P2k GP9 not running smooth

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

First off, I’m a newbie, been lurking for a few months and have learned so much from this list.
I am just at that point with my layout that I’ve got some track down and need to test a section which will be a tunnel soon( before the mountain goes up!)

I have a new P2K GP9 that doesn’t seem to be running smooth. It acts as if it is binding on the track, but the track is smooth and has been checked with a NMRA gauge for true.

The problem is only in forward direction, not reverse. Watching the loco, you can see some of the wheels ‘hop’ up. I proceeded to run the loco but ‘stall’ it by holding it in place, and you can see the wheel sets sort of ‘popping’ or binding as they rotate. My guess is it has to be the gear drive assembly. But what do I do now? I have pulled the cover of the bottom of one of the trucks and they seem to be lubed well. But I can only guess that maybe one of the gears are binding and then jumping a tooth.[?]

Is there any maintenance or gear la***hat can be checked? Is this a common problem with Proto’s?

Not sure if it matters, I’m running DCC with a Digitrax Zephyr, DH163LO decoder.

Any assistance or experience shared would be appreciated. Thanks.
Bob Mallory
New on the rails…

2

Contact Life Like in Baltimore, tell them your problem, and they will probably send you a free replacement mechanism. P2K products have a lifetime warranty and Life Like is very good at honoring this. They even paid postage when I had to have some raplacement trucks sent to me. Their phone number is on the documentation that came with the engine.

3

I have heard of problems with cracked/split gears on some Protos - not experienced this one myself but it would be a good place to start - you’ll need to take the wheelsets out and check them for any cracks between the teeth on the gears. I recall hearing somewhere that Lifelike will often replace cracked gears free of charge if you contact them. I have managed to repair split gears on older models for which spares are no longer available using CA glue, a pair of flatnose pliers, and considerable care, though I’d advise you try to obtain new parts rather than repairing the originals. Hope this is of help!

4

If it sounds like they have a flat wheel ,it’s a cracked gears. I have the same problem with 2 GP30 & a GP7. I called Lifelike about 4 weeks ago to order replacement part,& still waiting for them.

5

RMallory,

Yep! Had the same problem with a P2K GP9 that I purchased new! It’s strange, but even sitting in a “sealed box” certain types of plastic can dry out and crack. One or more plastic axles are cracked or "split.

Believe it or not, Athearn wheel/axle sets fit perfectly if your LHS doesn’t have the Proto wheel/axle sets in stock. I’ve replaced all of the axles on my Proto GP9 and it’s now a sweet running unit. On a friend’s layout I had it pull a 20 car freight train. Each car was loaded with weights. Performed flawlessly!

Even though Life Like is mailing you replacements, go ahead and buy some additional axle sets and keep them in your parts drawer.

Cheers!

6

Sorry to bear the bad news.You have that old crack gear problem ever so common with the P2K GP7/9/18/30.I know…I have 38 P2K locomotives 29 is a mix of GP7/9/30s…I had to replace gears in every one of these units…I use Athearn gears for replacement…However…LL will send you free replacement gears.

7

I’ve experienced this twice with Proto’s straight out of the box. It’s the cracked gears as mentioned above. Contact Proto for free replacement gears or replace with Athearn gears, they work fine.

8

Mine runs like a champ, bowever geared down like their GP-20/30’s

  1. Return to factory for fixing
  2. Buy an Atlas
  3. Don’t combine (run together).
9

Me too, they said they were out of stock when I called, and would ship me them when they came in.

10

Thanks for the feedback. I was able to confirm a cracked axle gear. Just hard to believe that such a small crack could have that great of an impact on performance.

I’ll contact LL, but in the meantime I’ll try and find the Athearn gears. And since this is my only loco in my meager stable, I may have to go and investigate into a new Atlas sooner than I planned[:D]

There seems to be two types of Athearn Axle Gears out there; Any suggestions?
Old style: ATH60023 or Newer style: ATH60024

Bob Mallory

11

Thanks for posting that about the Athearn gears being interchangeable. Most of my P2K roster has been in the dead line LUBO with those stupid cracked gears, and I’ll use the Athearn parts to fix them rather than getting more pieces of junk from Lifelike. [banghead] Then once they’re running again, I think they’re going on eBay.