I just learned by necessity that I can take apart the gear case on P2Ks without breaking the parts and losing most as I feared. The loco wouldn't run after I installed the decoder. Thought it was the motor leads. But a little twinge back and forth on the track suggested the gears were jammed.
I was sure I had checked everything for free spinning. But when I took apart the gear case there, way down between one of the cogs of the idler gear was tiny, tiny piece of broken glass from the bulb that I had accidently crushed extracting it to put in the LED. I woudn't have found it if I hadn't been wiping out every cog with a Kleenex. (I know, someone is going to say that they do this cleaning on every loco they work on.)
Maybe my saying should be, "Haste makes waste"--of time anyway.
SORRY FOR THE PREAMBLE. QUES IS:
When lubing the trucks, where does the oil drop go?--between the wheel and the plastic truck side frame or between the wheel and the metal bit next to the truck main frame--that is, on the outside or inside of the wheel?
Does anyone lub the universal joints?
Do these plastic universals ever fail over time?
Thanks for the patience of the readers of this.
I use a light grease on my universals and gears and a small drop of oil where the axles and gear shafts contact the truck housing.(or bronze bearings like an Athearn.) A drop of oil on the motor bearings and shafts too. Just don't use too much.
I've broken universals before, but never had any wear out. I'm sure they can though if they're not oiled or greased properly.
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Gerome wrote: When lubing the trucks, where does the oil drop go?--between the wheel and the plastic truck side frame or between the wheel and the metal bit next to the truck main frame--that is, on the outside or inside of the wheel?Does anyone lub the universal joints?Do these plastic universals ever fail over time?Thanks for the patience of the readers of this.
I have had a few universals fail, and I do lube them. Also don't for get the worm gear for the trucks.
On the trucks them self, I use Hob-E-Lube Gear Lube HL 664. Much thicker than oil and sticks to the grears better. I just lube one gear that I can get to with out taking the whole truck a part. I run mainly Athearn and most of them I get to a gear with the shell off.Some of my PK's I can get to a gear as well with the shell off and not opeing the truck bottom. If you have to open the truck bottom, lube all the gears. In theroy just one gear will pass the lube to all the other gears if you dont open the trucks.
Sometimes you will need to lube where the axle rides on the metal frame, there I use oil. My PK 2 SD-7 starting sqecking (spell check), lube the trucks and clean the wheels, still made a racket. Oiled the axels and cleaned off oil that got on the wheels. Runs so quite again I cannot hear it pass me at 6 feet.
All so oil where the motor arms go through the bushing. (right behind the flywheels on either side).
Sorry about the spelling and grammer, all my engines are well lubed and so am I.
Cuda Ken, not proof reading again.
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