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Athearn Engine Trobble
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Three other things can make Athearn's noisier than they should be. <br />1. Misaligned motor. The motor is a press fit into a rubbery mount. I have seen Athearns where the motor is not pressed in straight. Part of the mount gets twisted up with the result that the motor is tilted, fore and aft. The locomotive still runs 'cause the U joints in the drive shafts have enough free motion, but the U jounts are always running at a stiff angle which makes them run rough. Fix: Disassemble drive line, pop the motor out of the chassis and reseat it. <br />2. Flash in the gear boxes. Tiny bits of plastic flash get into the gear trains and make them noisy. Fix: Disassemble each gear tower (pop off the bottom retainer clip with an Xacto knife blade). Wipe each tooth of each gear with a clean white pipe cleaner. You know you are onto something when you see black crud getting picked up on the pipe cleaner. <br />3. Flash on the U joints. A bit of flash can rub on the mating joint making a noise. Fix: Disassemble and file off any flash. <br /> <br />Lube: Interesting subject. The nylon gears are slippery by nature and I am not sure that any kind of oil improves them. The bronze axle bearing do want oil. The motor wants oil on its bearings and NOT on the commutator. <br /> <br />
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