Blinking Marker Lights

Does turning the smoke off help?           trythis one.. Menu/ Advanced/ Reset engine/ feature reset...

I strongly suggest you simply consider upgrading the headlight to an LED, that will totally cure your issue of wimpy headlights.

I've never seen the marker lights be an issue if there's not a problem with the unit.

Your engine is from 2002, should be a 5 volt board.  This was a common problem for the 5 volt boards.  There is a four step procedure to fix this problem, involving a board mod, some wire swaps and some mux board mods or new mux boards.  Still not guaranteed to fix the problem because the 5 volt board is pretty old, but a pretty good chance.  Even if you upgrade to proto 3, you probably would still have to fix/change the mux boards also.

Tom,  First.  Does this problem exist with smoke off?  If so, could be something else.  I have seen the wire on older engines get brittle and solder joints under heat shrink crack.  Those symptoms look different than the mux issue.  In neutral is everything ok?  If you do upgrade you do want to use the PS-32 with 5V connectors.   G

I have done some additional testing on the ACL Northern ...

1.  When the smoke unit is turned off, the marker lights are switched off too.
2.  When in neutral, the marker lights remain off
3. At a track voltage above about 16V, the marker lights blink in the forward and reverse direction and remain off in neutral
4. At a track voltage below 16V, the marker lights initially blink in the forward direction but then stop blinking and remain on in both the forward and reverse direction

I have another steam engine of the same time period that exhibits the same behavior.  The ACL Northern has 36 miles on it, so very light duty.  I did notice that when cutting the power the shut down sounds end prematurely, so I will need to change the battery soon (could this be a factor?).

I do recall talking to an MTH technician about 2 years ago when I noticed the blinking light in the other steamer and he told me something to the effect that "newer" P2 boards had fixed this problem and I could send it in for repair.  

I wouldn't mind trying my hand at installing a P2/3 board.  Can someone out there sell one to me on a retail basis?  I've contacted MTH parts a month ago and haven't heard back.

Thanks,

Tom

Yes, but something else is going on.  Is this a new engine never used or was some one in it.  Something is not right. G

G,

I was a very early MTH dealer in Southern CA.  I sold the train store and inventory in 2001 , but kept what I liked for myself ... the ACL Northern was one of the pieces that I kept.  And, it is completely original.

Tom

We know you dumped the old white battery.  That is a good looking engine.  If I owned it, I would do a PS32 board like George suggested.  Some of those needed a blue wire swapped and somewhere I have that paperwork.  It is a 5V board.  That board is a time bomb.

Marty, are you talking about the PS2 steam light flickering modifications in the ASC manual?

Tom,  I have seen some engines of that time frame have a broken wire in tether and it caused the 5V circuit to get an alternative path back to ground. (Maybe via the tach.  I have also seen the fan motor cause havoc on the 5V load when they go bad.

The flickering light mod for PS-2 5V engines would only occur with smoke on and otherwise markers and headlight function normal  They would flicker not blink.

The high voltage issue may be on some PS-2 3V engines where the wire routing of the motor leads to the mux were too long and cause noise issues.  Not applicable to your engine.

I do think a competent tech needs to look at it.  IF that 5V board is still working who knows it may last a life time.  And the PS-32 won't resolve this if something else is wrong.  Which is my thinking on this engine.  G

Thanks G.  I when I change the battery I will carefully examine the wiring to see what's what.  Tom