HELP...the cab lights are flashing! UPDATED!!!!

The three flashes is a smoke unit error, send them back for service. Do not open them up or you will void yore warranty. At least the Vision engine Lionel will pick up the shipping cost

Hi

 The three flashes are telling you there problem with smoke unit.

 the manual tells you how to re set it.

 It only lets you re set it three times. then you have to send it back to lionel.

I may be wrong, but it sounds as though you may have overfilled the smoke units and drowned the motor/electronics. The 3 flashes indicates a smoke unit fan problem, and overfilling can cause this.

With many modern units, turning the locomotive upside down to drain excess fluid doesn't always work, as the fluid can end up all over the inside of the bodywork, and leave a right mess.

If you don't wish to take the body off and investigate further at this time, I would suggest that you leave the locomotive for a day or two, and then try again. You can still use the locomotives in this time, but be sure that the smoke units are switched off. (Using the switch, not just on the remote.)

If you have tried to reset them 3 times, the smoke units will be locked-out. But this can be reset by re-programming the ID number of the locomotive.

As mentioned above:  DO NOT remove the shell on the VL Hudson - that will VOID the warranty!! Lionel will send you a prepaid shipping label for the repair.

Thank you everyone for the replies.

I was hoping you guy's would have a different suggestion from what I've already tried.

To answer the statement that they were overfilled, that didn't happen. I only put in about twelve to fifteen drops in each stack.

Please keep the suggestions coming. I would hate to send these engines back to Lionel for repair. As I know they won't be back till after the Holiday's.

Thanks again,

Mike R

While I can not say for sure in both cases  it seems as though Lionel has had a bad batch of smoke unit fans in recent offerings. I recently replaced the smoke unit fan on my legacy k4, it was noisey when new a year ago, finally got worse and quit altogether. Lionel offered to cover it under warranty but since it was near the very end I ordered a replacement fan as it was a fraction of the cost of one way shipping.

I have also had good luck with oiling the fan motor shaft bushing on some of my other locos in the case of  noisey or inoperating fans. The nice thing about the new units is that the fan runs while the loco is stationary so their easy to test on the track with the shell off. I'd probably start off removing the fan from the housing and putting a drop of oil on the shaft bushing give it a spin with your finger and the turn it on. If it works run it in a vertical position for a few minutes to work the oil into the bushing.  Test it on and off a few times, if it responds normally then reassemble. If either of these fans were overly noisy its likely they'll have to be replaced, I didn't realize how bad mine was until I replaced it, the old one would vibrate the fillings out of my mouth.

Most of the latest legacy steamers with the exception of the s3 I think, have "shell mounted" smoke units as opposed to the "chassis mounted" units used in the past. These units are a bit more tedious to repair but not the worst if your careful. Nicole makes some good points but on the newer smoke units the fan is enclosed in a seperate housing with a hose connected to the resovoir. Its not completely unthinkable that you could have gotten fluid on the fan motor it is signifigantly less likely to happen as the fluid has a long way to go. Additionally the fan is mounted horizontally in the housing so if fluid got that far it would pool and leak out of the housing before it could soak the motor.

Once the problem is addressed either replacing the fan or getting it working, the code will cease, no more blinking light. 

Having said all that warranty is a good way to go especially on a brand spankin new loco. I thought Lionel picked up the shipping both ways on VL stuff.

BTW I recall Mike Reagan, warning against removing the shell as some of the detail parts are attached to the frame. I'm sure its not completely impossible since OGR had photos of one with the shell off.

Rick O,

Thanks for the input. Some really good ideas.

I left the Santa Fe 3751 alone for about an hour. She started to work correctly and the code is now gone. Now the amount of smoke isn't as good as it was when I first pulled out of the sealed box two hours ago.

I really think the culprit is a bottle of no name smoke fluid I got from a well known Lionel Dealer. I wasn't to keen on buying it but he said it was the same as Lionel smoke fluid and would work fine. After all the problems I started to look at everything I did. I realized that I had put this new smoke fluid in both engines. So I took a look at the fluid and noticed it was much thicker than my old fluid. It must be a heavier weight oil. So it must be gumming things up inside the unit. I tried some LGB Smoke Fluid after a reset. Whada'ya know! It started smoking like a campfire. The fluid burnt out real fast, it's a lot thinner than normal smoke fluid. So I won't be using that NO Name Smoke Fluid any more.

All that being said the Hudson still has the problem I'm deciding if I should box it up and send it into Lionel or just wait a few days. Maybe the thick oil will dry up.

Thanks for the input,

Mike R

remember free shipping for veterans, no matter if it is a vision line or not.

Mike R  the pipette that came with your new engines from the tip look about an inch up and you will see a line across it fill to that line and add smoke fluid since I started using it nary a 3 light flash since.

seems as these newer units are on the fussy side but after this if it keeps giving the 3 flashes send it back as my NKP 765 has done it on and off now I know why today I smelled an electric burning smell ha I happened to have it pass below me and saw a bright orange glow i killed the power and after 3 minutes it stopped sending smoke out the stack and thank goodness it's a metal body other wise probably be a blob of plastic. will disassemble in morning see what is all destroyed as it's 2 years old warranty all gone.

just thought I'd give the rest of you a heads up so you may avoid my issue.

$oo

I have the same problem with an I engine I bought last year.  If I leave the smoke unit off it does not flash.  For now I run it without the smoke unit on.   I will send it in after the holidays.