How to remove motors in Lionel FM

I seem to recall this issue from the distand past. Solution; reinstall the vertical

motor mount screws.  Then back them out about one revolution.  Then tap the

screw head with something soft, like a hard plastic drift.  This should get the

motor to start to loosen up a bit. You may need to do this in stages, but the

motor will come out.

 

quote:

 We removed the screw underneath on the truck and the motor also will not twist out.

 

The motor should not twist at all. It should pull straight off.
I like Jaygee's tip.

thanks jaygee we'll give it a shot

Funny that this topic has just posted.  I was about to start to perform a full maintenance job on my Lionel Jersey Central FM from 1987 and have the exact same problem.  I have several other MPC era FMs and the motors have always disengaged very easily but not this time.  Please let us know how you make out NJOGauge.

I was just admiring that FM in the catalog yesterday and do not recall ever seeing it anywhere.  It would make my day if you could post a picture of it.

Like others have said, there is a screw under the truck. Remove that & the motor should pull right out.  Funny you guys brought it up -  I just did a full maintenance job on this engine last week

 

Here's pics - 

 

 

 

 

This is the one Lionel should have made back in '56.  I'm pretty happy with

my 8687, but it would be even better if #'d in the low 2400s like a real CNJ

TM.  I had all the stiff motor issues with this loco and the Sou RWY FM as well.

More serious was the plastic gears in the CNJ unit stripping some years back.

At that time, I sub'd a Custom Trains chassis with two cans and a QSI board

into the chooch.  Runs sooo good now, I don't want to go back to the Lionel

guts!

Mine runs pretty well with the Lionel guts.  When did they stop using the plastic gears in the FMs? Was it the Southern?  I wish they would have released a set of 9500 series cars to go w/ this engine.  Would have been just like the NY&LB!  I'm also not crazy about the decal logo/number on the cab

I'm still having trouble getting the motors out of my 8657.  I tried the method suggested earlier in this topic but had no success.  Unusually enough the engine still runs very well, its just that it is time for a full maintenance job.  As I said before I've never had any trouble pulling the motors from my other MPC era FMs.  I wonder how NJOGauge made out with his?

Sorry I'm no help we wont touch it again until at least this weekend. Thanks for everyone's replies

Thanks for your response NJOGauge.  After my last post I went back to work on my 8657 using the loosening method previously suggested and this time it worked.  I guess I just needed to work at it for awhile.  In any event I flushed out all of the old somewhat hardened grease and replaced it with Lucas Red and Tacky #2 and if I thought it ran well before it wasn't nearly as smooth and powerful as it is now.

My Southern FM still had the plastic gears in it and they finally cracked on me about four years ago. That's when I had Chuck Sartor re-gear them with the bronze gears.

I did the same with my Southern FM last year at just about this time.  Chuck Sartor does great work and is quite reasonable price wise as well. 

 

Also, when I opened up my Jersey Central I was gratified to see that the worm wheel was bronze and not plastic.

I believe postwar gears from the #2321 "Trainmaster" will work in the newer MPC / early LTI FMs. They're available from Jeff Kane (The Train Tender).