Is the decoder a QSI or Soundtraxx Tsunami?
- Douglas
hon30critterThere is another alternative and that is Nano Oil. It is more expensive but it has amazing lubricating qualities. I would suggest the #10 and #85 grades in the small tubes.
WARNING:
It turns out that Nano Oil will destroy plastics. Please read this:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/261415.aspx
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Great responses - thanks. Obviously still feeling my way around - I did clean the tracks, trucks and wheels and the shaking is somewhat reduced and steadys out at about 27 (instead of 45) on the NCE throttle. Progress but not as it should be. It may be the more I run it the better it gets. I also reset to the default settings on the decoder (handy wand). I'm somewhat hesitant of getting under the hood but went ahead and got the oil/grease and axle gears as suggested (all available at amazon btw). Things one should prbly have around anyway. One other thing I noticed when changing the loco # on NCE was the areas of speed/accelaration step adjustments. Perhaps the setting is too high or too low, just kept things the way they are for now. Many thanks
Dashingdan:
I wrote this in the other thread where you asked about this problem:
Hi Dashingdan:
Welcome to the forums!
The first thing I would suggest doing with your SD9 is cleaning all of the old grease out of the trucks. To do this properly you will have to remove the trucks from the locomotive and take them completely apart. You can then wash out the old grease with isopropyl alcohol and an old tooth brush. Once the bits are clean you will be able to inspect the gears for flash or possibly cracks which may be contributing to the rough running.
You can buy lubricants specifically designed for use with model locomotives. You will need some grease as well as some light oil. The grease goes on the gears and the oil is used on the shafts. Do not over lubricate, a little goes a long way. Most modellers use Labelle products:
https://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/430-106
The light oil can also be used on the motor bearings. Don't put oil on the commutator (brushes).
There is another alternative and that is Nano Oil. It is more expensive but it has amazing lubricating qualities. I would suggest the #10 and #85 grades in the small tubes.
http://nano-oil.com/
You may have some cracked gears which are easy to replace. I am not an expert on replacing the gears but I believe these are suitable replacements:
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH60024
Regards
P.S. Soldering the connections where the mfr. used plastic clips adds to the reliability as well.
Make sure the track and wheels are clean, shiney clean. CRC QD Electronic Cleaner works good on the wheels and trucks. It can be bought at Walmart. Rubbing alcohol works well on the track.
Thanks - great suggestion, I'll try it when I get home and let you know. Once I hit 47 it runs great, so I was hoping it would be a simple thing.
Hi, and...
I would suggest checking each truck for power-pickup by running the engine while holding it in place, at about half throttle, and gently lifting one truck, then the other, slightly off the rails to be sure that both trucks are picking up power. It's possible a wire wasn't connectrd to the board properly with those plastic clips.
Or, there may be a thin flim of corrosion on the wheels. Try running the engine similar to above, but holding the engine let the wheels spin on a piece of lint-free cotton or sturdy paper towel soaked in alcohol.
If neither of these help, maybe you could try a decoder reset to see if something got scrambled in the motor control CVs?
Just an idea or two, maybe others will have some suggestions, too. I have maybe a dozen of the older Life-Like SDs and they are great runners.
Good Luck, Ed
[/quote] you know.
Hi all,
I just purchased a Walthers gray box SD9 DRGW 5307 with sound and dcc. This was purchased new in a box (3/16) but prbly sat around. I am totally inexperienced to the point I don't even have a layout yet, just a test track. I have managed to collect quite an inventory with high hopes. I have NCE power cab dcc and this unit does not run smoothly until I hit about 47 on the throttle. Prior it chugs (almost sounds as if its missing) and has a stop and go momentum with some shaking in the 5 - 10 range. Any help on this is greatly appreciated and hope this adds to the discussion.