Engine Problems

[TH&B Hamilton]

I have an HO Life-Like Proto 2000 GP7 that is having engine problems. When I place it on the track with all 8 wheels making contact, it does not run. If I lean the engine slightly left or right leaving only all four left wheels or the opposite all four right wheels on the track, the engine begins to "HUM" and the headlights go one.

What could be the problem? I am still on DC.

 

[timlange3]

Sounds like the engine is crossing a block boundary that has different polarity. The front wheels are on a 'positive' rail, the rear wheels on a 'negative' rail. Is there a gap in the rail between the front and rear wheels?

 

[FCL2117]

If it's sitting on one piece of track and behaving like this, I think that one truck, or one or more axle, got reversed.

 

[Cjcrescent]

Sounds like the locomotive just needs a good cleaning. Have you ever taken the body off to do any maintenance on it? It sounds like the contacts in the mechanism are dirty.

 

[Cjcrescent]

If it's sitting on one piece of track and behaving like this, I think that one truck, or one or more axle, got reversed.

This model has split axles and it doesn't matter if a wheelset is reversed. If a truck is reversed a direct short would be the result.

 

[timlange3]

I don't think it is an engine issue, I think it is track related. He says it hums if the wheels on just one side are making contact with the rail.

 

[FCL2117]

So how can the light come on and the engine hum if only one side is on the rail? Assuming that it's not the block issue already mentioned, that is.

 

[trailrider]

Sounds like there is a short between the two separate sides of a truck or possibly between the truck and the frame.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

It would have to be straddling a power block to get that kind of response.
Did you do any work on the model?
What kind of track are you putting the loco on? Is it just a single loop or a layout with turnouts?
What is the power supply? Did you do any recent work on the track or wiring?

 

[cmaceeepc]

Have you had the engine running or is it a recent acquisition?

Try laying the engine down in a service cradle and use test leads to each wheel to see if it still "hums", runs or doesnt.
(A common reason for motors to "hum" (stalled) is that something is jammed and wont let the motor rotate)

If it still doesnt want to play remove the shell and apply test leads direct to motor.
Also using a multi meter check voltage at various points along track

See how that goes

cmaceeepc
Craig

 

[Jefreyy]

Well in my point of view this is a engine issue, check the engine cables and lights, and also
check multi meter voltage points along track.




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[dinwitty]

do other engines run fine? (clueing in on a throttle problem)

sounds like a body short/truck short,

does it have a dcc decoder but running dc? decoder may have gone bad

 

[Sirfoldalot]

This being one of the Proto 2000 models ... What kind of response would the loco have to the famous "cracked/broken" axel problem that they are famous for?

 

[Espeefan]

This being one of the Proto 2000 models ... What kind of response would the loco have to the famous "cracked/broken" axel problem that they are famous for?

It would run but make a "click click click" noise as it rolls. Also, not all P2K had those problems. Four axle locos and a few E units that were fitted with 42" wheelsets are prone to that. I have half a dozen PA's, about the same amount of E units (sixes and eights), many SW-9/1200's three or four SD-9's and have NEVER encountered a cracked axle gear.

 

[Cjcrescent]

The only other thing that comes to mind, goes back to the split axles in the truck. I bet the truck is out of gauge and one axle is touching the other axle in the truck. A NMRA gauge will prove/disprove this theory.