Bought a DCC BLI GG1 Electric on EBay.Got a good price on it.
But when it arrived , the box had a slight ding in it, like it may have been dropped in shipping.
I placed it on the track, and all of the sound effects work but it wouldn’t move in either direction.
I did take the loco shell off, and found that both motors will run, and the driveshafts are turning, but it still won’t move in either direction.
I contacted the seller, and he did not want it back, and generously refunded my entire purchase price plus shipping.
So essentially it was free.
I am apprehensive to disassemble it any further, and guess I will send it in to BLI for repair, but was reading the users manual, which seems to indicate it needs programmed before running it.
It does function on the default factory address of 3.
My question is, is the lack of movement in either direction a programming function or not?
I didn’t have to do this to my 5 other BLI steamers.
When I carefully observed it on the track, each motor comes on as I changed the directional
button on my DCC controller, and one motor would shut down along with its associated headlight, and the other motor and headlight would come on, along with all of the appropriate sound effects.
For some reason the motive power just isn’t getting to the wheels, and it appears each motor drives its
own gear box, but like I said, both driveshafts are turning, but the loco fails to move.
I guess I’ll just send it in to BLI for repairs.
TheK4Kid
If you have motors turning as well as the drive shafts, the next thing to check is the gear tower caps. Are they broken? Are they seated properly?
After the gear tower caps, check for worm gears. Is it missing the worm gears? Are the drive shafts connected to the worm gears?
If you have worm gears, then take off the trucks (by disconnecting the wires from the pc board and popping off the gear tower caps) and roll the trucks down the track…do they move freely or are they binding?
If they are binding, then you need to take apart the trucks to see if the grease in the tower has gummed up. If it has gummed up, then clean them with soap and water. Replace the grease with dry graphite.
If they are not binding, then you need to take the trucks apart to check for stripped gears or missing gears.
Beyond that, you should have a great running loco.
I dont think you need to return it to BLI for repairs. These are simple machines. Only return it if there are missing or broken parts.
David B
Hi David,
Thanks for the reply, and hope you had a great Christmas!
The driveshafts and worm gears are both turning.
I have been rather apprehensive of taking this loco any further apart.
I may take it to a local guy who does repairs, I’d rather pay a few bucks than lose a part
or get something apart I can’t get back together properly.
These parts and screws are very tiny.
I may give it a try
The problem must be below the worm gears.I found it strange they would both give out, but perhaps if it
was dropped just right to break both ends at the same time since they run independently of each other.
I have had the loco shell off , and pulled the circuit board plugs off and removed the screws that hold the circit board down.
I can see both the flywheels turning, and the driveshafts turning and the worm gears turning.
So the problem has to be underneath the worm hgears to the wheels.
The free turning wheels turn just fine, the trucks move freely from side to side.
Perhaps one of the gears in each end was knocked out of place.
Looking at the loco from the bottom, I cannot find any stripped gears
Apparently from what I surmise is that if it is a gear out of alignment or out of place, they must
be easily knocked out of alignment, or out of place.
It has to be a gear I can’t see that’s somewhere in between.
Thanks again for the reply!
TheK4Kid
aka
Ed
If everything you say is true, then your issue is the cap on the gear tower. Push them down, they should click. The cap is what holds the worm in place, without it, it wont engauge the bull gear.
David B
David,
I’ll try and take a look at it and see what I find.
TheK4Kid
Ed
Found stripped gears, actually several teeth missing from the drive gears in both truck units. Back to BLI it goes.
TheK4Kid
A few things before you run off to the post office.
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Because you bought it used, you are out of the BLI warrenty. It will cost you to have it fixed.
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Consider calling BLI and asking if they will send you replacement gears. They are simple to put in.
David B