Just a little question I have with Spectrum motors. I have had 2 of them that had a very noisy motor (both dash 8’s). They both made the same noise (buzz/squeal), and when I asked about it (called and spoke with bachmann cust. service) it was determined to be flywheel buzz. What I have now found it to be is the motor bearings/brushes rubbing. To remedy it all I have been doing is adding a drop (very small drop) of oil on the bearings and brushes. (This is because they changed the motor style on the new ones, so I can’t get a replacement motor that will fit it [:(!]) This is so far preventing the second one from burning out, (and made it a LOT quieter) but I caught on only after the first one had burnt the bearings/brushes to a crisp! My question is will this fix the problem for good, or just temporarily? Is this something that is common for bachmann, or did I just get a bad set?
My Spectrum GE70 Tonner was the same way…Upon investigation I found the unit was dry…So,I oil the bearings,bushings and gears and it quieted down.Mind you its not whisper quiet but,quiet.
I had a couple squeel.(one being a Spec Dash 8) I found my problem was loose drive shaft couplers on the motor and the gear box.(where the plastic is pressed onto the metal shafts) I just pulled them off, cleaned them and super glued them back on. Problem solved. I’ll usually wrap some black electrical tape around the motor anywhere it can contact the metal frame.
I’ve had two Bachmann loco’s make the same noise. The first was a 2-8-0. It was a spectrum. When it started making the squealing sound the engine slowed. Because it was new I returned it for another that did the same thing. So far I haven’t corrected it or sent it back.
The other was a standard diesel. I sent it back and Bachmann sent a replacement.
I have at least 15 Bachmann specturm and standard locomitives. Only the two have given me the squealing problem.
I have an older Spectrum F40PH that makes noise like that. From what I can tell, this engine had never been run, and the lubricant dried up. (I found it unused, but still boxed at a hobby shop some years ago.) I do the same thing you do–a little drop of oil on the bearing, and it’s fine. Annoying, but at least it’s easy and inexpensive.
It’s a bit odd really, since I have another F40PH (bought new, and in constant service since then) that is quiet. A little buzzy, though…but not like the other one.
I used to have a large fleet of Bachmann engines and they just all born to be noisy. You might want to try greese instead of oil so you don’t have to re-apply oil all the time and it quieten down significantly more than just oil. But I think that’s just the way they are. I sold them all now.
Are you talking HO? If it’s HO, the motors in their standard FTs, GPs, SD40, B23 and H16-44 will fit. If you don’t use the ones out of the B23 and H16, you will need to re-use the old flywheels by getting them off the old motors with a wheel puller.
Thanks Darth Sana Fe, I never even thoght to ask them about non-spectrum motors that may fit… It is HO, but all I asked them was if there was a spectrum motor that would fit it, as I said, never even thought of that. Thanks again for that tip. I would have just sent the whole thing in, but it has a customized shell (I am doing that with all my loco’s) and the new style shells are different as well, and I didn’t want to loose that shell. I’ll try to get the B23 or H16-44 motor that way there is a little less work to do. ( While I can work on paint and details to my satisfaction, the pulling and re-mounting of the flywheels is a little more than what I can do right now, well the remounting anyway…) And it sounds like I am not the only one to find this out, so thanks to all who helped with this thread. ( And the cheapest loco I have, an old Athearn BB I have had no problems with at all, but these two spectrums I paid about double for, yet they both have had this thing with the motors.[%-)] Go figure.) But thanks again to all the ones who helped. Ricky
I once bought three Bachman Spectrum diesels. They lasted about an hour running on my layout before they all siezed up. Started out running fine, then started squealing and running progressively slower, until I finally shut them down before they blew smoke.
Luckily Bachman took them all back. I’ve since bought a Bachman steamer, which lasted 4 hours before the gears broke. No more Bachmans for me.