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 Posted - December 23 2008 : 2:23:37 PM
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My Tyco shifter seems to be infested with electrical demons. Here's the problem: it suffers from erratic speed changes which lessen in intensity the longer it runs. It will jackrabbit along and then slow down and act like it's going through sludge, and every time it slows down the headlight dims. When it slows down it squeals briefly, which I think is a sound coming from the motor and not the gears. It also runs slightly faster in reverse, sometimes with constant squealing. The rear tender truck also gets hot to the touch, and I can feel the area around the motor getting warm. It starts moving at about 40% power on the throttle, but I've read that's normal for old open-frame motors. When it starts running smoother after warming up, the headlight still dims ever so slightly, but more like a dimming-flicker, like electrical noise. There is still a detectable speed change in sync with the flicker.
I've done everything I can think of, I've followed the maintenance guide on the Yardbird Trains site and then some. I've polished the tender wheels so they shine, cleaned all the tender contacts, completely cleaned the motor with a 15 minute rubbing alcohol soak, lubed the running mechanism and checked it for binding, and scrubbed the commutator and brushes. The only thing I haven't done is polish the commutator and brushes with super-fine sandpaper, which I'm hesitant to do, but it's the only contact point that still looks discolored--it's shiny but considerably darker than polished brass or copper would be, almost gray looking.
Anyone had a problem this hard to track down with a Tyco/Mantua steam loco, or can I just blame this on a 30 year old open-frame motor?
--Rio Grande--Thru the Rockies
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Country:  USA ~
Posts: 89 ~
Member Since: November 20 2008 ~
Last Visit: November 09 2013
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Posted - December 23 2008 : 7:43:45 PM
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Since you've done all of that maintenance, I'm wondering if you don't have a short starting to form somewhere in the motor windings. I have a Bachmann Plus K4 that I was just considering sending back to them with $15 for a new one (their lifetime warranty), and a few days later the loco starts slowing down, finally to a crawl. I had rehabbed the motor as you did, and it was running well. I checked it again last night, and now I get a dead short if the armature is in a certain position, which means the motor's toast. She's going back to meet her maker soon, literally.
I did have an MU-2 truck that was erratic like yours, only it wasn't drawing high current when it slowed down. I finally tracked it down to the brushes, because when I popped in a new set it ran like a new loco. I still don't know what was wrong with the old set, since they had been thoroughly cleaned.
You've probably done this, but since you didn't mention it, make sure there's no gunk and brush dust in the slots between the armature plates. If there is enough buildup of brush particles in there it can start to conduct between the plates, and act like a shorted motor. An alcohol bath alone usually doesn't remove it.
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on December 23 2008 7:44:16 PM
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Country: USA ~
Posts: 3927 ~
Member Since: June 20 2007 ~
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