Tune up stock Athearn motors

[iawestern]

Greetings,

I have some Athearn engines that need a tune up.  They range in age from 5 to 15 years.  I am referring to the non-Genesis blue box Athearn motors.  Does anyone know of a good technique of doing this?

I recall from an internet news group several years ago a guy by the name of Peter Haas (sp?) out in California that would post a 'blue print' plan for tuning up these motors.  Is he still around, or does anyone know where that article can be found?

I confess, I am motor parts illiterate.  I know how to take one apart and put it back together, but I don't know what the individual parts are called.  Any help, diagrams, or articles would be a great help.  You may reply directly to me if you want at > [e-mail] < . 

Thanks!

Van Wyk 

[Virginian]

I am not an "expert", but I have 'tuned up' a bunch.  All I did was lessen the brush tension, shim out most of the end play, and smooth out the armature contact area.  Made a big difference, in my opinion, however.

Replacing sloppy 'U' joints and polishing/replacing and properly lubricating gears also helps engine performance/noise.

[msowsun]

There are 2 things I know of that will improve performance on theses Athearn motors.

The commutator is the gold colored part of the armature that the brushes press against.

Put the other end of the armature shaft in a slow turning drill and use very fine emery cloth to polish the commutator as it spins. Be careful not to damage the little wires that are connected to the commutator.

Cutting down the springs that push the brushes against the commutator will also improve low speed performance and reduce motor noise. Cut about 1/4 - 1/3 off.

[Stevert]

  Any help, diagrams, or articles would be a great help. 

Thanks!

Van Wyk 

 

Google is your friend.  Search for either "athearn tuneup" or "athearn tune up" (without the quotes).  I got 691 hits for the first iteration and 598 for the second.  Most of the hits are probably duplicates, but  it doesn't hurt to try both searches to avoid missing something that may be useful.

HTH,

Steve

[msowsun]

Here is a good site for Athearn Motor tuneups...

http://www.montanacentral.info/athearntuneup.html

 

[PA&ERR]

Depending on your climate, the metal parts that carry the power from the tracks to the motor tend to rust - the long L shaped piece that connects to the top of the motor and short piece that serves as a bolster . Clean that off.

Also, get rid of the long narrow strip of metal that connects the top of the motor to the trucks and replace it with a wire soldered to the truck contacts. One way to do this is to remove and drill a small hole in the copper strip that holds the top motor brush in place (make sure you don't loose the spring or the brush!) and solder two pieces of wire (one to the front truck, one to the rear) to it. Then you can either solder the free ends to each respective truck pick upor use a small slip on clip to connect the pick up to the motor.

Remove the headlight lead which is connected to the front of the frame - I just snap them off. It will give you nothing  but trouble. Now, hard wire your headlight - one wire to the frame and the other (preferably) to a constant intensity directional lighting circuit (if you are using straight DC)

This is all just my opinion and how I've done my old Athearn locos. Your results may vary.

-George

[gderem]

Another good site for Athearn tune-ups is

http://www.mcor-nmra.org/Publications/Articles/Athearn_TuneUp.html 

 

Good luck