Problems with LC+ GP7 - sort of my own fault - but just sorta . . .

So the flywheel  just fell off?

When things go "thump in the night", you're supposed to investigate.

I can think of no other explanation other than it just worked loose, and gunrunnerjohn is right.  Anytime there is a thump in the night, or your GP7, you should look into it immediately.  It might be a loose nut (and flywheel), or a nut trying to break into your house in the middle of the night.  A screwdriver works for the former but frankly a shotgun is a lot better for the other . . . 

Well, its relaly dead.  I worked on the gears and put it back together and it still won't run.  I removed the motor to let the wheels run free, but they won't turn, and i can't find what is jammed.  I set it aside while I think about it

Lee

Did you contact Lionel? I am sure they will fix it since it is new.

JohnB

Sorry for the bad luck, but thanks for sharing - that's a new one.   Coincidentally, my GP-7 is also down, and I have not yet had the time to open her up and see what's up.

I hope these 2 are just isolated incidents.

I'm Surprised the flywheels aren't just pressed on the armature shaft.

It certainly would not be under warranty after I took it apart, but I would not think about returning it even so.  I fiddled with it some more and whatever is wrong, I can't get it to run.  

A new one costs on $250.  Just not worth the trouble to try anymore.  I may try to convert this to a dummy, but I can't even get the wheels on that rear truck to turn . . .  Oh well, not going to let it upset me.  

IT's FIXED - in a way.  I bought another, shown in the video below.  It looks and runs just like the first one.  It was good out of the box, but I did  open it up and used a little Loctite in that tiny the screw or whatever it is holding the flywheel on. I have no way of knowing if it would come loose like on the first, but five minutes of work and I never have to worry.

The original one?  It just was not worth fussing with anymore - I was certain I was just throwing good time after bad.  I may make it a dummy eventually - I figure another half hour with the stuck-axles truck (even with the motor removed) and I can find out why and free them to roll -- it would be a good one because it has smoke, etc.  

I continue to be increidibly impressed with the value Lionel and MTH are providing in some of their mid-price products.  This puppy cost around $250 with shipping, which seems like a bargain. 

Try the shotgun on the wheels that won't turn, should lossen them up.

Fred

I'm just about frustrated enough to do that.  I can see no reason why they won't turn.

Sounds like somethings may be jammed behind one of the gears on the side of the truck, cocking it so it can't rotate. Or you may have a cracked gear tooth jamming things up.

You'd be amazed at the things I would find behind, or between the teeth of, side gears of diesel locos when I was still operating my shop.

Lee

I can't argue the time based hassle based decision on letting it go. I can't se Lionel saying your warranty is void because the loco went thump and you opened it. Dell makes you troubleshoot, supose it had been easy. They wouldnt want a loco back for a connector... Just a thought

Lee,

I should have the garage workshop at my new house usuable in early spring. If you don't figure it out (or get the shotgun) first, I can take a look at it if you'd like. Probably late March, early April.

One itty bitty shard of plastic from the gears is probably wedged in somewhere you cannot see.     Just getting it out would probably fix it but thats easier said than done I'm sure.  

LC+ is supposed to bring new people into the hobby and many of them may not be of Lee's apparent means.  From the perspective of the hobby, I would be concerned that a newcomer would be PO'd at such a thing and walk away.  (I know a colleague at the office was pretty annoyed after a new PE set failed a few days after purchase during Christmas week -- it turned him off to Lionel.)  I think it speaks poorly for Lionel quality control that this thing failed two months after purchase.  I understand that the noise should have caused you to investigate, but at the same time parts shouldn't fall off two month old locomotives.  I would return it for repair just to drive home the cost on Lionel.  Not in a vindictive way, but to make the firm pay the costs of shoddy quality and in this manner provide the financial incentives for improvement. 

Should have sent the defective Geep back to Lionel for repair, keeps the company on their toes for defective product. Buying a replacement for a 2 month old defective loco is not a solution.

I'm really curious when Lionel started using set screws to keep flywheels on, instead of press fitting as they have in the past??

Personally, I'm not a big fan of set screws on round shafts for anything. To me this sounds like another cost saving measure, like Delrin drive gears on the Alaska starter set Geeps, that's going to turn around an bite Lionel in the wallet if it's not dealt with. My $0.02.