Just redid the e-unit in my 671RR. Put both sets of fingers in and a new barrel. I also took apart the motor and cleaned up brushes etc. Put it all back together and what happens is this-goes thru the cycle and will only go in forward. I thought I had wires wrong so I reversed them and it only goes in reverse. Also I put the tender with it and it just sits there. What am I doing wrong and what can I look for?
Bruce
Replies sorted oldest to newest
If it only goes forward, there is a good possibilty that some of the fingers are not making contact with the drum. You could also have a bad drum. I have run across a few that either had flash over the copper contacts, or the copper contacts were skewed. (It happens, but not often).
It is easy to bend one of the fingers when you try and get the drum in position when reassembling. The only way to easily tell is to open up the E-unit again and see if both sets of fingers are straight and parallel.
Thanks for the info, will try again tomorrow
Bruce
I endorse David's comments. Same sort of thing once happened to a 681 of mine. Turned out one of the fingers was just fractionally bent. Even though it looked like it was making contact, it wasn't.
All possibilities mentioned above are correct. The mechanical e-unit is a finicky component. I usually check continuity with a meter or voltage with wires to motor disconnected to find where problem is.
Going into the e-unit with changing finger contacts and roller is quite a feat, I commend you. I wish someone would do a e-unit rebuild and photo document the steps in accomplishing it. This comes up so many times on the forum, it would make a great tutorial.
Steve, Lady and Tex
Nice video explaining the repair of e-units. The original e-unit spreader tool is designed for opening up e-units. The "contact roller" is known as the drum, not to be confused with contact rollers for power pickup. The drum and contact fingers should be cleaned with naptha before assembly to clean off any remaining dirt and residue.
If you are experiencing problems with the e-unit, cycle the e-unit to the position the loco does not run in, and push each finger gently with a toothpick while the loco is powered up to insure all contacts are touching the drum firmly.
Larry
Larry
I second Larry's recommendation of the E-unit spreader tool.
The tool is designed to pop the e-unit apart without having the pieces fly all over. I have been using one for over thirty years.
I've heard of a couple of different ones, one made by lionel and another more recent by an after market maker. Which is recommended and where do you get one?
Unless you are a collector of such things, there is no reason to get an original Lionel ST-303 e-unit spreader. Get a reproduction.
I imagine that almost every Lionel parts dealer carries them.
The Train Tender has them for $3.50. Look under the category: tools
Over the years there have been a number of third party e-unit tools offered. I have some of them in my collection, but have never seen the need to use them. I am well practiced rebuilding e-units without them. I don't even use the Lionel E-unit vise that I have.
If you have a set of tools, you might look at any of your C clamp pliers. I have a straight set that spreads when squeezed, but it has a stop screw so they can only be spread so far. I slip the nose into the e-unit and squeeze. Pops right open and is set to only spread a 1/16" past the stud. Everything stays in place and I manually open the rest of the way.
You would be surprised at how some tools you already own can be repurposed and in some ways are better than original tools. G
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
