MTH tether issues

Jeff,

Is it coming loose on turns because the wire is too short? If so, open the tender and withdraw a little more of the tether wire.

Hi Barry,

  I did check that, and there is plenty of length there. It just does not seem to want to stay engaged to the loco. The connection does not appear to be overly loose?

Thanks,

Jeff

Jeff, that part can be obtained from MTH.  I have found that fooling with a problem tether never goes good.

I found this on one of my engines. If you turn the engine over and can see a gap between the cab and the frame this would be the clue. The connector usually lines up with the frame but the cab prevents the tether from completing the connection. If thats the case just remove the connector screws and file the holes oblong so it touches the back of the cab.

Pete

You need to be very careful doing what Pete states, watching the head of the screw don't make contact with the solder pads near them.  Certain PCB can easily have those pads short out to the frame.  So be careful.  G

Thanks for all of the input gentlemen, I will go ahead and pull the shell and see if there is a problem with the connection.

Thanks again guys!!

Jeff

Well, I think I shorted out the 10 pin PCB after all. Saw a little puff of smoke, re-adjusted the PCB board and to my surprise everything still works. I did try to make the 2 mounting holes on the PCB oblong to that it would stick out of the shell further, probably a big mistake. Of course the more I fiddled with it, two wires came un soldered, so figured it was time to stop for the night!! The problem appears that the female connector in the engine sits to far forward in the shell causing a loose connection with the male counterpart. Is it possible to forget about this PCB and find a 10 pin plug in wiring harness something kind of similar to the old Lionel MPC era steam engines to tender connection?

Thanks,

Jeff

There's no reason a 1:1 connection with any kind of connector won't work.  With that being said, I think my first choice would be to resolve the issues with the stock tether.

Yes, but the engine would need to be rewired.  You can stick a thin nylon washer under the head of the screws mounting the PCB when you tighten it down.

When I open the PCB hole I use a round file.  It opens easily but is also controllable.  I than use some JB weld to fill in the hole and let it harden.  This prevents the PCB from sliding back fwd when you press the tether in.   G