mth ps2 northern won't run- HELP

A little smoke from the tender?  Sounds like you almost surely have a requirement for a board!

What's the exact MTH model number?  Did you take the shell off the tender to see what you have?

Definitely need the product number.  Some northerns have the board in the engine.

A PS-2 with a dead battery won't have motion.  Hopefully you did not plug the cord in upside down, that can let smoke out of the board.  The cord loops up not down, the plug is meant to go in one way.  I would open the tender and check the battery.  G

I know how to plug in the tether in . model no. is 20-3083-1.

I'd certainly take the shell off the tender and investigate where the smoke came from.  It's a very bad idea to apply any more power until you chase that down.

John, No offense meant, but it does happen.  That engine only has a speaker and a battery in the tender, so there is really no reason for smoke to come out.

I would place the battery, and inspect the harness for melted wires.  The engine can start up on its own with out tender connected.  Won't run but should light up and smoke, etc...  (no sounds).

If that is still good then connect tender with new battery, if any signs of a short shut down immediately.

In the event the PS-2 5V board in the engine is dead, they can be replaced with the newer PS-2 3V.  Requires a speaker change and new battery.

It is also possible the speaker on this model is bad.  When you inspect it, look at the magnet for powder residue/flaking.  G

Hi GGG, I know you are just trying to help me and I appreciate it very much. Same to you john. I am going to take of the shell and take a look. If board in engine is no good , how much for new one? also want to replace small rods near cylinders as they have surface rust or at least paint them. Are they easy to get off. I have only taken off main drive rods in the past to replace tires. Thanks John

You can remove the side rods and polish them, they'll probably look like new.  The new board for the locomotive lists for $200, and you'd also need a new speaker, battery, and charging jack, as the replacement board is a 3V board and uses a different speaker and battery voltage.

Let's hope it's not the board.

It sounds like you don't have the full DCS system. When  proto-2 engines first came out around 2000 ? before the tiu and remote I had a few engines  in a state  that I thought they would never recover from.... No sound. wouldn't move  but eventually got'em to life  back with  a  conventional reset....1W5Bs  You already tried that one but a fully charged battery is required (as GGG mentioned be careful )

Much easier  to reset in command mode.... That engine should run(move) in command  mode without the tender. Do you have DCS?

HI I got the engine to run. The battery is no good. The tender seems to be fine as I ran it around my layout with the shell off. Their is definitely boards in the tender. looks like two stacked on top of each other. John how do I get the the valve gear off? Greg it  must be the old system.The battery is the 8.4 volt. can I use the same bcr as proto 1 ? It is the same battery. All my proto 1 have bcr's in them. I know their is a different one for the 3.2 volt proto 2 system. I don't think I have That. Thankyou John Thankyou Greg

You can use the BCR with that, it's the same one as for PS/1, same battery.

Unless this is a very unusual locomotive, you just take the screws off the drivers to remove most of the rods.  There are usually a couple of screws on the frame to remove the remaining bits.  I've never had one I had major issues removing the rods for cleaning or repair, but I don't have one of those to look at.

Take pictures before removing screws, sometimes it helps.

I polish them with a fine ScotchBrite wheel.  I make them for my Dremel using a mandrel, great for all sorts of polishing.

Perfect, Thanks John I will do that. John