This is a great topic for me, as my favorite Lionel engine is my 675, the advice here most likely would be good for any Lionel steamer. [tup]
Yes, the info here will apply to any Lionel sidewinder except scout motors.
Roger
Now what did I do? Cleaned the armature face, brush holder, but I put a little Dielectric Connector Protector on the commutator face, and in the brush tubes. When I connected the power leads, all I got was a buzzing sound. The front light bulb went on. I also greased the armature shafts with Labelle 106. Something amiss. Ed
Di-electric(insulating) grease is not what you want to use if you are trying to improve the connection(s).
An electrical conductive grease like No-Ox-Id is what you want to prevent oxidation and connection break-down, but with brushes, you don’t want any grease or lube at all.
Thanks Rob for that info. You’re right. I cleaned off the dielectric, and train runs beautifully again. I want to thank everyone with their input on my original train problem. I learned a lot. Ed
As many others of us did as well, Thanks for this topic![tup]
I use 5W-20/30 motor oil to lube everything. I even lube the commutator which lowers the brush friction which is the major contributor to the friction of the loco. I have a couple of loops of track on the floor right now. I have a 2023 Alco diesel pulling a 17 car train. 5 of the cars are post war, 12 of the cars are MPC era and have the high angle wheels. The engine pulls this train with 10 volts from the transformer. I disassembled this loco and lubed it all with motor oil.
I have another loop with a 2065 steamer pulling 9 cars which are mostly MPC era cars. It runs well with 10 volts on the track.
I have been using motor oil to lube my trains for 60 years and never had it dry out or get gummy. It is also very cheap.
BTW, if you lube the commutator, make sure the slots are clean or the dirt in them may get released by the oil and foul the brushes.
BTW, I don’t disassemble my steamers to lube them unless they have a worm drive. I disassemble the diesels to lube the gears inside the gearboxes.
I know this thread is old but it got my 675 running like a champ. Good info
there is an old oft repeated illustration Lionel made and printed in the manuals which came with the train sets. It shows a side view of a steamer indicating o’s and l’s as points to attend to. I believe most are l’s. Do i understand that it is ok to use motor oil where the diagram indicates “l”?
Unless you are using a modern synthetic grease like Lucas Red “N” Tacky #2, then almost anything is better than “Lionel Lubricant” as it was sold. Motor oil is fine, Mobil 1 or Amsoil(or other synthetic) being a first choice, and then “Dino” oil as a better-than-adequate lube for Lionel engines.