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6 replies

MTH 30-1600-1 4-8-4 FEF-3 smoke unit short

J JPThutOGR Forum Member

Hello Forum Members,

I have a RailKing Union Pacific FEF-3 that runs and sounds good but ever since the first couple of weeks that I have owned it (more than 5 years) the smoke unit shorts the engine in sync with the chuff sound. If sitting at idle the smoke heater and fan work normally. But start it moving and it jerks, obviously shorting, with every chuff and puff. My layout is in a small room so I don't use smoke units much and have enjoyed the engine up to a point. It has been in for service but the problem always recurs. I'm thinking of selling it but obviously would like to correct the problem first. What suggestions do you have?

Thanks,

JPThut

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gunrunnerjohngunrunnerjohnOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

The picture you posted in your other thread shows the ancient (and out of production) relay boiler board.  However, I'm still thinking it's not that likely to be an actual hardware fault with the boiler board.  The board is obviously alive enough to run everything else, and it's equally obviously trying to run the smoke fan motor.  If you disconnect the smoke motor and the problem goes away, I'd personally have to revisit the smoke fan motor as the culprit.

G GGGOGR Forum Member

If you have connectors on the smoke unit to fan and heat, you can also disconnect heat element and run fan.  If that clears it you can have a shorted element to housing, that would effect PV causing engine motor to be jerkly too.  Usually though, as stated a bad fan motor (noise) cause 5V issues that the boiler board uses to control all other features including tach.  G

J JPThutOGR Forum Member

Finally was able to give this old dilemma some attention. With the motor disconnected it does not short so I must have been given the wrong motor by the local repairman or else it is a bad motor. I see one can be ordered from MTH yet and of course the shipping costs more than the motor! Thanks for the suggestions!

JPThut

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