Scout Engine 1110: How to clean the armature plate.

use a Q-TIP with some solvent...rotate the wheels...be sure to clean the slots , dry...that should be it....P.S.   DON'T TAKE THE MOTOR APART!!!    that's for experts only...

Clean the commutator by sticking a 'Q' tip dipped in Naphtha into the brush holes and rotating the wheels. You do NOT want to split the case on these plastic case Scouts, as they are the devil to get back together again. I know from experience; don't do it. Pulling the wheels off and pressing them on again will eventually cause the case to crack and then you have no motor.

The service manual page shows all the internal parts that have to line up to get the case together again.

If you have the time and the patience...

Larry

Thanks for the info guys!

Guess I'll go buy some Naptha.

Mannyrock

Also, don't sweat the wheel alignment.  That's only for locos with side rods connecting the drivers, which your Scout doesn't have. 

Mitch

Is there an EZ way to replace the pickup rollers on this little guy?

OK, thanks for all advice.

The commutator is totally clean. Looks brand new.

In the very center of the photo, you will see a small dimple, into which the commutator shaft protrudes.   

In working with other engines, the instructions call this an "oil well" and say to put two drops of oil in the well.   I saw another engine instruction which said to put a dab of grease in  the well.

Since this engine will sit upright, the "well" in the photo will be sideways when the engine is running.   Anything I put in the well will spill or leak out.

Am I suppose to put oil in this well, or grease, or nothing?

Also, when I reassemble this, the brush holders are two strangle little geared wheels, which sit in the large plastic housing and mesh together in the center.  When I opened all of this up, those little wheels were covered with grease.  You can see grease residue in the plastic housing in the photo.  I cleaned this grease out.

Are these two  gears suppose to be greased?  Or should I leave them running dry?

Also, as Mitch pointed out, the hole in the wheel on the left is not utilized by the Scout engines, since no connecting rod hooks to it.  I think that they just used a common wheel that they were building for other Steamers.  They knew that kids wouldn't care about the spare hole.

Thanks very much for your help.

Mannyrock

I would love to replace the pick-up rollers, but I can't see an easy way to do it.

Any suggestions.

Mannyrock

Not sure if this is factory or not, but I have seen wicks put into the oil hole.  Presumably the idea is to soak the wick and let that supply the bearing.   

Mitch

Do those little geared wheels that sit on top of the brushes actually spin?  If so, I think any type of wick or cloth in the well hole might get caught up in them, since the gears mesh right over top of the well.

If they don't spin, then why are they geared and meshed?

Mannryock

Miggy and Mannyrock,  the motor case needs to be split to replace the pickup rollers.

Mannyrock, a drop of oil on the armature shaft is always a good thing. The gears can be left dry; there are electrical contacts on top of them, and the gears do spin.

Larry

Thanks very much Larry!