ok, so i have the 2 athearns, one is the NEW DASH9-44CW, and one is the older RTR AC4400CW (653) and (8546) The BNSF (653) starts off REALLY smooth, like not even at 1 on the digitrax zephyr throttle, and the CP (8546) will just start to buzz, AND move forward, in a sidder jerking action. and it will not crawl super slow, and CV 2 IS ADJUSTED. How do i get both engines to start off at the same speed, and yet not one of them have a sudden take off.
Which decoder? That is the first place to look. What do you have CV2 set at?
There is quite a bit that can be done to smooth Athearn RTRs for better slow speed control. You will need to look at working on the gears, replacing the wheels, impproving electrical pickup and conditioning motor brushes/armature. There are many techniques out there and I have some that work for me. A quick search will yield results.
David B
ummm CV 2 is set at 55 instead of 0. at 0 it will have the best starrt that ive seen an athearn do anytime on this planet, but the new BNSF will start off same smoothness, but earlier,and im using DH123D in both. how do i get the same smoothness, just later.
So, at Cv2=55 it crawls on speed step 1? Or is it jerky at speed step 1?
I have had Athearns with values over 100 for CV2…
David B
it will crawl, but it will start buzzing loudly at JUST after 1, and then all of a sudden go to a fast crawl, im used to extremley quiet buzz, that gradually gets louder, and the engine SLOWly comes to an extremley slow crawling speed
BNSF= buz,buzz,buzzz,buzzzz,buzzzzz. move. movee. moveeee.moveeee. C.P. = buzzzzz movee. moveee. moveeee.
Sounds like you need to work on the drive of these units. Follow these steps to a much better running Athearn.
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Remove shell and decoder.
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Remove trucks and dissasemble. Clean the gears with soap and water in a sealable container.
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Solder a wire to each side of the now disassembled trucks. I find the brass rivet holding the stamped steel bits to the plastic frames is a great place to solder on a wire.
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Re-assemble the trucks and put an abrasive tooth paste (pearl drops) in the gears. You dont need much at all…too much and you gum up the works.
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Replace trucks/universals and use a DC power pack to power the motor. Do NOT use your decoder. You might destroy your decoder because of the extra amperage (may be well over 1.5 amps). Let the unit run for 30 minutes to an hour in each direction at mid to full speed. This can be done on a circle of track or a rollerstand. If you are patient, let it run longer. The longer the better.
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Again, remove the trucks and disassemble. Clean as before (to remove all the tooth paste) and re-assemble. Use a good lube for the gears. You will notice that they now roll freely compared to before. The paste actually polishes the gears and allows them to mesh better. Now is a great time to replace the stock wheels with Nickle silver ones and gauge them with your NMRA gauge.
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Remove the motor and turn upside down. Remove the bottom clip SLOWLY. You need to remove the spring holding the brush in place and cut it in half. Replace the brush and the spring (make sure the brush is orientated properly. Replace clip. Repeat with top clip.
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Apply a small amount of mineral spirits on the commutator. allow to sit for 10 minutes or so and then with a white rag, remove the mineral spirits. Keep wiping until th
ok, all i have is a crest toothpaste, and no grease, but i AM going to the hobby shop tommorrow, so ill get some train grease.
Be careful what grease you purchase. It must be plastic compatible.
well, i do the RC hobby as well, and have a Savage Flux, and maybe the HPI grease in a white tube might work, but im not going to try, il go to the shop, and ask for plastic grease, then go to rexall pharma plus, and get some wierd tootpaste. and ill also purchase my SD60I and the decoder, oh happy day.
Remember with any type of lube…less is more. If you use too much, you will clog your gears and it will ooze out and get all over your track.
David B
yeah, that i dont want lol. thanks guys for all the help. wow, what a great community. YAY!