Lionel 2046 motor problem?

make sure there are no bare spots on any wires, including the wire to the pick up rollers.No wire pinched by the shell either.

Thanks, checked that and it has the same issue with the shell off.

any of the side rods binding? check the geared side of the drivers for worn teeth. 

I've double checked the side rods, will check the gears.

thanks, 

kevin

I've had issues like this only to find the armature plate wasn't secured properly. New screws and it was a whole new engine! Not saying this is it, but definitely a possibility.

If you lock the e-unit will the engine run free of any trouble? Cycle it into forward or reverse then move the e-unit lever to off. Test the engine by cycling the power on and off several times or more and then try the same thing in the other direction. If it works with the e-unit locked you need to check out the e-unit. You said you put a newer e-unit in it. Did it do the same thing with the old e-unit? Why did you replace it? By saying it is newer I assume it was used. Was the e-unit drum clean or did it have dirt or grease marks on it around where the contacts touch? Does the drum turn freely when you cycle the e-unit. Did you replace it or did someone else?

If you replaced it yourself then you should be able to remove and test it to see if it cycles properly. Remove the e-unit from the engine.  Run a jumper from your transformer to the terminal on the e-unit that the power wire was un-soldered from. Run the another jumper from the other terminal of your transformer to the e-unit lever. Cycle the power on and off. The e-unit should cycle. Inspect the drum and see if it cycles every time or if it sticks. This is also a good time to look at the drum. If it is too dirty it will start to lose contact. This could possibly cause the motor to stutter if the contact is making intermittent contact but not enough for the engine to run. 

My favorite postwar engine, I have 3 or 4 of them.

Since you have the shell off, take the brush plate off and check the brushes. If they are worn down, or aren't square at the bottom, probably a good idea to replace them. Also look at the commutator for wear or dirt, and make sure that there isn't any carbon buildup between the segments. Just use a toothpick or a toothbrush to clean any of that out.

Thanks for all the great information and ideas. I did take the brush plate off and clean the commutator and brushes. The brushes are only a few months old so still in good shape.

i will first try the idea of running it with the e unit locked in forward. That should eliminate the e unit from the equation. The old e-unit one had issues cycling so I replaced it with a rebuilt one that looks pretty clean. If the issue goes away, I will pull the e-unit ad give it a thorough going over.

thanks again for all the help and ideas,

Kevin

Kevin, you have a lot of great advice. Bypassing the E-Unit as a test should answer the E-Unit question. The symptom of constant cycling sounds like chronic small interruptions in current. The 4 wheel pilot truck of the 2046 might have too much play, but your most likely culprit is the fingers of the E-Unit.

Give the E-unit contacts a shot of contact cleaner spray.  

https://www.walmart.com/ip/CRC...er-11-Wt-Oz/16817418

Do NOT do this with the locomotive energized.   

Do NOT ask me how I know this.  ;^.^ 

Fortunately, my eyebrows grew back quickly.   

Mitch 

Which brushes did you use?  There are several threads on the Forum about newer brushes being made of a different compound, and much higher resistance than the postwar originals.  If the problem started when you installed the new E-unit and brushes, check the resistance and report your results.

I am not sure if the origin of the brushes. I will check out the resistance compared to some original brushes I have.

Kverdon posted:

I am not sure if the origin of the brushes. I will check out the resistance compared to some original brushes I have.

Speaking of measuring resistance, can someone tell me where to find a meter that will read in the range of 1 to 10 ohms.  The lowest range on any meter I can find is 1K.  That'stwo high to check whether a coil is 0,1 or 2 ohms.  That makes it very difficult to distinguish between a good coil and a short.  I'd like to have 10 and 100 ohm ranges.  !00 will do for measuring 2 to 10 ohms if it has a fine scale and precision.

Kverdon posted:

Thanks for all the great information and ideas. I did take the brush plate off and clean the commutator and brushes. The brushes are only a few months old so still in good shape.

i will first try the idea of running it with the e unit locked in forward. That should eliminate the e unit from the equation. The old e-unit one had issues cycling so I replaced it with a rebuilt one that looks pretty clean. If the issue goes away, I will pull the e-unit ad give it a thorough going over.

 

thanks again for all the help and ideas,

Kevin

“Locking” or actually turning off the unit lever does not take the e unit entirely out of the equation. By moving the lever, all you have done is turned off the part of the e unit that does the cycling. Current still flows through the drum to make the locomotive go forward, neutral or reverse....to totally take the e unit out of the equation, you would need to bypass the wiring all together and hard wire track power to the fields and brushes.............Pat