165 Crane Light & Magnet

[gottcent]

I recently picked up a Lionel 165 crane in very good condition. It appeared to have been rewired recently and all the wires (including a new 6-wire flat cable)and solder joints look good.It operated well in all of its functions except that it made a terrible grinding noise. So I tuned up the motor (cleaned the commutator face, cleaned the brushes, oiled the armature shaft). I also removed old grease from the gears with TV tuner cleaner and relubed with new grease. While at it, I shot some tuner cleaner into the solenoid shafts, and there's no sticking there.

When I reassembled everything, the moving parts all worked fine (and quietly)--but the light and magnet do not operate. The bulb is good, and both light and magnet worked before. I checked the controller and it is wired well. In particular, the switch that should control the light and magnet works fine.

I've tried to trace the wiring for a break, but I cannot figure out where the lamp socket gets its power from. It's clearly grounded to the base, but I can't trace the wire from the center of the socket. I also can't find a schematic in any of my manuals.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any help.

John

[Michael Pags]

John,

I have recently been reviving several vintage Lionel accessories, including both the 165 and 182 magnetic cranes.  Took me a week to get the 182 back to shape (replaced broken crane arm), but mostly dealing with the very, very delicate two conductor wire to the magnet.  Not sure of the problem with your unit, especially since it worked when you first had it, but I do have access to a wiring diagram. It's on p 387 of the 7th ed of Greenberg's Repair and Operating Manual for Lionel Trains. I would scan and attach it, but not sure if this would be a breach of copyright.  Did you try adjusting the magnet? I just had one of my magnets suddently not work (light was on) and with a little movement of the magnet assembly, it worked. And BTW, even after cleaning and lubing, I could not silence the loud motors on either of these units. I think this is common in much of this vintage of Lionel accessories. 

Good luck,

Michael

[ADCX Rob]

[cwburfle]

There should be a rod running up the center of the pully shaft, with a contact on either end (one underneath, and one in the cab.

My guess: one of the contacts slipped off or just isn't making a good connection.

[gottcent]

Thanks to all for your help. The diagrams were helpful, and I found the connecting rod and indeed the contact inside the cab had slipped off. Problem fixed.

Of course, in the process of this repair, I broke one of the delicate wires (the ground connection) to the magnet, so today I will tackle that problem. At least I can see what the issue is this time!

John