Thank You To Lionel

I'm guessing they're curious to see what went wrong with it.

@Jerryrails posted:

My ZW-L case melted around one of the binding posts. The breaker did not trip. I could not remove the nut and, in the process, broke off the binding post. Lionel is repairing the ZW-L at no cost to me and is also paying for shipping even though it has been more than two years since I purchased the transformer. Shipping would have been very expensive. Thanks Lionel.22FlA*@22

I thinks it’s great that they are going to do the repair, it might also be a ( we better see if this is a real liability issue).

I doubt Lionel is repairing this for free out of the  goodness of their heart. sounds like a huge liability issue to me. it should have never overheated to that extent.

That is an interesting failure.  Melting means heat, heat means high current through a higher than normal resistance, a resistance increased by poor connection either inside or out.  The current was apparently enough to heat it all up, but not enough to exceed the breakers trip point.  As mentioned, Lionel is probably interested in the failure for liability issues, and it is easier to not argue with the customer over cause.  Probably best to check mechanical connections now and then.  Copper wire under a screw compresses making a less that perfect connection over time.  Many plants and businesses, have a requirement for annual inspection of all breaker boxes, checking lug tightness or using an IR thermometer looking for hot spots.

@Jerryrails

I too had my ZW(L) repaired at no cost (repair and shipping $$ both to/from Lionel) after warranty. The inner PCB board got fried and had to be replaced. I was informed that the supposed cause as voltage spike (which should not happen due to all the ZW(L) protection measures) was not the real culprit. Rather it was determined that a known ZW(L) design flaw of an overly large bolt holding the bottom to core transformer sometimes ended up rubbing against its inner electronics and shorting out or worse - in my case destroying the PCB board.

I feel very satisfied that Lionel admitted this and not only replaced the PCB board but also replaced the bolt with a permanently shorter version of the bolt. They do great work and they do the right thing. Thanks Lionel !!!

I have to say, kudos to Lionel for standing behind these, it's nice to hear that.

I wonder if it would be a good idea for users to replace that bolt before it cooks the transformer.  I suspect Lionel is not going to fix these for free forever.

GRJ,

If I read these issues on ZW(L) for the first time I would pursue getting fixes like the bolt. I wonder if a blown PCB board (which is bad enough) isn't the only damage that may happen.

Ken

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I wonder if it would be a good idea for users to replace that bolt before it cooks the transformer.  I suspect Lionel is not going to fix these for free forever.

This reminds me of the issue regarding loose banana plug jacks on MTH's TIU.

How readily accessible is the bolt?  I assume that replacing it requires removing the plastic case?

I thought this thread was closed. I am grateful the webmaster reopened it. Lionel has replaced my ZW-L with a beautiful, shiny ZW-L. It does not looked used and Lionel has tested it out for me. It looks great. Thanks to Lionel. Saved me a LOT of money as it was out of warranty.

@Jerryrails

I am so glad to hear that your ZW(L) was taken care of by Lionel! I know what it means to have a fully functional and reliable main transformer for your layout. The Lionel guys working on repairs like yours and mine are doing wonderful work.

- Ken

I have to say that Lionel, and specifically Ryan and Dave, have been terrific in standing by their products in two situations I experienced over the last few years. The first was repairing a Cab 2 Base and the other was repairing a Lackawanna E8 AA set. Both were out of warranty. Lionel paid for the shipping both ways and the cost of the repairs. That made an indelible impression on me.

Pat  

On publishing thanks when it's due ...

Human nature sometimes seems too quick to complain or criticize. It's refreshing to hear a positive account of a repair transaction by Lionel for a customer. The benefit to Lionel -- and ultimately to its customers -- from doing the right thing in this situation is making an impressive demonstration of satisfaction through customer service.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394