relubing old Athearn

[3railguy]

I have a few Athearn diesels that I haven't ran in over 25 years. I'm sure the old grease is hardened by now. I would like to wa***he old grease and oil off the gears, axles, etc. and relube them. Can anyone tell me of a solvent that is safe to use on old plastic gears?

[Big_Boy_4005]

Hey John, have you ever heard of using toothpaste in an old Athearn gear tower? Not as a lubricant, but as a lapping compound.

When I lived in Denver, one of the guys I knew did that with his Athearns. He put toothpaste in the gears and just let them run for a while. Then he cleaned them up and used a little grease. What a difference it made, they made less than half the noise, and ran super smooth.

Alcohol should cut the grease without hurting the plastic.

[Anonymous]

I use a toothbrush and scrub the parts with warm water and dish soap.
this site may be helpful.
http://www.horailroading.net/athearn-tune.htm

[3railguy]

Ray, Big Boy, thanks.

I had thoughts of using Dawn detergent and a toothbrush but wasn't sure it would do the job so I'll try it. Alcohol is something to consider too. The Athearn tuneup link is great.

Big Boy, I've heard of people using baking soda to lap gears on Lionel engines. Maybe Arm and Hammer toothpaste would be good to use on Athearn gears.

[bogp40]

John,
I have used the Pearl Drops method, also I have heard about using valve lapping compound. I washed the parts w/ a toothbrush and dish soap. Try not to mix or reverse gears if you do the toothpaste thing. Wear patterns will be formed. It did make them run much smoother but it's a toss up for the amount of work involved. While the trucks are apart why not change out the wheelsets, I perfer NWS and use a dab of epoxy on the axle and set gauge. Just don't forget the bronze axle bushings as I once did. Labelle grease w/ teflon works great for gears and drop of oil on bushings. Bob K.

[BRAKIE]

John,As a long time user of the Athearn locomotives please allow me to caution you about using to much grease or adding grease to the drive shafts.
To much grease and these units will respond in kind by not running smoothly or slowly.A lesion I learn years ago.I stop using grease years ago and use one very small drop of oil on the grears,drive shafts,bushings and flywheel shaft.I work the oil in by turning the drive by hand using the flywheel.
A tip..Add stick on weights to the inside top of the shell.This cuts down on the body chatter that accounts for some of the noise that the Athearn drive makes.

[jrbernier]

Regarding the 'alcohol' trick - I would not do it. If you do, make sure you wash out the parts with a mild soapy(dish washing) solution. Alcohol will pull the petroleum out of the plastic(plastic is petroleum based), and dries out the gears - they will crack sooner or later. This also happens when the gears are lubed with a non plastic compatable grease.

Jim Bernier

[Anonymous]

I must agree with jrbernier about the alcohol. Alcohol will cause plastic to go bad and can cause you to replace parts quite often.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Robert Knapp

John,
I have used the Pearl Drops method, also I have heard about using valve lapping compound. I washed the parts w/ a toothbrush and dish soap. Try not to mix or reverse gears if you do the toothpaste thing. Wear patterns will be formed. It did make them run much smoother but it's a toss up for the amount of work involved. While the trucks are apart why not change out the wheelsets, I perfer NWS and use a dab of epoxy on the axle and set gauge. Just don't forget the bronze axle bushings as I once did. Labelle grease w/ teflon works great for gears and drop of oil on bushings. Bob K.

Actually Bob, that may have been exactly what my friend used. It was 20 years ago, and my memory is slipping. The polish is a little more abrasive than regular toothpaste, so you have to watch how long you let it go.

I hadn't thought of that when it comes to alcohol on plastic, but that makes sense. The question is will detergent have a similar effect? Probably not nearly as severe if it does.

[mcouvillion]

I've got a bunch of Athearn engines. Every engine I get, Athearn or anything else, gets completely torn down, cleaned, de-flashed, gauged, and lubed before going into service. I use only Dexron II automatic transmission fluid as a lubricant. I'm a chemist and have seen the effects of oxidation of oils over several years and I refuse to dig gummy oil out of journal boxes or gears again! Transmission fluid is compatible with the plastics and metals of construction of the models, will not ruin the paint, does not conduct electricity, maintains its viscosity over a broad temperature range, flows easily, is easily wiped up / off with a soft tissue, and is cheap!

I "saw the light" after using the "Special Racing Oil" of the old Thunderjet 500 slot cars by Aurora when I was a kid. You could put that stuff everywhere and it didn't cause a problem unless you put way too much. Years later, I found the bottle and recognized the smell as transmission fluid. By then I had my degree and access to analytical equipment. I also was in the process of cleaning all the journal boxes of the HO freight cars I had had as a kid. No more will oil be used on my rolling stock unless it is synthetic, but why spend the extra cash, I have a lifetime supply in one quart of 'tranny fluid. By the way, I don't use grease on gears since once it is squashed out of the meshing surfaces, it has no way to re-enter the surfaces since it can't flow unless it gets hot, and it won't. So grease doesn't do you any good except the very first time. The 'tranny fluid will maintain a thin film on the gear surface and re-lubricate the meshing surfaces.

[piemandan64]

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO MCOUVILLION.

[Anonymous]

Hello John,

If you are looking for a solvent to remove the grease, try "Bestine".
It is a great cleaner and will not harm plastics. It evaporates a little quicker than alcohol and should be used with proper ventilation.

Also, you DO NOT want to use "Acetone" as it will melt most plastics!!!

I have used Bestine at work on expensive motion picture cameras for over seven years with no problems. I have been using it on my engines and rolling stock for several years now. You can use it to clean the plastic shells as well. Bestine can be found at most large hardware stores and chains.

Good luck! Chris N.

[Anonymous]

I worked in the auto repair field for a long time and would use CRC electomotive cleaner or tuner cleaner to remove old junk that gets into things. It cleans the motor well dries clean and leaves things dry in moments. I hadn't thought of trans fluid as a lube but it is slick . I use it for a number of things so I guess it would work well here to.I'll try it on an old engine I just picked up. Les Phy

[Anonymous]

I've done a few of secondhand locos, and found a mixture of tooth paste and enough drops of plastic compatabe oil so the gooey mixture stays in the gears, and does not get squeezed out of the gears. I run the loco on a track for about 45 minutes in each direction. This has worked very well on several locos. As the loco loosens up, you will need to turn the power down and make sure there is still enough oil in the mixture.

Several people have mentioned removing moulding flash from the gears. I use a sharp modeling knife, and don't forget to check the flat bearing sides of the gears were they rotate on their shafts.

Good Luck

Kent