Hi All,
I just bought a real nice postwar 681 turbine. It runs beautifully except for a “clanking” noise as it travels forwards or backwards. At first I thought it might be the drivers, as it was in sync with the moving of the wheels. With a little further investigation, and running her with the shell off, I noticed the smoke mechanism was the culprit. As the smoke mechanism/unit pushes and pulls that “piston” up and down, it clanks.
Is this normal? Is there a cure?
Thanks,
Sean
It’s normal and nothing to be concerned about. The noise is being made by the piston hitting the bottom of the smoke unit. You can adjust it to not travel as high, but the lower the piston is made to travel, the less smoke output you will get because not as much air is being pushed up and out the stack.
The Chief has a 681 and his makes the same noise if not mistaken, but it smokes well.
Jim
You should try a piston smoke unit spring. Lionel mentions it being able to be installed in all smoke units for better and quieter operation. I forget the part number but any parts dealer will have one. I use springs in all my poster steamers.
Mike S.
Clank Clank. normal. Infact, to make sure it does a full stoke, you can bend the metal “tongue” like part that pushes the “piston” into the smoke unit. You want to make it go as high as possible and slightly compress the spring adn drop as far down as possible without coming out of the smoke unit.
Have the 681 and 2020 they both make the same noise. It’s kind of a signiture with the turbines.
The 726-736 berkshires do it to I have 3 2 from 1952(726RR) one 736 from 1964 same clank. On a side note the 1946 Berkshires and Turbines (671,2020, and 726)had bulb smoke units, they didn’t clank.
The 1950 Hudson made this noise too
Scott