2343 e unit

The locomotive will get stuck in forward for a while, then neutral, then reverse. It doesn’t cycle every time, even with a full on and off throttle. I had some tell me that this e unit is not the original and that it was from the MPC era. It looks clean but I would rather just find an NOS version of what was in it originally. Hear are some pics of the e unit.

MPC or PW....E-units are pretty much the same....try spraying it with tuner cleaner...make sure the drum is free to turn...also check all solder joints are tight....hope this helps...

The other end of the e-unit is the business end.  Since you have it out, hold it upright and see if it cycles correctly.  The plunger should move freely up and down when you hit the direction button,  It should grab the drum each time you hit the button and change the engine from forward/netural/reverse/netural.  If things are sticking, as Joe said try tuner cleaner or some like product.  You may have to hold the e-unit against the frame for it to work.  Been too long I don't f recall if it needs the ground of the frame .  It will not work if you hold it upside down.

As always, lub the engine before putting too many miles on it.

Also keep in mind SOME tuner and electronic cleaners are FLAMMABLE....make sure the part is dry before operating...I found out the hard way....

Thanks for all of your help. This is a really great forum. Well, I checked all of the things you guys were suggesting but I just wasn’t seeing any good reason for the sporadic performance and then I had an aha moment as I went to screw the unit back to the chassis. I notice the way it was mounted.. Once the screw was tightened I realize that the side of the unit was almost completely flush against the chassis. The end of the horizontal pin that the pawl rests on was making contact with the chassis so that it was causing just enough friction to keep it from sliding up and down consistently and working as it should. I put a tiny washer between the e unit and the chassis to give it a little space and it worked like a charm. Thanks again for the replies.

Johnny Lite, I con't have an answer for you but I would like to welcome you to the forum, its a great place to come and just browse or ask questions.  There is a tremendous wealth of knowledge on here as you are finding out.  

glad it worked out.....ditto, welcome to the forum.....