I have several Proto 2000 engines that I purchaced from my local hobby shop a couple of years ago I just took one out of the box 2 weeks ago and it ran great then it stopped,my gauges indicated a direct short I took the shell off and checked the wires moved things around and put it back on the track it ran fine again for a short time then the same thing happened again. I was going to send it back to the factory but I haven’t sent any of the warranty cards in. Can I just send them in now beings that I just openend them has anyone had any dealings with Life-Like on repairs. Thanks for your comments
I have had excellent service from LifeLike. I don’t think it’s going to matter that you haven’t sent in the warranty cards, because they have always honored their “Life Time” warranty.
I haven’t sent anything to them to be repaired, but they have always sent me the parts I needed and they even paid the postage!
I read here a couple of weeks ago that someone was told it may take a few weeks to get an item repaired if you send it in.
Before you send it in, try running the locomotive without the shell on it and see what happens. If it runs with no problem, then the shell is pushing down on the circuit board and shorting something against the frame – this is something you might be able to solve yourself with a piece of electrical tape.
I agree, although it could even be heat-related. It runs at first, and then shorts, so that suggests a change with time. If the cover was causing the short, it would cause the short at the outset…right? Either way, I support cacole’s suggestion of removing the cover and seeing what gives.
That said, is there the posibility that you have feeders crossed some place…i.e., is the track wired correctly?
Call them first, they are in transition with the Walthers’ purchase.
I have had excellent service from Hobbycraft (the Canadian distributor), but again I do not know what the Walther’s buy-out is going to do. I have had an email exchange with someone in the US service department that was abruptly “cut off” at about the time of the take-over. No nasty message or anything - just haven’t heard from them.
Andrew