Possible Loco Lube Problem

[stokesda]

Thanks for everybody's input. I'll try cleaning out some of the excess grease and will keep an eye on it and watch out for overheating (don't think it's doing that, though). This is really my first time running a loco of my own since I was a kid, so it's still a learning experience for me.

Cheers,

[Eriediamond]

stokesda, my two cents worth is this. Over lubrication can cause several things to happen. It can cause excessive oil and grease to splatter over everything around it. It can also force parts apart through hydraulic action and also can cause excessive drag or friction if you will, in the parts you are trying to reduce that friction in. Now with this said, you can check for excessive friction with an ammeter, but few people have those in their system. Next best way is to run your engine and check for excessive heat build up in the motor. If the motor is not getting to hot then it is more then likely alright. Remember the old hair cream commercial "a little dab will do ya", same thing applies to lubrication of our locos. Just my two cents, Ken

[Budliner]

I have used lithium grease with bad results looks like
I will be looking at whats on the shelf at the locol hobby shop
funny how some lubes can damage the plastic but I am guilty of using
ball joint grease the boots are rubber on the ball joint
so far so good



K-

[Anonymous]

Personally I doubt too much lube will slow things down. They say don't overlube so that it isn't dripping all over the place, on your rails and electric contacts.
Many times I have put quite a bit of lube and I noticed that excess just gets scattered all over the inner of the shell because of fast gear rotation, leaving only minimum that is enough for lubrication.

Have a closer look if there are any contact problems, sparks under the wheels. And make sure it isn't just illusion that it moves slower. I often have this when have two identical engines but one is quet and the other is noisy. I was very surprised when I put them both and they move with the same speed.

Besides humans aren't very good at determining speed. That's why we have speedometers and speed guns.

As long as there are no loud noises, the engine is probably fine.

[easyaces]

Bob Knapp may be right with it being overlubed, but usually first run break-ins will run a bit faster. The Labelle lube is compatible with most models, but the general rule is "use it sparingly". I use it on all my Athern locos and have never had a problem. Good luck!

[stokesda]

Bob, thanks for the advice. The loco was stored at normal room temperature in my bedroom, so it wasn't in the cold or anything. I think the Labelle stuff is OK because it was specified in the loco's instructions.

I ran it for over 2 hours last night with and without some cars attached. I clocked its top speed with no load at a scale 74 mph - don't know if that's too low or just about right for full throttle. Like I said, it's possible that the initial "high" speed was a figment of my imagination.

I think I'll just keep an eye on it for a while and see how it goes. If it comes down to it, I guess I can always clean out the gearbox and re-lube it.

[bogp40]

Stokesda,
It is possible that you may have too much grease, or the Labelle is not compatible. One other thing, I notice that you are in Colorado. By any chance was the loco stored in a very cool or cold place? I have only seen this problem with older Bachman, IHC, and some ConCor. Clean the wheels and run it for a while before doing anything rash.
Bob K.

[stokesda]

Hi all,

I have a brand-new HO Walthers Trainline Dash-8. I ran it a few times when I first got it and it seemed to run fine. Then it sat in my closet for a few months.

I just got some Labelle oil and grease and lubed it up per the instructions. There was already factory grease in the gearbox when I popped it open, but I put of spot of Labelle's in there anyway. When I started running it again, it seemed slower than the first time I ran it straight out of the box.

I guess what I'm asking is - is it possible that there's now TOO MUCH grease in the gear box making it run slower? Or is it just my imagination that it ran faster the first time?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Cheers,