Have several of Lifelike (Proto 2000) GP7s & 9s that when installed decoders ran as “smooth as silk” but then developed a “clicking” “bump” in one or more wheels or a “grating” sound when run at medium speeds. Told by some a common problem for these engines because a batch of the plastic used for gearing (in ) was the wrong kind and gear(s) crack under even modest stress. Does this sound like the problem I have?
Talked with Walthers and they said necessary gear parts “backordered.”
Assuming the worst (I have been disappointed whenever Walthers says “backordered) – do I have alternative gear sources? Thanks.
It does sound like you hve some split axle gears. Use gears from Athearn (blue box and RTR series locos). They are a direct replacement for the P2K parts.
Another thing you may experience is poor quality bronze bearings that are found in some P2K locos, which can cause some nasty squeaking on the worm gear shafts. Athearn bearnings also work for this issue, although newer Athearn worm shafts seem to be a slightly smaller diameter than they used to be, and their bearings no longer fit readily on the P2K shafts. The identical looking square bearings from Athearn trucks do still work however.
I’ve had P2K locos with both of the above problems. Good luck.
Yep, it sounds like you have a cracked gear. I would bet that all of them are cracked. A lot of Hobby Shops carry the Walthers Tune UP Kits as well as the Athearn gears. You shouldn’t have much trouble finding either if you look around the internet. This was a common problem and 99% of my 60 odd GP7’s, 9’s, 30’s and FA’s had the problem. It’s a two minute fix, I just did another on Sunday on a CP GP30 I got off of Ebay. I’ve never had a bearing issue though.
Definitely cracked axle gears. Replace all the axle gears, not just the ones that are cracked. Those that haven’t cracked yet will crack. The locos don’t even have to be run for this to happen. I’ve had some that had busted gears right out of the box.
Yep, you have a cracked gear problem. A real pain, but easy to fix. You have to pry open the plastic plate on the bottom of each truck to reach the faulty gears.
Forget Walthers. Replace the cracked gears with Athearn gears.
I’d follow what everyone has said…
I have a slough of old P2K units as well, only one of them is exibiting the issue now. (but, as I write this I can just hear; tink, snap, chik, click, & pop)…
Especially after I mount a minted out painted shell…
Today (well this morning) I was running a Kato chassis that made an unusual sound… What was odd was I just mounted the motor back into the chassis, & if I rotated it from side to side it would make a scruffing sound… Turned out (even in my 64 degree, room temperature room) their rubbeized mounts would allow the tight tolerances of the chassis to motor fit, to allow the flywheels to ‘kiss’ the the captive frame! When I paper tested the clearence, I was not upset, but happy, they got the most weight in the frame, & the closest tolerances I had ever seen in a loco! Besides, it will never run at 80+ degrees sideways!!! The other angles (flywheel tunnels) were all releived for absorbton purposes. I was pretty impressed.
Why was I running it like that? Well I had it on it’s sides, to paint the wheels rust colored! The motor weight must have laid it over enough to just make a little noise, that alarmed me, that was, until I realized I was the issue.
I would say you & I may want to stock up on a few axle gear sets, hey, " ya don’t need them, until you need them!!! "
Athearn replacement gears for a sd 40-2 if you dont have a local hobby,buy extra bag or two …note ;gauge the wheels before you install the geared axels back in the truck as you can push the half axels too far in the gear and get a short ! …Jerry
Athearn part number is 60024 for the replacement gears. 6 for $4.98. I picked up a few bags and as part of installing a decoder and painting the handrails I swap the gears, rahter than place the loco in service and then later have to tear it down again when the gears crack. When, not If, with the production run of GP7’s I have.
And it really is only certain runs - I also have a couple of the Proto 2000 Alco switchers and they run like champs, never cracked a gear. ALso had an SD7 that got a lot of run time, it too never cracked a gear.
I had that with my P2K GP18. It took about 5 minutes to do both trucks, and that was with a guy showing me how to do it as I went along. I bought mine from the train store I go to.
Its a better thing to know how to do. My P2K is a grand unit, and will buy more models of such.
I’ve had/have 13 plus of the GP 7/9s, and got a supply of replacement gears as soon as Walthers offered them. Every one of the locos had 2-4 that were bad.
As you don’t have replacement gear sets, here is something that will work instead. Pull the axle apart (gentle twisting motion) and put in some Walther’s Goo and put it back together and leave it alone for 24 hours. Walthers Goo is nasty stuff, but it will hold. Obviously the parts are close fitting so you won’t need much at all.
The problem is not just limited to certain production runs, but depends on whether the model has trucks “cloned” from older Athearn designs (like the GP7/9/30). Some of the other mechanisms look much more like a typical Kato/Atlas unit, and those tend not to have the same gear problems.
OK, Athearn gears fit the Proto Geeps, but do NWSL 40" Nickel Silver wheels on stub axles made for Athearn locomotives also fit into the Proto Geep truck assemblies?
.
It seems to me that is you are replacing the gears, you might as well upgrade the wheels while you are in there.