MTH Proto 2 will not run in conventional mode

Assume the battery is fully charged??

Did you do the factory AND feature resets?

Does engine respond to DCS commands if used??

Kill the power to them and see if you get the whole shut-down sequence.

If not, let them sit on the track for some time and charge if you don't have the charger.

 They won't come out of neutral with a dead battery.

Bob,

   It does sound like you have a very weak battery, get rid of the batteries in your P2 engines and install a BCR, most times this fully eliminates this problem.

PCRR/Dave 

I recall a thread that discussed incompatibility between early Z-1000 transformers and sound systems. Can you try another transformer?

Reading Fan,

   Good catch, I forgot that some engines do not match well with the Z-1000 transformer!

PCRR/Dave

The engines will do a full shutdown. They fully operate in DCS mode. I have done the factory reset. I hope it is not the Z 1000, I just purchased it last week.
I will try new batteries next just in case they are a little week.
Thanks everyone.

How do I install a PCR?

Sorry, how do I install a BCR?

The BCR is a direct replacement for the battery, you just unplug the battery and plug in the BCR in it's place.

 

Your problem is almost certainly not the Z1000, unless you have it wired in some unusual way.

The engines will do a full shutdown or the battery.

Is this when you press Shutdown or turn off track power? Pressing Shutdown proves nothing, however, if sounds persist for 6-7 seconds after track power is turned off, then the battery is most certainly not the problem. In that case, going into the engines to change out perfectly good batteries for BCRs can only make things worse.

 

If you'er testing the battery by simply pressing Shutdown, go back and start up the engines making sounds and then turn off track power.

Since you get full shutdown sounds when power is removed, I'm assuming the battery (or BCR) is good...

 

You got the double-horn blast confirmation after issuing the conventional feature reset (1 Horn / 5 Bells) using the Z1000 controller?  So that should take the PS2 engine out of neutral lock.

 

When you press the DIRECTION button on the Z1000 controller do the lights on the PS2 engine go out - but sounds stay on with a slight but perceptible decrease in volume?  I realize you can control other conventional engines but this would confirm the PS2 engines are properly detecting the DIRECTION button.

 

Stan,

 

He states:

The engines will do a full shutdown

That doesn't tell me that he's turning off track power, rather that he's' pressing Shutdown.

Ok, I tried a 3.0 and it ran no problem. Tried another 2.0 and did as Barry said and shut off power to track the engine, lights, and sound cut off. Bad battery I am assuming. My other 2.0 did stay on a little longer but not a complete shutdown. The batteries are about 5 years old. Even though I do run them on the DCS system I have noticed shutdown sounds are shorter. Now the question is new batteries or BCR?
Thanks,
Bob

Bad battery I am assuming

Charge the batteries overnight by leaving the engine on a powered track but not started up.

If this engine use 8.4V battery you can go to the BCR.  If it is the 2.4V battery they normally last longer so it is up to you on the added expense of a BCR.

 

G

Thanks. I will charge and replace batteries and let you know what happens.
Thank you everyone.
Bob

bkb,

   Do as Barry advises and leave the engine on a powered track all night, you may find the only thing you needed was to fully charge the battery.  When the battery finally needs replacing then replace it with a BCR.

PCRR/Dave

I don't recommend charging over night especially the 8.4V version.  You can do a quick charge while attended, otherwise remove battery and charge with a plug in unit, or use the MTH charger if it has a charge port.  G

George,

I don't recommend charging over night especially the 8.4V version.  You can do a quick charge while attended, otherwise remove battery and charge with a plug in unit, or use the MTH charger if it has a charge port.

My first choice would be to use an MTH charger, however, from the tone and content of the OP's posts, I seriously doubt that he has one.

 

Regardless, I must disagree with your preferred choice of externally charging the battery.

 

My experience, after literally hundreds of times charging unattended both 3 and 5 volt PS2 engines without any issues whatsoever, is that any risk of an "anomaly" while charging overnight is much smaller than the risk of inadvertent damage by a relative novice opening up a PS2 engine, extracting the battery from whatever inconvenient place it's been stuffed, reinserting the battery, and closing up the engine.

We have differing opinions on this Barry.  IF this has an original White Battery in a PS-2 5V board you run the risk of a failure on the board and if it becomes the shorted Diode high current draw until the board fries or the transformer breaker trips.

 

We have seen too many failures of 5V boards.  So I am not a proponent of running them unattended.  The quick charge will let you know if the battery can even take the charge.  I am just not willing to leave a 5V running over night.  G

George,

 

Maybe so, but I bet that there have been more self-inflicted issues by people opening up perfectly good engines when they don't have to do so.

 

We'll just have to disagree.

Gentlemen,

   IMO he should just have the BCR installed by a competent tech and eliminate the battery all together.

PCRR/Dave

I just replaced the 5V boards in one that had the white battery and developed a charging circuit fault that I couldn't remedy.  When I put the battery on a charger, it was almost a dead short, I suspect pushing on that for too long is what killed the charging circuit.

 

I do have the external MTH charger and extra MTH batteries. I will try charging first.
Thanks Bob