So I got a TA 2.7 triangle screwdriver to try and service my blown out CW-80 and I absolutely cannot get those screws loose! Does Lionel Loc-Tite them in or something? Any tips on how to break them loose? Drill them out, LOL?
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They may use Loctite on them. OTOH, I've taken several apart with my makeshift ground down screwdriver tip without big issues. I think the key to the job is torque, the screwdriver I modified has a pretty good sized handle that gives me lots of torque.
They must use something. I twisted the tip off three triangle bits. Then gave up. Perhaps CA. j
I guess they don't want you fixing them!
John, apparently not! I gave up too. Swap meet here in a couple weeks, will see if I can find a reasonably priced MTH transformer. No more CW80s.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:They may use Loctite on them. OTOH, I've taken several apart with my makeshift ground down screwdriver tip without big issues. I think the key to the job is torque, the screwdriver I modified has a pretty good sized handle that gives me lots of torque.
John is correct. They take a lot of torque. I also used a ground down screw driver.
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If you're twisting the triangle tip off, I suspect the hardening of the screwdriver tip is substandard, that certainly shouldn't happen!
@James Brown posted:John, apparently not! I gave up too. Swap meet here in a couple weeks, will see if I can find a reasonably priced MTH transformer. No more CW80s.
Go with the MTH Z-1000, I've had 2 for 15 years with no problems. A dead CW-80 that you can't fix is still good for a doorstop, but that's about it. It's a throwaway society now unfortunately.
sometimes you can 'break' the thread-lock or seized screw/fastener by carefully tightening it just a little bit to 'crack the seal' and then you can try to loosen it. good luck
@Gary P posted:...dead CW-80 that you can't fix is still good for a doorstop...
Don't forget to harvest the robust 7-8 amp transformer from the case to power other projects in the train room.
Get your cordless drill and a bit that's as big as the slotted hole the screw goes in and drill the heads off.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:If you're twisting the triangle tip off, I suspect the hardening of the screwdriver tip is substandard, that certainly shouldn't happen!
I wonder if the "grinding of the tip" process is changing the temper of the screwdriver's steel? In the wrong way, specifically 
After opening with the triangular bit, I found getting access to the upside-down electronics board too difficult to troubleshoot. As @ADCX Rob recommends, I saved the transformer. It is very useful as an AC source on a bench or to power accessories or lighting using voltage-dropping power resistors or an inexpensive AC to DC voltage control board.
How about using those 'reverse' drill bits to extract screws when the head is gone, like what car mechanics use. ?
The reverse drills is how I've extracted many troublesome screws.
Does Lionel sell just the circuit board for the CW-80? I wonder what the cost is if they do.
@Drummer3 posted:Does Lionel sell just the circuit board for the CW-80? I wonder what the cost is if they do.
No, Lionel does not and has not carried the control boards for either the previous CW-80 series or the new "fanless" series. Going even further, they don't have boards for any transformer. Not the ZW-C, not the ZW-L, not the CW-80, not the GW-180.
BTW, for the record, I did finally get the thing open. Drilled the heads off those screws and it opened right up.
@Vernon Barry posted:Going even further, they don't have boards for any transformer. Not the ZW-C, not the ZW-L, not the CW-80, not the GW-180.
So the mighty, and much beloved, ZW-L is largely unrepairable if a component on a board fails, except by those of us who can handle diagnosis and component replacement at that level (assuming that we can find appropriate replacement components somewhere)?
Mike
My lowly Powerhouse 180 bricks just keep truckin', and I can fix them if something pops on them. I have the frequent failure items like the relays in stock. 
Well we all spent a lot of time opening an unrepairable transformer. Could have just tossed it off the roof onto a sidewalk and opened it with much less effort.
Kind of sad you can't get a board for it.
Lol believe me, the thought crossed my mind!
