Diesel smoke stack misaligned....problem?

Hard to tell from that picture, but if they're not seated correctly, clearly smoke can and does escape at times.

A “smoke stack” on a diesel? No. It’s an “exhaust stack.”

Sorry for the misnomer Rich....but it is an Alco!

John..I was hoping I would hear from you. Here's another photo...probably still not clear enough. So would you say it would be safest to not run the smoke unless and until the smoke unit is checked and aligned with the shell hole?

Using a small screw driver, just see if you can fiddle the funnel back into place through the exhaust stack. It may just move back into place. If its an FA, those arent too hard to take apart. I wouldnt be too concerned. There's a couple wires that are attached to the shell, just separate them carefully.

Boilermaker1 posted:

Using a small screw driver, just see if you can fiddle the funnel back into place through the exhaust stack. It may just move back into place. If its an FA, those arent too hard to take apart. I wouldnt be too concerned. There's a couple wires that are attached to the shell, just separate them carefully.

Thanks! That sound like it could work. By the way it's the brand new PA that has everyone pulling their hair out!

Along with what Boilermaker said.....It won't hurt anything to use the engine that way.

However, if you just loosen the 6 or how many body screws there are, it will open the area a little between the smoke "exhaust " and the roof of the shell,  making it easier to move the stack with a small screwdriver.  Then re-tighten the body screws.

Soo Line posted:

Along with what Boilermaker said.....It won't hurt anything to use the engine that way.

However, if you just loosen the 6 or how many body screws there are, it will open the area a little between the smoke "exhaust " and the roof of the shell,  making it easier to move the stack with a small screwdriver.  Then re-tighten the body screws.

Thanks! That sounds better than taking the shell off...

What they said.  I'd just pull it around, and loosen the screws if it doesn't move without that.  I suspect you're going to find you can just swivel it around without doing anything else, I do that regularly.

JamesRx posted:

Boilermaker1 posted:

Using a small screw driver, just see if you can fiddle the funnel back into place through the exhaust stack. It may just move back into place. If its an FA, those arent too hard to take apart. I wouldnt be too concerned. There's a couple wires that are attached to the shell, just separate them carefully.

Thanks! That sound like it could work. By the way it's the brand new PA that has everyone pulling their hair out!

Since it has to go back anyway don't touch it, wouldn't want to loose the warranty! 

BobbyD posted:

JamesRx posted:

Boilermaker1 posted:

Using a small screw driver, just see if you can fiddle the funnel back into place through the exhaust stack. It may just move back into place. If its an FA, those arent too hard to take apart. I wouldnt be too concerned. There's a couple wires that are attached to the shell, just separate them carefully.

Thanks! That sound like it could work. By the way it's the brand new PA that has everyone pulling their hair out!

Since it has to go back anyway don't touch it, wouldn't want to loose the warranty! 

Actually not sending mine back...operate it as "engine 1" setting from factory...no problem with forgetting that ID!

JamesRx posted:

BobbyD posted:

JamesRx posted:

Boilermaker1 posted:

Using a small screw driver, just see if you can fiddle the funnel back into place through the exhaust stack. It may just move back into place. If its an FA, those arent too hard to take apart. I wouldnt be too concerned. There's a couple wires that are attached to the shell, just separate them carefully.

Thanks! That sound like it could work. By the way it's the brand new PA that has everyone pulling their hair out!

Since it has to go back anyway don't touch it, wouldn't want to loose the warranty! 

Actually not sending mine back...operate it as "engine 1" setting from factory...no problem with forgetting that ID!

Stopped in my store last week and they had stopped selling these and another new Lionel diesel. As no one knows the true flaw other than Lionel I'd send it back. If they don't come up with a repair plan and timetable soon I bet a lot go back to point of purchase for a refund.

$1,500 for an A-B-A stuck forever as engine #1 would make me a "Kool Aid Drinker" to keep!

Bobby I can't argue with that..and since it's a 1 year warranty perhaps I will send it in eventually.  But for right now I'm enjoying it and don't want to get caught in the traffic jam that's about to hit Concord. Plus...sometimes bad things happen to engines that spend too much time with USPS/UPS/FEDEX.

I think you're smart to wait until the crush is over, it sounds like it's going to be raining Legacy locomotives in the service department.  My concern is how they're going to handle that crush of work when they are so strapped they can't accept non-warranty work now!

John you are so right! I know nothing about the internal workings of Lionel, but I work for a top 10 Fortune 500 company, in the service industry, and they are relentlessly cutting staffing budgets, and have been doing so for years. At this point we simply do not have enough staff to serve our customers, and I would imagine the same thing is happening at Lionel.

JamesRx posted:

Bobby I can't argue with that..and since it's a 1 year warranty perhaps I will send it in eventually.  But for right now I'm enjoying it and don't want to get caught in the traffic jam that's about to hit Concord. Plus...sometimes bad things happen to engines that spend too much time with USPS/UPS/FEDEX.

That I agree with! Getting beat up in transit, disassembly/reassembly, transit back, or LOST in transit. All these PLUS other warranty items. We've 3 units waiting to go back from before the sudden move. Really worried about the turn around time and potential damages.

BobbyD you said it! I once had an engine come back from service in worse shape than it was when I sent it in. That’s why I think things worked better when there were qualified Lionel authorized service centers everywhere. I don’t know about your area but in the New York City metropolitan area We are down to exactly one authorized service station and they don’t really like to take work In. And I once called another authorized service center about 50 miles away about a very minor issue that would require taking off the shelf to fix and they actually recommended to live with the minor issues rather than risk what can happen when you take off the Shell! So now Concord NC is the only go to service center for these very expensive legacy engines in they are obviously understaffed. That said, whenever I have had contact with them, especially Dean, they always did their best and I could tell that they really wanted to help.