Marx Switcher stuck in reverse

First question:  I assume reverse was working fine (and was recently run) BEFORE the

change of collectors. 

Next:  Chassis was test run before body reassembled, and wiring was checked and

contact points inspected/cleaned or even resoldered if looked iffy.

1: Yes, it worked fine before the rollers were put on.

2: Yes, the chassis was test run before the body was put back on. That's when I first noticed the problem.

Also, there are only 2 wires that I dealt with. The one that goes from the back roller to the front roller, and the one that goes from the front roller into the motor (which was there to begin with. I only stripped the end to solder it).

Since the engine still runs with no sparks/shorts, the wiring I dealt with must be fine.

As for the other wires, I don't see any obvious issues. Everything looks as it was before.

I've noticed sometimes the Marx reverse units act up after the loco has been upside down for a while.  Some guys spray tuner cleaner or WD-40 up inside.  Me, I just rock the engine from side to side 4 or 5 times as it sits on the track.  No guarantee that it will perform correctly next time, though.

First, make sure the screw at the bottom of the brush plate is clean and tight. This is the motors ground. If that does not help, remove the chassis and use tuner cleaner (plastic safe) to try and clean the reverse unit. Use the long tube that comes with the cleaner and spray from through the quarter inch holes on the side of the reverse unit. spray up toward the plunger. Then shake the motor up and down. You should be able to hear the plunger moving. Do this a few times, then blow the residue out. If this does not work, you most likely will need to open up the reverse unit.

Steve

Well it was sitting upside down for about a day while i came up with a way to attach the rollers...

I tried your solution of rocking it back and forth several times on the track... still didn't solve the issue.

As for spraying some contact cleaner inside... I don't know where the reverser unit is (or how it even works to be honest) so I'm not sure where to spray.

What screw are you talking about? I'm not really certain what you're referring to.

As for spraying some cleaner in.. same issue as above. I don't know where the reverse unit is.

If someone could explain what it looks like and how exactly it works, I can better understand what I'm dealing with.

Thanks again for all of the help so far!

 Here are photo's of both sides of a generic Marx motor. The screw between the two drivers in the first photo is critical that it be clean & tight. The coil with the light attached is the reverse unit. Note the hole on both sides. In the hole in the lower photo you can make out the brass rod. It is hooked to a plunger up in the coil and then a rocker on the bottom. The most common culprit is gunk on the plunger keeping it from working correctly. I also added some photo's of a reverse unit itself for reference.

Steve

Papa-

That's the exact motor in my Marx, and mine has been like the OP's wanting to stay in reverse for years.  Someone finally showed me that brass rod and how to manually move it to get it to go forward.  It's been such a pain that I just used a twisty tie and "locked" it in place so that it now only goes forwards since I nave no need to ever go backwards.  But maybe with this more detailed info I might try to service it.

Thanks for the clear photos and directions, Steve.

Very helpful. Thank you!

I will take a look at that brass rod and make sure it is moving freely. Hopefully a little cleaner will get it working correctly again.