Lionel Santa Fe 8352 engine gear troubles

[Mr.D]

Hi all, new to the forum and to model trains.

 

I bought a used Santa Fe 8352 Diesel Engine, which was not working. I took apart and cleaned the motor and armature. I was able to clean the copper armature, brushes, and e unit and I was able to get it to move and fire the lights up. However, the vertical engine on forward will only drive 12-14 inches and the motor seems to pop out of gear and revs on high without the train moving anymore. It works a little better in reverse however struggles around the track. This is also without pulling any cars. 

 

It seems as if the worm gear is popping out of gear. The power truck is stamped "8250-125".

 

I noticed that the plastic gear that the drive shaft is attached to also slips and has fallen out. I have pushed this back on.

 

The worm wheel and worm axle is not locked in, the worm wheel spins freely, it seems like it needs a locking mechanism?

 

I tried screwing down the set drew on the plastic brush plate but this did not work. There is no other washers or bearings to adjust or replace.

 

Any ideas?

Can I rebuild this unit or just look for a new/used power truck to replace this one.

 

I tried attaching pics but can't figure out how to upload from my desktop.

 

Thanks for any information.

[rrlineman]

Sounds like the nylon/plastic gear is stripped. the knurling on the axle proably chewed it up. Check to see if you can spin the gear with your finger or small screwdriver. It's also possible for the gear to split as Lionel had a problem with gears doing that at that time. the GG-1's were bad for tearing the gears up. Lionel fix was to go back to the orignal style metal gears to solve the problem on all engines that used the 622-100 style motors and chassisis. If the top plate that holds the sideframes is removeable, it is easy to get a replacement Brass gear and install it. If not it would be best to send it to a service station to have the gear changed. hope this helps.