltage to the coil! Run a really fine piece of sandpaper between the contacts to clean them off!
I thought about shorted windings Bob. How often do you see that problem?
Shorted turns. If only one or a few turns are shorted, there will be little effect on the resistance, but a substantial reduction in the magnetic flux when operated on AC. Try operating them on DC as an experiment.
However, it does seem unlikely that you would have such similar problems with two accessories.
Bob Nelson
I have a 455 oil derrick and a 252 gate that exhibit sluggish operation. I have checked to insure that there is no mechanical binding in the coil and the rest of the mechanism. The coil resistance seems to be reasonable, around 30-40 ohms. What else is there that could be at fault?
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