# Cleaning Engines (Bushings)



## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

I have an LGB 2085D and I am having a heck of a time getting it working properly again. When I went off to college my dad took it along with quite a bit of other stock I have down to his train club and ran it continuously during the month of Dec for about 7 years for their Christmas show. 

I've rebuilt and cleaned up several smaller engines that he used, but the 2085D has been a challenge. The second motor (near the back) doesn't seem to be getting enough juice. I took it apart and hooked the motor up directly to my transformer and the motor was humming along with no problems. I soaked the bushings (scrubbed bushings too) and springs in alcohol as well as took an alcohol soaked Q-tip inside of the six bushing housings. I also took a brush to the back of the wheels and got all of the dirt off of them. Gears look fine, surprisingly no noticeable wear. 


1. After cleaning I put it on my layout and it ran without any problems (forward and backward). 
2. I ran it earlier today and it ran forward fine, but it wouldn't run backward (lights were on, #1 motor was on). 
3. About mid-day I ran it again and while both motors were turning the wheels it was running slower than normal. 

4. I ran it tonight and #2 motor wouldn't run forward or backward (lights were on, #1 motor was on).

It was like cleaning an old rifle. My God the old man and his train club buddies did a number on this engine. 


Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Joe


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

It is very possible you have a bad motor. Some motors will run slow before they stop due to bad brushes in the motors. 
Also, did you line up the drivers properly (quarter them).


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

Drivers are fine. I was considering that I had a bad motor, but it's flat out not running at times when it's on the track. When I apply electricity directly from my transformer to the motor unit itself it runs with no problems. That was why I was thinking that there is some dirt somewhere in the unit that I missed or I am not cleaning this particular engine correctly.


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

It's a short of some kind. I ran it today along with my green postal car & D&R yellow caboose, both of which don't rely on the engine for lighting power. The engine completely stopped and ALL of the lights were out in the postal / baggage car as well as the caboose. 

I don't even know where to start at this point. I guess I'll just start taking it apart and hook a conduction meter up to it as I move through it all. 

By the way, my dad swears he barely ran this engine when he was using it at his train club.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Is this the smae problem or a new problem? 

When all the lights were off on engine and cars, did you remove the engine from the track to see if the cars light up. 

I ask this as if the engine had a short, the cars would now light up. 
However, if the cars still do not light, it could be an overloaded power pack that shuts down due to an overload. 

What is the power pack you are using, volts/amps/watts to the track?


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

The car lights never went off, only the engine lights. 

I took the entire engine apart and I there is a short, but I'm having a hard time isolating it. I'm using an analog multimeter and in using throughout the board I didn't notice any problems. The one area where I got absolutely no reading was when I placed the meter on the neg and pos wires that go to the top front light. The bulb is fine, but it would seem odd that a lighting fixture could cause a short (If you know different let me know). I can't quite figure out how to take the lighting fixture apart to disconnect the fixture then test, but aim to do so. 

I have been able to run the engine by essentially hot wiring it to work independent of the board & lighting. This was merely to check to see if I was having issues with the motors themselves. Not a long term solution. I also think that the board is important for keeping both motors in sync so I'm going to need it. 

I used two different transformers. 

1. LGB (50061) 0-24V DC 20VA 
2. Tech II 1500 - 20VA


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

20va is not enough to run a 2 motor 2085D engine plus lights on passenger cars. 

LGB power pack can handle it at low speeds, but at higher speeds, the motors draw more power and will trip the resettable breaker in the power pack. 
However, you mentioned that only one of the motor stops, the lights stay on, so you have 2 issues to deal with. 

One is getting the motor fixed in the engine, other problem is a larger power pack needed for better running of your trains. 

Also, a short would kill all power everywhere as will an overloaded power pack, an open will just cause something/one thing not to work. 

I am still thinking the motor is bad and the power pack is too small. 

PS, my single motor Forney with smoke lights, sound on draws 700 milliamps on a bench with no load form a 20 volt supply. 
I thought this was rather high, so i checked a friends forney and got 650 milliamps, the difference being mine had a Phoenix sound unit. 

On a 20 va LGB power pack, my Forney would draw at around 14va and that is only a single motor and no passenger cars!!


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

Dan, 

So I disconnected the plug that goes to two of the three back lights as well as the cab light. The engine hums along forward and backward with no problems along with lighted cars. I don't recall seeing it run this fast, ever. LOL 

What would you recommend for a simple transformer, no bells and whistles for this engine? The LGB transformer that I'm using for my office overhead layout originally came with a small set I bought for my kids and I liked the compactness of it for my office. I use the other transformer for the backyard (usually only run smaller engines on it). 

Joe


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

So, it's confirmed that the problem was the transformer just was not up to it? 

I want closure!! ha ha ha! 

Regards, Greg


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

No, I can't confirm that it's the transformer. I used the same transformer that I used for years on it and replicated the same problems I had with my small LGB transformer. 

I called my dad and sent him a video and he thinks the short could be coming from a lighting fixture or bulb itself (these are NOT the typical LGB screw in bulbs, tiny bulb with two wires). I think he might be on to something. Three of the lights have now burned out in the course of my endless testing (top back, right bottom back and the cab light). The left back light is working and the engine hums along (with dead bulbs). I unplug the entire back lighting system and the engine hums along. 

I placed a new bulb in the cab and the engine died (left two dead bulb in back), no motors were working, humming, ect...... Dead lights were still in the back sockets when I did this. 

I took all of the remaining dead bulbs out and it worked fine. The problem in my testing saga now is that I took each dead bulb and rotated each in various sockets in the back and could not replicate the problem. Perhaps I jostled something in one of the bulbs, a fixture, ect.... that did not allow me to replicate the problem. I was hoping to put a dead bulb back in and have the problem be entirely isolated to a fixture or bulb. I also went over each fixture with my analog meter and each fixture throughout the engine is getting enough juice. Bulb? I'll see if and when I get new bulbs to replace some of the ones that I didn't have replacements for. 

Joe


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Since any bulb added causes a problem, what happens if no bulbs are installed and you turn on the smoke unit? 
Does the smoke unit work? Does it cause the same problem as a bulb? 
m


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

I pulled an old HO transformer out of storage. The engine ran for about 6.5 hours before the transformer stopped working and apparently reset itself after it probably got too hot. (3rd transformer I've used now, but the LGB transformer is where the real problems occurred) 

The same problem came up with a small red diesel engine that I ran yesterday and I quickly came to the conclusion that the LGB transformer I was has something seriously wrong with it. The lights in the little diesel completely burned out like the lights in the back of 2085. Luckily the lights in the diesel were the screw in kind so I had replacements readily available. 

What a saga. On the bright side my 2085 is as clean as a whistle. 

I'm planning on getting a MRC Model AG990 
http://www.modelrec.com/search/product-view.asp?ID=1266 

Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions. 

Joe


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