Lionel 2023...sits there and hums

Sounds like a service/cleaning of the loco and eunit is in order. It can piggyback along with the 1033 if you'd like.

Thanks Brian for your amazingly fast response (and yet another generous offer) and not to second guess you of course but I had Train Tender Jim thoroughly service the engine in September of 2017.   It has had very little running time since then.  On his invoice it indicates that he "polished E unit drum and reversing fingers". Thanks Gramps too for weighing in just as I write this response.  You will note that I had the drum cleaned by Jim.  Maybe the E unit has seen better days and needs replacing?

Jeff at the traint tender does top notch work! But even after 2 years, things can get surface corrosion, a solder joint can fail and the list goes on! Usually it isn't anything to terrible.

For some, the maintenance is part of their enjoyment of the hobby. For others, wielding a screwdriver means they are not running trains.

I would actually like to do my own work (and I have had this engine apart to lube it) but the extent of involvement is limited due to my vision issues.  Since Jim did not replace but just cleaned the E unit, would it not be advisable just to put in a new one?  I don't think they're too expensive. 

An inexpensive trial would be to spray some tuner/contact cleaner on the E unit.  Might just clean it up enough to get it running again.

OK, I can try that

Well, I sprayed contact cleaner on the E unit.   It took off forward like a jack rabbit for about 4 feet then stopped.  I was able to get it to reverse for about the same distance then it reverted back to the sit and hum routine I described above.  For what it's worth, I noticed the copper windings were very shiny.   Maybe I should let it sit overnight to let the contact cleaner work or does that not matter?

If you sprayed and it took off then it is your e-unit as it had that brief moment of glory to tell you 

< i can work > It either has to be rebuilt of replaced.

I suspect one of the fingers is not making full on the drum contact if all the corresponding wires solder joints are good , sets of fingers can be bought and put in but if eyes are not so good that makes it somewhat hard this i know .  ; )

Good luck.

That stuff usually evaporates in a few seconds. You might want to hit it again just to see what happens. It wouldn't hurt to try.

What's a good reasonably priced source for E units?

Usually the reason these engines stall is because the E-unit wire leads break at the brushplate solder lug. Check the 3 wires carefully, it sounds like one of the brush wires is making contact intermittently.

It's worth a try thanks

Sounds like either a lead broke on be motor or the pivot on the drum sheared off. Rebuild it.

You might try locking the e unit in one direction, and use jumper wires to the motor bush/field appropriately.

If the motor issue clears up, you know it is the e-unit or its wires.

  If it remains, it is in the motor, bushes, armature, or maybe rollers, roller wire, etc.

  (bulbs being ok doesn't rule out rollers/etc entirely, but only moves it's likelyhood to doubtful.)

If it clears up while jumped, it points at/could/would be the e-unit "fingers" are curling under temp. change, or grease is old, or contacts tarnished, cold solder joint, etc.  

If you can see or VERY GENTLY feel and lift the fingers a hair with a dental probe, and letting go feel a snap of contact in the springbacks, that is how you (or I anyhow) check the contacts.

Warning: fingers are very delicate and these do not bend back super well. I try a rebend only once. If they ever got overheated the repair will likely be short lived and you should rebuild/replace fingers/drum or whole unit.

Thanks Adriatic and everyone for the assistance.  I put it back on the track a little while ago and it ran around the track like it was new out of the box then it stopped, once again dead in the water.  The wires Train Tender Jim put in of course are all new when he refurbished it in 2017 (very low miles since) and the solder joints are new too but I played around with them just to see if I could identify a loose connection, but I didn't

Disconnect the 'E' unit wires from the motor. Wire the motor directly as in the center-left diagram here.

Apply power, and the motor should run properly.

Reverse the connections to the brushes, apply power, and the motor should run in the reverse direction.

The motor needs to pass this test. If it does, and upon reconnecting the 'E' unit, the motor does not run and reverse properly, then the 'E' unit is at fault.

Larry

TrainLarry posted:

Disconnect the 'E' unit wires from the motor. Wire the motor directly as in the center-left diagram here...

If I recall right, his sight keeps him away from soldering with confidence guys.

 I thought just maybe he could pull off alligator jumpers on a diesel for jumping over a weak link e-unit issue to narrow it down to the e-unit; or if it continued running erratically, eliminate the e-unit as suspect.