Pictures on How to Install 8141-55k Liquid Smoke Conversion Kit

If your original pill type heater is still working, there is no need for the conversion. Add liquid smoke fluid to it and it will work, with the added benefit you can always use pills. Repro pills are available just like the originals.

Larry

@TrainLarry posted:

If your original pill type heater is still working, there is no need for the conversion. Add liquid smoke fluid to it and it will work, with the added benefit you can always use pills. Repro pills are available just like the originals.

Larry

Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure what's going on. I tried pellets. I put one in and it disappears after a while so I'm pretty sure it's melting but there's no smoke coming out of the stack! The puffer bar (or whatever it's called) that is supposed to cause the smoke to puff does move back and forth with the turning of the wheels. Its spring seems OK.

Take the smoke unit out and take it apart. Take out the element and the felt underneath the element. There is a hole in the bottom of the cast bowl that needs to be open. It gets clogged with pellet material. Scrape all old pellet material out of the bowl, and install a new felt lining if need be. Make sure the piston is free to move up and down and does not hang up.

Once it is all cleaned, reassemble the smoke unit and try it. It should puff normally.

Larry

Which model engine are you converting ?  Mine was on a Lionel 2026 from 1951.

I did this awhile ago, so this is from "shaky" memory, but:

1.  The wiring should be exactly the same as the existing. The only thing you are basically doing is swapping wick material and the heating element.

2. The black piece is the smoke pot cap.

3. After cleaning out the bottom of the old smoke pot, the white felt with the notch is the "liner" and goes into the bottom of the smoke pot. The notch should fit around the little pipe.

4. The white felt with the round hole is the gasket that seals the top of the black cap to the underside of the engine shell to help keep smoke going up and out the stack and fluid not leaking out and to keep excess heat from getting to the shell.

5. The wick slides over the heating (resistor) element. I don't remember it being critical which part of the smoke pot it sits in as long as it is fully enclosed when the black cap is on.

6. The spring is not part of the heater assembly. It is a replacement for the spring on the lever that pumps the smoke out if it is not pumping correctly. 

@Richie C. posted:

6. The spring is not part of the heater assembly. It is a replacement for the spring on the lever that pumps the smoke out if it is not pumping

One correction, that spring is meant to sit on top of the piston to give a more affirmative downstroke action - providing better puffing with a full upstroke.

Ran across this a few nights ago. Hope this will help. https://youtu.be/s1IRntsFbuE

@TrainLarry posted:

Take the smoke unit out and take it apart. Take out the element and the felt underneath the element. There is a hole in the bottom of the cast bowl that needs to be open. It gets clogged with pellet material. Scrape all old pellet material out of the bowl, and install a new felt lining if need be. Make sure the piston is free to move up and down and does not hang up.

Once it is all cleaned, reassemble the smoke unit and try it. It should puff normally.

Larry

I couldn't get the cap off. It appears to fit inside the main unit. Instead, I just poked up through the hole in the bottom and reamed it out. I put everything back together and I have smoke again. I'm glad I bough the conversion kit, though. I needed to replace the felt pad that goes between the cap and the body of the locomotive. Thanks to you and all who took the time to answer this noob's questions! I'm sure I will have more once I start expanding my layout.