Yep, I can break a anvil with a feather! [:D] Another broken down PCM, this time it is my Y-6b. First let me say this has been the best engine I have had to date, and it has seen well over 300 hours of heavy work so I cannot blame PCM on poor quality control on this one.
When I first saw a problem coming was when I cleaned the wheels, I had it up side down and the front engine (it is a 2-8-8-2) wheels had no power pick up. It still ran great with the remaining 16 power pick up wheels counting the tender so what the heck.
Then one night while running the layout with the lights off I saw a spark from the grab iron on the front truck and the walk way on the side of the engine, that not right! Called BLI / PCM and told them about the problem. I will add the paint is missing on the grab iron.
I was told if there is a grade or dips on the bench over a period of time the walk way ware off the paint and cause a short? I was all so told the fix was to use engine black on the garb iron? That did not sound right at all, but I did the fix. Well it did not work and has gotten worst.
Part that really confuse me is why is the body of the engine is one polarity and the front truck a different polarity? I do not think the front truck picks up power.
I am guessing the insides is much like my PCM Big Boy I fixed so I am not worried about taking it apart. Just a idea what to look for.
I do not have a good picture of a Y-6b, maybe Crandall or Tom could post one. I will later but not tonight.
I do have a RA number from PCM, but don’t want to wait 4 months like I have had to on other ones.
Here is an image of the front engine, Ken. I don’t know if that is what you need, but let me know.
I wonder if your tether is worn. If it has a bared patch due to rubbing during all the running, especially over dips and around curves, a bared wire making contact with any part of the tender or the engine will likely cause a short.
I have a bachmann 2-10-2 that had pickup issues, I believe these models are using pickup shoes at least for one side to get all wheel pickup. You might have a bad solder joint or broken wire, never know, I had taken apart my 2-10-2 to try to find the issue but eventually after assembling the engine refused to run, the vendor replaced the engine totaly free, the replacement is perfect. There may be construction flaws in some locomotives which could include your engine. I have the PCM Y6b, running great, but now you point me to check on its pickups as well, but so far it runs fine, I added sound (duh wrong sounds, but I am fixing that) I bought it no sound or dcc. These models are built with very tight constraints, the 2-10-2 was very tricky to take apart. I have a bachmann 2-6-6-2 I will be modding around with and it was a dilly to take apart. If you have other engines to have fun with, go for the RMA return fix and let PCM dally with it, most likely you will get the engine back fixed correctly. If you try to do it, you risk doing more damage, even tho like me building Bowser Big Boys and the like, you’re better to just RMA it. You need a good exploded view and parts list and I find that missing in the PCM engine of mine, as I installed the DCC and sound, that was fun, looking at the DCC connector, I found I could plug it in either way EXCEPT one direction is actually reverse of its design and features didnt work right, so its better that the plug be installed CORRECTLY. I mase sure of that. I realized I had it reversed and the headlights did not function correctly, so its better to be right. Let PCM work it.
Ken, I don’t think the front “truck” is the problem. The front “engine” (drivers) pick up from one rail and the rear “engine” (drivers) pick up from the other rail. Now this makes the front engine assembley which include the hand rails one polarity and the boiler the other polarity. The rear engine is attached to the boiler but the front engine has a hinge to allow it to swivel, just as the front pilot truck swivels. This hinge point may have just enough wear in it to allow the boiler and hand rails to make contact in a curve. It may be possible to carefully bent the hand rail slightly to prevent this contact. Also maybe a coat of liquid electrical tape on the hand rail could be the fix. Just my thoughts here. Ken
Crandall, your garp rail has the same ware as mine! Is yours a PCM as well? Guessing you are not having a problem.
Eriediamond, is your name Ken as well? Do you have a PCM Y6-b as well?
Little more detail on the hinge point you are talking about? I have not pulled apart the engine yet, but I am sure there is a screw that goes through the front engine mounting point. Do you think the hole may be out of round?
I have never heard of liquid electrical tape, where would I find it?
Now a real stupid question, if I cut the wires for the front engine power pick up, do you think that would fix the problem? Not in a hurry to do that, but if would, it may give me a few more ideas.
Thanks for the offer GTX to post a picture, I just have not felt like taking the time yet.
Ken, it is a PCM model, same as yours. I have had no problems yet, but I only have perhaps two hours total running time on it. I don’t run my trains much, perhaps an hour a week, and I rotate them so that no one of them gets old too quickly.
I would not encourage you to cut any wires that will affect the normal and intended operation and design. If the engine gets power under one engine, but only from one rail, you won’t have any engine pickup on one rail!
Have you run it in the dark to see where it sparks, exactly?
Ken, yes my name is Ken also. DO NOT CUT ANY WIRES. that is not a fix. My guess is that after 300 hrs the hinge for the front engine may be worn. With the loco on the track, hold the loco with one hand and try to move the front engine fore and aft. One other thing you may look for. Does your loco have traction tires? If so, those may need replaced or cleaned. I have seen this, where the front engine has more traction then the rear engine and the front engine tries to rear up like a tractor at a tractor pull. You can find liquid electrical tape at your hardware store. At any rate, the hand rail should not be hitting the boiler. Ken
Crandell, the spark happens right where you showed on your engine. Spark is from the walk way to the grab rails.
Ken, I will check for slop on the front engine. It is a PCM Y6-b, not the Blue Line, no traction tires needed. Grab rails do not touch the bolier, but just like Crandells seems the running board does. On the theory that front engine picks up power on one side and rear from the other is correct, then why can I use a powered wheel cleaning brush on the rear engine only and get it to run? I will double check to see if I am remembering correctly. I have only need to clean the wheels 4 times at the most.
On the cutting of the wires part, if you re read my statment it was more to give me a idea where to look, not to cut. If I where to do anything I would unplug the wires from the board.
On the link to the liquied electical tape, thank you! Sorry I do not remember your site name.
I don’t know if this is any help at all, but the headlight for the Y is on the front pilot. Perhaps the wire feeding the LED has its insulation compromised and the moving front engine makes that bared wire come in contact with the frame or even the pilot. I can’t imagine that your track is so bumpy the front engine wobbles enough to cause the pilot or rails to make contact with the engine.
