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 Posted - January 03 2009 : 5:44:29 PM
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Hey guys. So, today I got my hands on an Athearn F-7 A/B set. They look nice, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting the powered A unit to run properly. It seems fine at high speeds, but at a crawl it tends to pulse and sometimes cuts out completely (both the headlight and the motor go off). I've tried switching transformers (which didn't help) and I've been able to run other Athearn engines on the same piece of track. Cleaning the rails doesn't seem to have done much either.
These are brand new, just out of the box engines. I'm out of ideas...any help?
-cheez
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Posted - January 03 2009 : 11:53:25 PM
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Never had one bad out of the box before, but based on the symptoms I would suspect either a bad spot on the commutator, or excessive flash on one of the gear teeth which is causing binding.
Theoretically you could test this by connecting the motor directly to the power pack and testing it at the same low input where it stalls. If it's fine, then install one truck at a time and see what happens.
Or just rip the whole thing apart and look for gear flash, etc.
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 2:57:02 PM
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I think you're right about the gears. When I put the engine on its side and touched the wires to the wheels, the back truck doesn't seem to run properly. The wheels are not rotating as they should. They are wobbling up and down, and I can hear a clicking noise.
Now...to fix it I don't think I've ever fully taken apart an Athearn truck before, and the ones I have worked on have been from the 70's. So before I go ripping apart this brand new $80 engine, could some tell me the proper way to do it
-cheez
EDIT: Just thinking, would it be better to email Athearn and see if they'll send me a new truck to replace this "defective part"?
Edited by - DaCheez on January 04 2009 3:00:49 PM
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 3:00:22 PM
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| hi cheez have you checked hoseekers site for diagrams ken
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 3:04:31 PM
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hi cheez what f7a/b set are we talking about,if its a new set simply take it back ken
Edited by - catfordken on January 04 2009 3:05:16 PM
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 3:22:16 PM
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Hey Ken. That would probably be the best thing. The hobby shop where I bought it however is about an hours drive, so if there is a simple fix that would be easier. If it's a problem with the gears though (which it seems to be) I probably should take it back and exchange it for a good one.
BTW, have you guys ever seen one of these monsters? It has a massive weight encasing the motor!
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 3:26:10 PM
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| hi cheez the weight has been around a long time but one with a painted finish like that is a new one,i have three f7 chassis like that with the older motors as spares ken
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 3:49:40 PM
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The Athearn drive hasn't really changed much at all since the 70's. So if you've taken one of those older ones apart, the new ones (using the classic tooling) are very much the same.
Given the additional symptoms described, I'd say the truck gears are the problem. Clicking is a classic sign of a split gear. Confirm this then request a replacement. Or heck, your idea might get you an entire spare truck out of the deal...  But the funny thing is you could use a 70's gear as a meantime replacement.
That beefy weight used to be an option! Athearn formerly sold a "Super Power" F7/9 and the sole difference was the presence of that weight.
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Posted - January 04 2009 : 4:06:14 PM
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I called the hobby shop, and spoke to the guy who owns it. He told me he has parts, so if I could bring the engine in he'd be happy to swap the bad truck for a good one. Sounds good to me. I'll have to go by next weekend. Thanks for your help guys!
-cheez
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Posted - January 05 2009 : 04:44:00 AM
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Sounds like a cracked axle gear. It doesn't look like there have been many changes from the Blue Boxes to the RTR's.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - January 08 2009 : 11:24:22 AM
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Replacing the damaged gears will eliminate the clicking and bouncing wheels, but not the electrical problem.
Since the light dies as well as the motor, you are hitting something that completely blocks current flow. You've already eliminated dirty track, so my guess would be dirty/glazed wheels. Do you have a dremel tool? If so, run a wire wheel brush over the surface of your wheels when you replace the gears. If you do not have a dremel, you can use a new ink eraser or Brite Boy. Since the loco runs well enough at high speed, I think the issue is your wheels. At very low speeds, the flywheels do not have much ability to coast over the dirty spots on the wheels.
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Posted - January 08 2009 : 2:31:59 PM
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I have had problems with some of those Athearn locos having poor contact between the trucks and the frame. Be sure the paint has been removed from the bolster pins on the frame. I usually hard wire both the hot and ground wires directly from the trucks to the motor.
Ray
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Posted - January 17 2009 : 3:50:39 PM
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I don't know why, but for whatever reason, CN engines seem to hate me I tested the engine again last night and it still had the same problem with its rear truck. It was then packed up in its box. Today when the guy at the hobby shop took it out of its box to see the problem, it ran perfectly The wheels on the rear truck ran perfectly smooth and the man said it was the best running Athearn he'd seen in a long time! I brought it home again and it runs fine now O_o. This isn't the first time a CN F-7 has messed with my head...
Taking it to the hobby shop wasn't a total waste of time though. I swapped the B-unit and the shell on the A-unit. (I know...weird right...exchange everything except what I went there for.) The first A-unit had some ugly paint flaws and the silver strip on the B-unit was very rough. The new B-unit is a little better, but not great. (All the B-units looked like this BTW).
-cheez
Edited by - DaCheez on January 17 2009 3:51:47 PM
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Posted - January 17 2009 : 5:18:16 PM
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Chezzy:
Ever get the CN F7 I sent you running?
-Gareth
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Posted - January 17 2009 : 5:47:49 PM
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Yup. I got both the one you sent and its twin running. They do give me odd problems though. One day one of the engine's motors stopped working, while its headlight stayed on. I then put the other engine on the track (which I thought had a burnt out headlight) and its headlight came on
Like I said, CN engines give me problems.
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