Back in Dec I posted that I cleaned and oiled My BLI Hudson and then the engine was slipping. Well I haven’t done anything about it and I just broke it out again and searched my last post. It turns out after re examining it that I got oil on the back 2 wheel axles and the axle is just spinning without moving the wheels. What should I do? Can I remove those wheels? Can I somehow un oil the axle? Any suggestions?
The oil shouldn’t make the axle slip inside the wheel, unless you used something not compatible with the materials (driver centers I believe are plastic). There’s no easy fix for this other then to get replacement wheelsets from BLI and going forward make sure you use a plastic compatible oil like Labelle.
–Randy
I did use Labelle oil and It doesn’t look like anything is cracked. Anyone have this same problem. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to order new wheels. Not sure how easy they would be to change.
It doesn’t make sense that too much oil could cause an axle to spin but not move the wheel unless the whole thing is sitting in a bath of oil. I’d suggest disassembly and cleaning all the parts with some lint free rags and see if that makes any difference. I suspect something is broken, though, and you’re going to have to track down the mechanical problem.
Do the BLI Hudsons come with traction tires? If they do, maybe the oil is causing the tires to slip in the grooves.
Tom
Just double checked it again to make sure that it was the axle spinning. It is definately spinning inside the drive wheels. There is no traction tires. The engine will move sometimes without weight but then binds because one side slips more than the other. I think I will send this in because the driver arms are connected and I dont know how to disconnect them without doing damage unless there is some plastic compatible oil remover.
Jcgisel, the nut that holds the wheels are spining but the drive wheels are not moving? Or is the engine runnig and the Wheels are not moving? Does it or did it make a clicking sound?
Flip the engine up side down and hook power + to the front tender wheels and - to the rear (it does not matter which is + or - on the tender)) and see if the engine wheels move. Then use something on the drive wheels to apply pressuer and reports what happens.
Reason I ask I have had two problems with BLI’s.
First Class J worm gear started spining on the motor shaft, it was replaced by LHS.
Second is my M1a, drags great but like to crack the tower gear in the engine. Starts to make a clicking sound. Bob at BLI sends me the gear for free and I install my self.
I has well have a BLI Hudson and it came with traction wheels for the rear in the box.
Post what you find and maybe we can help. Quick call to Bob at BLI may help as well. Bob has the worest job I can think of as well. 95% on the time he has to talk to PO people. Bob has helped me alot. Saved me from sending in the M1A and the PCM Y6b.
Cuda Ken
I had a Bach 0-6-0 do the same thing when I oiled it. (don’t know how similar the mechanism is?) I had to pull the drivers out. Take them all apart. Clean all the oil out and re-quarter them. I put a drop of CA on the axles when I pressed the drivers back on so it wouldn’t happen again.
Good luck! It’s not a very EZ fix if you want to avoid buying new drivers.
are the BLI drivers all gear driven? That will mean pulling the driver and quartering them or new driver replacement. That should not happen, you should be able to oil those areas and not slip. Bad design here.
It sounds to me like there’s far more wrong with the mechanism than oil alone could cause. If it were mine, I’d send it back to BLI for repair.
I’m sending it along with 45 bucks. OUCH! Bob said it doesn’t sound right that it would spin just from oiling it. Definately not happy about this one being that I followed their oiling directions.
Just to answer some of the questions it has one set of driver wheels that are gear driven. That is the set that axle is spinning inside. I can get it to move when I push it but the other wheels start to bind because of the uneven rotation of the moving parts because of axle slippage. Did that make sense? If I took it apart and cleaned it what could I use to remove the oil that would not ruin the plastic. Sounds like CA might work but I definately do not want to do damage. How difficult do You think it would be to remove the drivers and disconect the throw arms if thats what they are called?
ALL of Labelle’s oils are NOT compatible with plastic.
You’ll need to take it apart, clean the oil off, quarter it, and superglue the parts and gauge it.
or else get a new driver.
Because it will turn freely a wheel will be out of quarter and bind up.
how do you quater it? Not sure what that means.
You will have to get what is known as a “quartering jig” from North West Short Line, makers of very useful detail parts for locos, replacement gearing and motors, and tools for gauging wheels and quartering steamer drivers. When a steamer driving axle gets out of quarter, it binds with the side-rods and can cause big problems, not the least of which is jerky motion, bucking along the tracks, and/or worn or bent rods. All the rod pins on all drivers must be precisely in line radially from driver to driver.
However, I really do think you would be well advised to let the BLI techs take a look at it. We are all guessing here, and one of them will get to know exactly what is going on. More to the point, if you want this loco at all, you will most certainly have it back in 8 weeks or so working!
Oiling it did not cause this I don’t think. You had a problem waiting to happen at best.
You need to re-quarter the drive axle to match the other two axles, or you need to quarter all three axles. Or just replace the drive axle, IF that is the only one that has slipped. If you tried to run it and the linkage bound up another one may have slipped too. 90 degrees quarter is ideal, but having the same number of degrees difference on both sides is what matters on a model, as the cylinders do not really turn the wheels and you cannot see but one side at a time. Getting quartering RIGHT is critical, and not something you are going to accomplish by twisting, pulling, and looking without a whole lot of trial and error. In the meantime you will likely looosen the wheel fit even more. Whether you send it back or not, I think this is a job for a rather skilled individual, or someone with a healthy parts bin. Even if you had an NWSL puller and Quarterer you might still have a problem, if the axles don’t fit the device, as with the Athearn Genesis steam locomotives. And the first step would be to see if the other axles fit the quarter of the jig, too, as it’s dependent on specific dimensions of axles and pins.
Good luck.