#18045 - Smoke Issue

Check that the  smoke on/off switch on the locomotive is set to "on". Once the switch is set to "on" you can turn it on and off via the remote. 

Did you add some fresh smoke fluid to the engine?

Rick.....WHERE is the on/off switch located???  I looked at the schematic and it doesn't show one.  Also turned the engine upside down and didn't see one.  Am I missing something????  Please advise...

Yep...added fresh fluid!  Tried running under Cab-1 and TMCC in the Legacy system and still got no response.....

I have the same engine and it is a very poor smoking one to almost nothing. I've tried adding wicking to the chamber as it is a pumping style unit and it really made no difference.

A suggestion made to me was the triac for the smoke was not enough for it to produce heavy amounts and/or you can try changing the resistor to a lower value like a 22 ohm one but not sure if the triac on the board will support that higher resistance.

The LCRU board in this engine is longer made so you really don't want to ruin it unless you know someone who could fix it.

Thats an older locomotive,but I thought all Lionels have an on off smoke switch. Most modern locos have them under the cab, it might be obstructed by the trailing truck. Being an older loco it could be inside the cab as well, usually on the floor of the cab on either side of the firebox door.

Thanks Ted....

Guess I have a Commodore who gave up smoking!!!

Mine does smoke but only a whisper. And that is after I did a little mod to it. Still, it has theBEST whistle to date made by any manufacturer.

The Instruction book usually has a section on the smoke operation and views of the engines underside. You may find reference to the switch there.

Try it conventionally Assuming the switch is on and the fluid is in the smoke unit, it should smoke running conventionally. My experience with the puffing units from this period is that output is very anemic at start. After running for a minute it starts to improve. It will not give you smoke volume like an MTH. You should be able to smell the smoke from the engine before you see it in my experience.

If it works in conventional mode and not in tmcc or legacy mode, I would try a reset in TMCC. I have seen the smoke feature shut off and the reset restore the smoke unit function.

one other point. If the engine was not used for a long time like from when it was made, the wick will be dry . So a few extra drops of fluid might help saturate the wick . You could add the drops and then let it sit overnight.

hope this helps

I believe this engine has the same smoke unit that can be found in the B-6, the 1-700E, and several others.  Unlike the standard Post War style Pot with the horizontal element sunk into the wicking, this engine uses a vertical chamber with a vertical baffle and NO WICKING.

I learned how to fix this from Jim Barrett in a back-shop article many moons ago:

1.  Remove the screws that hold the top of the unit to the chamber. Lifting the top off, you'll see a die-cast baffle that the heater element is run parallel to.

The problem here is: for perfect smoke output, there needs to be enough fluid to keep everything wet, but not so much that the air-gap at the base of the baffle is under the fluid line.  Too little, no smoke.  Too much and air will either not come up the stack, or will blow pure liquid up and out.  So...

2.  Drill a 1/4" hole through the baffle alongside the center of the heater element.  Now, no matter how mush fluid you use, you will get constant pumping airflow across the element.

Hope this helps!  It sure did on my B-6!

Jon

This engine was made in 1996.  The bottom of the engine (front and rear) is like any other postwar engine.  There are no switches on the bottom or sides.  The program/run switch located in the rear cab (on top) is not the same type of program switch on the newer engines.  The program reset function I tried using the cab-1 function on the legacy cab-2 controller wouldn't even accept the reset feature.  I will try what you suggest in "conventional mode" and see if that produces any results.  If not, BoxCar Bill will do an upgrade to the AC Commander and Railsounds 4.  Probably will have to do something with the smoke unit also.....I don't want to take this thing apart.....I probably wouldn't ever get it back together again.   Thanks for the info.

Larry Williams

"Guess I have a Commodore who gave up smoking!!!"

LOL, He's here all week folks, try the veal!  Is it a seuth (spelling) unit?  Or you can try seuth fluid which is lighter than smoke fluid, from what I've been told.  Is your track voltage up, perhaps 18V plus just to see if you can get it jump started.  I take it worked fine before you took it out of hibernation?

I was going to suggest disassembly, but not if your nervous about it!

Hope you get the Commodore smoking again!

Stack

Hey Stack...

I'm getting NO heat from the unit whatsoever.  After running for about 6 minutes I checked the smoke stack and took a whiff......nothing brewing!  I just might take the screw driver to it......Thanks again..

Larry

Drill a 1/4" hole through the baffle alongside the center of the heater element.  Now, no matter how mush fluid you use, you will get constant pumping airflow across the element.

I've done this mod to a few of those vertically-mounted smoke resistos units with mixed results. In the CV-not much of a change. In the Mohawk and reading T1, a small increase in smoke output. Adding wicking will help soak the fluid.

Ted,

I'm NOT getting any heat whatsoever from the smoke unit.  I guess the element is shot.  I tried all modes, conventional, cab1, tmcc, and prayers.....unfortunately nothing works.  Thanks for the tip though....I will take the unit to a service center and have them repair.  I am not good with resistors and such.  Best regards,

Larry

It's probably more likely the triac that drives the smoke unit is cooked, they're a lot more fragile than the smoke unit resistor.  Of course, it could also be a wiring issue between the two...

Hi Lar,

Did you ever resolve your smoke problem? My Commodore also runs great (brand new) but no smoke. I found this website for the smoke unit (min. quantity is 3 @ $12 each) but don't want to do any damage by replacing it myself. Any info. on the procedure or estimated cost to take it in for repair is appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.smittystoytrainparts.com/10-wholesale.html

Ferromex

I think I'd figure out what's wrong before doing wholesale replacements.  It's unlikely that the mechanical smoke unit requires replacement, most likely is the R2LC triac, followed by wiring and then the smoke resistor.  None of these would require a replacement of the whole unit.

If your problem is the smoke triac (and it certainly sounds like it), here's a link to a thread that covers a similar problem. I had a blown smoke triac on a K-Line Berkshire with a puffer type unit and, with a lot of help from Gunrunner John and a couple of other guys, I got it fixed. The ultimate cause of the blown triac was a short in the smoke unit itself. The insulation separating the hot wire from the shell of the smoke unit was defective, causing the short. I fixed the short and replaced the triac, and now it smokes fine (or, at least, as well as that type of unit is ever going to smoke!). If the triac is fried, it may show signs of overheating such as a smoky color on the shiny part.

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/2415514336762777