Need some advice from the experts on an old 1666 loco I’m trying to bring back to life. This is an old family piece that hasn’t been run since my Dad was a kid some 50 years ago. I’ve removed the motor from the cab, cleaned, lubed and finally got the gears and wheels rolling smoothly. When I apply power, I get buzzing from the E-unit, but nothing from the motor. I’ve removed and cleaned the brushes and they seem to be in good shape. I’ve tried applying power directly to the motor (to one of the brushes and grounded to the frame) but don’t get any activity. Should I be applying the power to different points on the motor? Since I don’t have a local repair shop to use (I’m in MS), should I just pick up another motor on Ebay and save myself further agony? Thanks in advance for the help.
First, are you holding the loco right side up? The E-unit works partially by gravity. Then check to see if the little plastic drum in the bottom of the E-unit(the likely culprit) is sequencing each time the power is interrupted.
Let know where you are at after this… the 1666 is not a real easy 1st project or easy to run with the shell off without remove most of the side rods.
Rob
Been awhile since I’ve had my 1666’s apart, but the E-unit may well be the culprit. Seems I had a problem with the lever being loose on one, think it got stuck in neutral/stop. Fingers that ride the drum might have lost their “spring” and won’t make good contact with the drum. Drum might be cruddy as well. Plunger/pawl might also be sticking and/or corroded - a shot of plastic-safe electrical connection cleaner should help - be certain it’s plastic safe. Check the solder connections as well, they might look tight, but a slight tweak may find one not as solid as they should be.
Olsen’s has .pdf’s from the Lionel service book:
You may not be happy with a used motor. A rebuilt will be less of a hassle an you won’t have worn parts.
The eunit should cycle with each application of power. If not, try to rotate the drum/barrel to see if you get life from the motor. Be gentle with the contacts. They should touch the drum. With the engine running, you may consider replacing the eunit, or you can dub with it and clean the drum with an eraser.I am sure that if you search e unit you will find a wealth of information.
Thanks for the quick replies. I’ll tackle the E-unit tonight and report back on any progress.
To run the motor only, you need to wire the brushes in series with the field winding. I would disconnect a suspect e-unit from the motor before doing this. The circuit is
One transformer terminal to one brush. Other brush to one end of field winding. Other end of field winding to other transformer terminal.
Thanks again for all the quick feedback. The E-unit seems to be the culprit. While the E-unit has good action, the bottom portion with all of the electrical contacts and tumbler was pretty corroded and falling apart. Bob, thanks for the info on testing the motor. The motor worked like a charm when I wired it directly as you instructed - what a great sound after 50+ years of silence! I’ll round up a replacement E-unit and look forward to bringing this loco back to life.
I did my Dad’s 1666 and it was the e-unit. A quick order placed with Olsens and I removed and soldered the new one in and it runs like new.