Either the tip of the axle is bent or the driver center whole or axle end is egged shaped. What are you using to set the gage? A narrower wheel gage would help your problem.
I am sending you a PM.
I have several old style front drivers. I will send you one and you can see it that cures your problem.
PM on its way.
Thanks but I’m trying to sell this thing. However, one other problem is that this thing slows down NOTICEABLY on ANY curve, from 9 3/4" radius curves to 11" curves. Not sure what that’s all about. When I first got it it ran around my inner loop of my layout just fine, which had 9 3/4" radius curves. Now it will run, but at like speed step 14 around curves. Any slower and it stalls around curves.
This is my second Kato, and I’m done screwing around with these things. I have not had any luck with Kato steam engines. This will be my last.
I’m sticking with Model Power from now on.
I can’t even sell this thing on eBay! I’ve tried twice, at $120 and then at $110, and I can’t sell this thing. Ugh. I’ve been tinkering with it to try to stop it from slowing around curves, and no luck. The wheels are all perfectly in gauge, the track is clean, I’ve checked the resistance between track sections to ensure electrical conductivity, and have cleaned the wheels. It’s still jerky, even on straight sections, and I cannot for the life of me explain why.
You’re not getting the drivers out of round by twisting them on the axles, you’re getting them out of quarter, which can cause extreme binding. It used to be on N scale steam locos that the rods were mostly for show, and the drivers were all gear coupled together. Even so, if driver that is connected to the rods has its gear just a tooth or two off from the other driver that has a crank pin to the rods, it WILL bind. You have to be very careful in taking apart locos like this to get all the gears back in the right position. And twisting a wheel on the axle will do the same thing. This is true of ANY steam loco - technically if the wheels could twist on the axles of a full size stema loco it would cause the same problem. Older cheap N scale locos had more of an oval hole for the crank pin, so as to handle plenty of slop in the drive train, and the quartering wan’t critical at all. Finer built models won;t have those sloppy holes to cover for other misadjustment. Out of quarter drivers, or misaligned driver sets, will cause random binds both on straights and curves.
If all the drivers on one side aren;t in the same position, at least the ones that are physcially connected to the rods, they will try to expand and compress the rods as the distance between the connections varies - causing binding and stalling. Run the loco slowly while closely observing the rods and you should see the trouble. Or remove the motor and worm and turn the drivers with your finger tips, you will feel the binding.
–Randy
What Randy is saying is true. I never gave a thought about the driver being out of quarter. The way the Kato Mikado is built is that the front set of drivers is driven by side rods from the third driver. There is no gear on the front driver. So if you twisted the front driver to make it gauge you have got it out of quarter from one side to the other. There is not very much play or slop in the way the rods are connected to the drivers pins.
That’s the funny thing. I’m looking at this thing, and the drivers all seem to be in quarter. When the left side counterweights is at top dead center, the right side is 90 degrees off from that (on the side). This thing used to make a whir-whir-whir-whir sound, but I adjusted the driver slightly to where it does not do that any more.
Ugh - I don’t want to spend $20 to get another set of driver wheels for this thing. I want to get rid of it.
Spend another $20 and do it right.
Then, you may decide to keep or still sell it on eBay.
If you put it up for auction again on eBay, start the bidding at a lower price, the minimum you would accept, and go from there. Be aware that this is a poor time of the year to be selling locos on eBay. You will get more interest and better bidding if you relist in the late fall around or after Thanksgiving.
Rich
At this point I’m not entirely convinced it’s the drivers. Within the realm of the freeplay of the drivers, I moved the left side all the way to the front (moved them forward), and made sure the right side was 90 degrees off from that. Not sure what else is going on. I checked the resistance of the driver wheels to each of the other drivers on the same side, and even to the tender wheels, and they all came out fine.
I hope you realize,that having the counter weights,adjusted to the way you say,has nothing to do with the drivers being in quarter…Take the drivers and roll them on a flat surface,if they wobble,one wheel,or the other,then that means,it’s out of quarter…
Cheers,
Frank
I just did that, and the wheel rolled smoothly.
I’m beginning to think it’s a pickup issue. I flipped over the loco, applied power to it, and put it on speed step 6. It started smoothly, quietly, and without issue. No whir-whir-whir or anything like that. Smooth like a Kato should be. I checked the wobbliness of the wheels, and none that would make it bind or slow down.
I flip it over, put it on the track, which I just cleaned, and it’s uneven in how the motor whirs, ie. a little jerky. I checked continuity using a multimeter of each of the driver wheels on the same side to other driver wheels on the same side (i.e. left first driver to left fourth driver), and no matter how I touched the probes ot the wheels, there was no continuity like there should be. Tried other drivers too, and once again, no continuity.
Just for giggles, I took out the first wheel and the side rod, i.e the rod that connects the first wheel with the third. It glides around the oval much better than it did before, but still not to my satisfaction. It still slows down and is a bit jerky, and the light flickers ever so slightly, and I mean ever so slightly. So since I just cleaned the track, to me this is a pickup issue.
I bit the bullet and bought the set of driver wheels from Kato. Hopefully it comes with the foward crank pins because I dropped one on my carpet.
WHat about if you hold it upright but not sitting on the track? DOes it run as smoothly as it does holdign it upside down? That sort of thing can be an issue with the gear alignment, if it gets cranky when upright but no weight on it. If it onl does it when sitting on the track, then it could be somethign shifting when under load causing a bind - perhaps a bushing is missing on one of the axles, or the motor is loose.
–Randy
Nope, the drivers don’t come with the crank pins. Better get on line and get a spare or two.
These things are small, if you ever drop one it will be real hard to find.
I do repair work and keep spare pins just in case. I have replaced the old style drivers with the revised sets and have not lost one yet, but you never know.
If I take the engine off the track, upright, it runs fine. Runs smoothly and quietly.
Wait, I spent $20 on a new set of driver wheels and only got the wheels, not the connecting rods, crank pins, or anything else? How the heck does one put this in quarter if the OLD set was out of quarter?!
If I get this new driver wheel set and replace it, and it’s not GLASS SMOOTH around my layout, I’m returning it and swearing off Kato steam engines forever. They’re already on my ****list.
Did you not look at the parts you ordered. The Kato site shows what you get.
I don’t want to seem negative here, but you are swearing off on a locomotive that is one of the best running units I have ever ran into.
I have 4 and they run like a smooth Swiss watch.
I have worked on over 60 of these guys doing DCC conversions and have not run into too many problems with them over the years.
You want to box it up and send it to me? If I can’t make it run well, I will send it back and it will not cost you but the shipping.
I will PM my contact information if you are interested…
.
wow, woodone, u da man.
What about it, gatrhumpy?
What say you?
Rich
Gatrhumpy,
One thing I forgot to mention,must be a old age thing,a light went on in my head,when you mentioned,that,it runs good in your hands…Get a piece of glass pane,or mirror and place the engine on it and check to see if all the drivers are touching the glass,lift the front slightly and rear and check for vertical movement of the drivers…It’s a possibility,that you have a axle bearing issue,out of round,or worn,causing a bind,when sitting on the rails with weight on them…
Cheers,
Frank