Need Help With TMCC Engine Disassembly

We had to take an FM apart to remove the truck from the motor to do that,  simply bad engineering. Anything with rubber tires needs the side frames to be bottom removable. Some of the new Lionel diesels have removable trucks, just none we own!

Legacy diesels have the twist-off trucks, that makes working on them a bit easier.

Thanks guys. Confirms what I already thought about the trucks .

 

Any ideas on why the shell won't budge after I removed all of the attach screws?

Hmmmm.  I count 8 screws.  You missed a few somewhere.

 

Also, you may be able to reach those truck screws with the frame off.  I ran into the same issue on an MTH unit.  

D'oh! That would explain a lot. Thanks.

Volphin was right there were 8 screws although the manual indicates only 6. The fun part is that after I removed the two additional screws, the shell was still stuck on tight. The reason -- after it finally came loose -- was the rubber gasket around the frame had decomposed over time and was acting like adhesive. Overall this engine certainly stretches the limits of what you can call C9 condition on eBay.

There are a lot of limits stretched on eBay.

 

It may feel that the shell is indeed glued on, because of the double-sided foam tape used between the frame and the body.  I had to work mine a lot to get it off.

 

I removed the foam once I did get the shell off and now it comes on and off easily.  There's a lot of wires in there, be careful not to pinch any during re-installation.

 

In addition to the Phillips head screws, there are also a few flat head mixed in there that are countersunk somewhat.

 

Be very careful of the horns on the hood sides, they are very delicate.

 

Another note, mine had to have power for a while before the electronics, lights and sound started working reliably; almost like it had to warm up the first few times.  I'm looking for another unit to modify into an RS-32; I missed a few on there recently for some good prices.

 

Thanks,

Mario

Thanks very much for the thorough response Mario. Good to know I can get rid of that foam gasket. I'm wondering what the intended purpose was because I haven't seen anything like it on any other engines I have.

 

And regarding the horns break easily, you wouldn't by any chance mean this one.

Actually it came to me that way and I found it when I opened the box. I'll be taking that up with the seller.

 

Thanks again, S

 

 

 

 

Ok, you actually got the horn!

On the two I have, I think they came with one horn between them. And I cleared them out at Lionel, and actually bought a spare shell just to get two more. I think I have one spare.

Oh, it's a two piece horn, so it's not fatal. You should be able to see how they go back together, so not to worry.

They did away with them on the Legacy runs.



Good luck!

Thanks,
Mario