Older 5v Railking Genesis. (so old, no charging port, only a vol control)) It had intermittent head lights/cabin lights/couplers. Finally not intermittent, but just died.
Removed shell, nothing obvious: no pinched wires, loose connectors, etc. With engine on track, moving the wire tied harness with finger, caused different actions, but did get it all to come back....until finger was removed.
Cut zip tie, move wires around. Functions went on and off when the yell/white speaker wires going to the board were moved, so I thought that was it. However, I determined that the top board, with tape on it, has that tape go horizontal, then drop vertically, to "grab" onto the small connector that is under the rear edge of the board - the one with the wires terminating in it.
Shown in photo 1: the vertical connector with wires, two on right for smoke, yell/white centered for spkr blue, 2 purp on left.
I can consistently get it all to work by using a finger to apply pressure to that rear, vertical board pushing toward the front of engine (rightward in photo).
Next, photo 2 shows the area behind the vertical board, and the left corner of a stick, abutting a piece of black plastic. The plastic is sitting on that white wire, and is loose, wanting to go up and down. Pushing up easily, causes nothing to happen or change. I see no pins. The black, vertical connector edge in photo 1, is shown on the left side with the wires dropping down, and visible.
The third photo shows the problem "solved" by jamming a small piece of wood between the smoke unit and the offending corner. When the corner is pressed, lights, couplers all work. Without the stick, pressing on the far side would kill the lights like originally happened, but also the sounds! Coming toward the corner being pressed would get the sound but no lights, and pressing the corner forward, as I said, gets it all back.
I also disconnected the speaker to see if a bad one might be causing the problem, it made no difference other than no sounds. I may be in over my head here.
Can GGG, John, Vernon take the time to chime in here with thoughts? I want to remove the tape in the vertical connector. Why, I don't know. It does not seem that it can be pushed up any higher toward the top board. I am not sure what pulling the connector off of the top board would accomplish.
More interestingly, eventually, I took the stick out, and set the body on, (no screws) and ran the engine for 20 minutes.....sounds, lights (head, ditch, interior) all worked. I have not wire tied the wires, they sit and fit well without that. I am going back out today to see what it does without touching the shell. I can't think that it is "fixed."
You guys have probably seen this problem a hundred times over your careers. Thoughts, please? Greg
