Hello, all! Long time lurker here who is finally taking the plunge and joining the conversation.
I have a beautiful Athearn SD80Mac that I recently purchased used. The previous owner installed a LokSound 5 board and speaker in it (which sounds fantastic).
Unfortunately, there are a couple issues. First is that the marker lights don't seem to be working, but I can deal with that at this point. The bigger problem is an issue with the motor and/or gearing. The loco will barely more at all - forward or reverse - even with full throttle applied. Furthermore, I can hear the motor still whining/straining even after I return the throttle to zero. I opened up the shell and rotated the flywheels manually and I can feel some kind of catch or hitch after a turn or so. Returning it to the test track, it now runs somewhat better, but there is a noticeable rythmic clicking noise coming from the rear truck. It almost sounds like it's off the rails and bumping along the ties, although I've confirmed that this is not the case.
Any thoughts as to what I might be facing here? My thought is possibly an issue with the worm gear or the axles themselves... There's no damage visible from the outside, but I haven't mustered up the courage to figure out how to remove the speaker and board to examine the truck and worm gear. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or tips!
Welcome to the forum!.
I do not own a Genesis SD80 MAC, but I do own other Genesis locos.
Check the bottom truck cover. If its not seated properly, one of the axles might be binding.
Or remove the bottom truck cover and check to see if there is excessive thick paste lube crammed into the truck. Its amazing how much too much lube can effect performance.
Remove the shell and check for wire interference. The previous owner may have crimped a wire somewhere along the drivetrain when he installed the decoder.
Or...
Check to see if the worm gear cover is properly seated. The gear could be hopping along causing the clicking noise. Checking by sight alone might not reveal a problem as it could be just barely unsnapped.
You will probably have to remove the speaker and weight to properly get to it, but you might get lucky by simply messing with it without disassembley.
It looks intimidating, but most of the undershell mess is caused by the wires that connect all of those individual lights to the board. I try to tape them together in a bundle to move them out of the way. Those little wires can handle the manipulation.
While you're at it, disconnect the drive shafts to see if the truck itself rolls freely without binding to be sure that there is no issues within the truck gears themselves.
- Douglas
Thanks so much for that advice, Douglas.
I have narrowed down the problem to an issue within the truck. I was able to take off the rear led panel, speaker, and weight and remove the drive shaft. After doing all that I could confirm that the truck wheels are not rotating freely and are binding up somewhere inside the truck. Do these truck assemblies come apart to inspect the gearing inside? Or might I be better off at this point simply replacing the truck?
Success!! I figured out how to separate the bottom of the truck and discovered the culprit was what looked like a few fine grains of ballast. Would never have guessed that could have put a stop to such a powerful looking loco. I guess it's true what they say about sand in the gears! Put it back together and it runs just fine now.
Only problem is I must have detached the lead for the headlight as it no longer illuminates! One problem solved; on to the next...
DylanMMHello, all! Long time lurker here who is finally taking the plunge and joining the conversation.
to the Model Railroader magazine discussion forums. We are very glad that you have found us. Your first few posts will be delayed by the Kalmbach Media moderators, but that ends soon enough, usually after just a few posts. Please stick around through the delay and become a permanent part of the discussions.
-Kevin
Living the dream.