I'm looking for advice replacing the traction tires on a Lionel 6-28070 SP 4-4-2.
The manual says "Simply unscrew the drive rod nut from the wheel using a 4mm nut driver, slip off the old traction tire and remove it from under the drive rod."
The Lionel 6mm hex driver won't fit and my 4mm socket wrench won't "bite" on the drive rod nut because the drive rod prevents the female socket from engaging the male hex head.
Any advice gratefully received
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Britrailer,
Buy a set of metric ingnition wrenches from Sears. One should fit the nut you are trying to take off.
JohnB
Bull Frog Snot works like a charm.
...keep the rails polished...
Thanks for the responses.
JohnB, I ordered the wrenches - fingers crossed.
NCT, I tried Bullfrog Snot but it wasn't very successful - it didn't stick evenly and I got more snot on the brake shoes and firebox than in the tire groove. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.
OOOPS, I thought you said Olds 4-4-2. Wrong forum. 
If you are saying the socket has material before the 4mm hex starts, then grind it shorter. Actually I would use a belt sander. If you are saying the 4 mm socket has too much diameter on it's outside, then grind it narrower while you rotate it. Not an uncommon fix for some tools.
cjack - it's the former. the face is about 1mm 'proud' of the female hex so it can't engage with the male hex on the drive rod nut.
I'll try grinding down the face to expose the female hex.
cjack - it's the former. the face is about 1mm 'proud' of the female hex so it can't engage with the male hex on the drive rod nut.
I'll try grinding down the face to expose the female hex.
Yes, I've done that. Seems like the last engine abt 10 yo needed a 1/8th inch nut driver and I had to grind it down. Thats 3.8 mm so maybe it was metric 4. It's harder to get it started on the nut, but works well once it's on.
. . . or you could just replace the tires with silicone sealant like I do. I can show you how if you're interested My email is in my profile.
.....
Dennis
If you can't reach the head, sometimes you have to remove more than one rod screw to get the rod out of the way.
Again, thanks for the advice.
John, I'd have to take off all the valve gear too!
Dennis, I've emailed you for more on the silicone sealant process.
Two things among all the valuable tool advice my father taught me were:
1 - do not use pliers - such as needle-nose, etc - on nuts and bolts
2 - if you must break rule 1 for "emergency" reasons, you may do so, provided that the pliers are well-made (close precisely) and are used very CAREFULLY and CAUTIOUSLY. In other words, ordering a tool set for one bolt is not always necessary. I have removed
drive rod bolts with pliers, when called for. No damage, but not a habit of mine.
3 - A new set of tools is usually a nice thing to have, though.
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