MTH J 1e won't go

Wally,

The battery is not the problem.

Made some light crackling sounds accompanied w/ stop n go, then no go.

These are simply not the symptoms of a bad battery.

While the battery in PS2 engines can cause many different issues, if the problem was described accurately, this simply isn't one of them. There's a very great tendency to "blame the battery" for anything at all that goes wrong in a PS2 engine.

A dead battery will not cause an engine to suddenly stop running, make a crackling sound and not add to a DCS Remote. I'd suggest a wiring or board issue.

It might be to late to check for this.

A year or so ago while running my vintage 1995 Empire Express Hudson (20-3016) at my club, (it had been upgraded to Proto 2),  I noticed it starting to hesitate as it ran and the sounds were erratic. I shut it down right away and when I picked it up I touched one of the pick up rollers under the engine and it it was extremely hot.  I had no idea what would cause this so I called Marty Fitzhenry and he said if I could send it to him he could fix the roller, which he did.  I've never had a repeat since.

when I picked it up I touched one of the pick up rollers under the engine and it it was extremely hot

It was probably corroded inside the pickup axle.

Thanks for all your replies Gents. They sound helpful. I'm leaving tomorrow to go to Myrtle Beach for a family vacation for the next seven days. No train shops there.     Maybe I can sneak a quick peek at the Bandits store in Darlington on the way back(?).     Be back in action after that.

          Wally

P.S. Life gets interestinger- I put the Hudson on the DCS track today and it ran perfectly except for no sounds or lights. When I put the SD70 on with it, the SD70 would fire up (smoke, lights) but would not move. Such is life!

Barry,  I guess I was reading into the problem.  I had separated the crackling speaker as a separate problem.

I have seen batteries cause running engines to stop.  This occurs at end of life when the battery is depleted on a running engine.  PS-1 engines can do this (happened to my own J).  Battery was 4.5 years old and voltage was at the cut off where the PS-1 stops working.  I have seen it with a PS-2 in conventional also.  In fact it was sent in as striped gears needing replacement.  The engine could be reset and would start in fwd but after moving a few feet it stopped and lost function including some sounds.  This lead the owner to think the motor was turning but the gears were striped.  The engine could be reset again, but would repeat.  The only issue was a dead battery.  

Having said all this, I do think the harness is a likely culprit too.  But I don't think leaving a dead battery in a PS-2 engine is good either.  The potential to over work the battery charging circuit on the power board and inability to retain changes are issues, besides erratic operation in conventional and sometimes DCS.  G

Probably to a service shop(?). I'm reluctant to open up the shell but since it's out of warranty I guess I could give it a shot. Loose wire, short, weak battery, etc. I only know the basics of electricity/electronics as of yet.

How can I check the battery? I have a meter but not a charger. Any other tests I should do?  I'll be checking email/OGR Forum on the road.  Thanks again.

           Wally

Wally,

I'm reluctant to open up the shell but since it's out of warranty I guess I could give it a shot

Based on your level of expertise in electronics, opening up the engine could only make things worse, and not better.

If a wire was pinched to cause a short, the board is either gone or its not, and without a PS2 test fixture, you won't be able to tell the difference.

I'd suggest that you get it repaired before you cause further problems.

Wally, The battery in the tender can be done with minimal risk, since there is plenty of room.  Take the shell off.  Pull the battery out and put a 12V light bulb on it and measure voltage.  A weak or dead battery may read 9V unloaded, but as soon as you draw current from it (bulb), the voltage will drop significantly and the bulb may not light.

You can use a fully charged Alkaline battery as a tempory test.  Just don't leave it in there

Also, with the shell off the tender, the harness will relax and stretch out.  You may find the engine now runs fine.  If so move (wiggle without pulling it out) the harness while running slowly and see if the engine dies.

If neither is the issue, then the engine harness connection and or the board may be an issue.

I agree with Barry about removing Engine shell, that can be difficult if your not sure of your skills.  Better to leave it to a tech if it is not the battery or the harness tether.  G