Lionmaster T1 lost chuff NEW PROBLEM

you may want to check the cherry switch under the smoke unit, if it get smoke oil  on it will not chuff, may have get a new switch,ore try and clean up the old one,richard

Question: do you still get chuff sound?  Or have you lost both chuff and puff?

Jon 

I had a problem with mine right out of the box, it would chuff about 1/4 of the time.  I also had a drive issue, so I sent it back to Lionel and they fixed both.  Mine is the Legacy version, but I'm guessing the running gear is identical to the TMCC one.  So far it's still working.

If it's the cherry switch you'll lose both chuff sound and synchronized puff.  On my Legacy T1 both were controlled by the cherry switch.  Both were restored when I resoldered the wire.

John

Todd, I have had the opportunity to work on many of those and what the guys are telling you should be correct.  Also the bracket that holds the switch  to the frame could be loose.  I have found that also.    If the screw is loose at all you will get your problem. 

Thanks Guys, I only lost the puffing of smoke. The sounds are working

Todd

The puffing smoke would probably be the fan unit or the drive to it.  How are the wires to the fan unit?  I believe the fan is modulated on those to get the puffing.

The smoke unit fan quit working in my scale berk. If your comfortable opening your loco up,I rmoved the cover from the smoke unit, pulled off the impeller and put a couple of drops of labelle oil on the motor shaft bushing. I replaced the impeller and gave it a few spins with my finger to work the oil in, reassembled the loco and its been fine ever since. Iv'e had to lube every smoke unit fan on every steamer I own no matter the brand at some point or another, typically they just get noisey but my berk fan stopped altogether. Either way once I lubed the bushing I've never had another propblem.

Again thank you. It is a bad blower motor. I took the engine apart and checked the wires and voltage all good. I then took the main stack smoke gen and plugged it into the whistle plug. Blower does not spin. Took the whistle smoke gen and installed on the main stack and now  it puffs with movement.

Todd

My mistake you do have chuff sound.  John should be correct on the fan motor.   Can you shut the engine sound off and listen for the fan motor to spin or not? 

Fan motor is dead. The parts break down says must contact Lionel to order. part #691-vsmk-b01. Is this because it has Vision Line Smoke unit in it.

Todd

No, the Vision Line smoke unit for the whistle is a separate smoke unit.

Are you sure the fan motor is dead and not the control that should be running it?

Its the fan motor board has voltage at the fan plug. I verified with whistle smoke gen. Fan should run when engine is at idle. Both smoke gen in this unit are the same I verified this on parts list on Lionel's web site

If you can't get the motor to work ,it IS available, see #8http://www.lionel.com/CustomerService/ReplacementParts/index.cfm?doAction=productPartFilter&number=6101154200&productID=0add56ee-91d0-4f53-a1cb-1806c76717a9

Can you buy just the fan motor, or do you have to buy the whole smoke unit?

See my post above,#8  minatureDC motor $6.00 Did you try the oil like I mentioned above Todd?

I'll give the oil a try. 

Oil did not work now new problem. 

New problem

Now the loco will not move until speed step 9 and when reducing speed stops at speed step 5. Sometimes the front motor will start to spin before the rear motor with the reader on it. It did work until after I took it apart to check the above mentioned smoke unit problems. With odyssey off loco run at speed step 1.

Todd

Check to see if the flywheel with the reader on it is loose and spins on the shaft.If so these can be tighten with either a tiny allen key or a small flathead screwdriver like one from an eyeglass kit depending on the type of fastener used. Make sure all of the "mini plugs" are fully seated in the boards, you may have pulled something loose during disassembly.

Check if the rear motor is loose in the mount, I had that problem once.

There is a phillips screw centrally located under the bottom of each set of drivers, this is the motormount screw, check that its tight. These were notorious for coming loose on earlier lionmaster articulateds.

Great minds think alike?

screws are tight, flywheel seems like pressed on and ok, turned odyssey off but still has cruise control.

thanks,

Todd

Check to see that both rller pick-ups are still wired.  I've lost one in the past with the same results.

Jon

I just bought a Lionmaster T-1 NIB from a TCA member and the chuff would drop out sporadically so I dropped the truck and the center wire to the cherry switch was broken. I resoldered that and it worked for a while but then it stopped working again. This time the little orange disc (I know it is an electronic component of some sort) came unsoldered so I resoldered it but now I have no chuff. Do you think I need a new cherry switch or should I send it back to Lionel?

When you say 'lost its chuff", do you mean the smoke stops puffing or the actual "chuff" sound drops out?

If your losing just the smoke puff, its likely a smoke unit fan issue.If your losing just the chuff sound its likely something electronic,possibly even as simple as dirty track, wheels, or rollers.

If your losing the smoke puff and the chuff sound its likely an issue with the cherry switch, some have had luck adjusting the arm on the switch to get it to work.

Having said that, if it is the switch, at this point since you've already been repairing it it may be easier just to order a replacement from Lionel.

The cherry switch for that loco is only $1.50 from Lionel aside from the lousy $9.00 flat rate shipping, still cheaper than sending it to Lionel not to mention the repair charge.

Rick,

  I lost the chuff and smoke completely now whereas they would drop out intermittently before.

Losing both the chuff and smoke sounds like the chuff switch and associated wiring.

I really have no help to offer, and I certainly sympathize with your loco giving

you problems (been there - today!), but if it's any consolation (and I'm sure that its not), when you mentioned one "engine" (set of drivers) spinning/moving before the other set,

I felt moved to remind all that the real PRR T1 Duplex was famous for being slippery

and having one set of drivers slipping while the other was not. So...it's acting

prototypically...

I know - doesn't help. But all things can be fixed, though a hospital stay may be called for.

FWIW, my Legacy Lionmaster PRR T-1 Duplex has the same behavior, it doesn't have nearly the pulling power of many other locomotives, even my Legacy K4 with a single motor seems to outpull it!

Can anyone tell me what the small circular terra cotta colored electronic component is that is attached to the end terminal of the cherry switch? The lead broke off and I need to source another one since Lionel doesn't show it in the parts diagram. Any labeling on it? Thanks.

I have to assume it was a ceramic capacitor, do you have a picture of it and/or any of the numbers from the part?

Gunrunnerjohn,

   I believe it is a ceramic disc capacitor. It had the number 104 on it.

Yep, it's a .1uf ceramic cap, you can use any generic .1uf cap for it, very common part.