Do I have a dead decoder?

[hon30critter]

Hi gang:

The decoder in my McKeen Motor Car has stopped responding...almost. It is a Digitrax DN136D. I say "almost" because I can turn the headlight on and off but nothing else is happening. I have tried to reprogram the decoder using CV8, including powering off and then on again, and I have tried both programming on the main and on the program track. When on the program track, the system (NCE PowerCab) cannot read CV 8. I suspect that is not a good sign. The PowerCab is working normally. I can run other engines no problem.

FWIW, the last time the motor car was run the club's Digitrax Command Station was acting up. It was periodically losing the signal. When that happened the other locomotives would take off. I don't know if the signal quit when the motor car was on the track, but it did not take off.

I'll apologise in advance. I probably knew the answer to this a while ago, but I'm drawing a blank right now. I just got my rather long hair cut by about eight inches. I'll blame it on that!

Thanks for your help,

Dave

[rrinker]

 Could be just a loose wire on the motor connection. That would both keep it from moving AND keep it from responding to a CV read. Or it may be the mootor that is dead, or stuck. 

 REMOVE THE DECODER before attempting to apply DC to the motor leads to see if the motor is working. If you don't, and the decoder wasn't dead - it will be!

                                    --Randy

[hon30critter]

Thanks Randy. I'll try that. Fortunately the decoder is easy to remove.

Dave