pt714 For the coupler, check that the spring is still in place. If not, replace it. Phil
For the coupler, check that the spring is still in place. If not, replace it.
Phil
I should have clarified a little better. That's not the part of the coupler in question. The whole coupler moves more than the rest.
The GP9s that do nothing sounds electrical.
Athearn relies on a couple of sketchy electrical contact points.
One is underneath the motor where a clip contacts the frame. Touch a jumper from the fram to the motor case while on powered track. If it moves, this is your culprit.
Replacing the motor mounts and cleaning the area usually fixes this problem. I also use Lubriplate DS-ES electrical grease beneath the motor when I reassemble Athearn locomotives. DO NOT us DS-ES anywhere else.
The metal bar between the trucks and the motor top is also questionable. I do away with this and run a couple of secure wires instead.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Graphite, LaBelle and GooGone are going to be your friends.
For the coupler, check that the spring is still in place. If not, replace it. Then use graphite powder (a little bit on the end of a very small brush works well) to lube up all the moving parts.
I would clean the motors and gear assemblies, all the way from the commutators to the wheels. I did a quick forum search for a good step-by-step breakdown; here's a recent one that might help (credit to Dstarr).
The units are what I term Tythearns (Tyco shell/Athearn GP35 drive with a modified frame). The shells are a friction fit to the frame.
The engine cleaning is the commentators need cleaning (brushes are sparking). The drives run but they are whining like crazy (hence the fake dinosaur roar). The coupler, like all the others, is body mounted. There is a snow plow behind it which doesn't seem to be impeding it at all. I hope that clarifies the issues.
I also have found that two other GP9 BB units have failed. I power up the track and they go nowhere. I cleaned the wheels, checked the wiring and everything. They worked as recently as a month ago when I finished the second of the units. Any ideas on that would be welcomed as well.
I agree with Kevin, most of us on this forum are not likely to know anything about a fake dinosaur in a cartoon, so a more focused description of the units and their particular ailments would help us suggest potential cures. What are they? Were they purchased at the same time? Remember the P2K cracked gears? How is the 140 series coupler mounted on the locomotive--with a clip or screws? By all being BB drives, one would guess they are Athearns? Help us help you.
I think I need a better description of each problem.
So five units failed nearly at the same time?
OK Forum friends. I am in need of assistance again.
The shop crew of the Forest Railway is stumped. Five of the six freight road units are down. One of the units reminds the crew of a fake dinosaur in a cartoon. Another rattles worse than glass when a real train goes by. The rest are contributing to unneeded noise pollution.
The units are all BB drives. However other units of the same type are just fine. Three of the units need engines cleaned. One has a 140 series coupler not staying solid.
Any ideas would make the shop crew very happy.