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Post by firewood on Mar 21, 2024 19:22:17 GMT
Question for the repair wizards.
A friend and I have been puzzling over a Lionel Alco FA that has e-unit issues - it won't run in reverse no matter which way the motor is connected.
On the two-field motors, the wiring diagram shows a straight-forward hookup.
The two field windings - red and green - have been connected in all the combinations and the 2-position e-unit is new.
The 2-position e-unit cycles perfectly but the motor stubbornly runs in one direction only.
The locomotive seems to be a basic train-set unit that has all pickup and return through the power truck only. The power truck has the rollers running on a plastic frame, not the usual roller assembly. The other truck has no connection from frame to ground - it's all plastic.
So, the question - did these train set locomotives with two-field motors have the field coils wound differently to a two-field motor in a higher-end motor? Is there something I'm missing?
Dave
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Mar 21, 2024 23:41:02 GMT
Question for the repair wizards. A friend and I have been puzzling over a Lionel Alco FA that has e-unit issues - it won't run in reverse no matter which way the motor is connected. On the two-field motors, the wiring diagram shows a straight-forward hookup. The two field windings - red and green - have been connected in all the combinations and the 2-position e-unit is new. The 2-position e-unit cycles perfectly but the motor stubbornly runs in one direction only. The locomotive seems to be a basic train-set unit that has all pickup and return through the power truck only. The power truck has the rollers running on a plastic frame, not the usual roller assembly. The other truck has no connection from frame to ground - it's all plastic. So, the question - did these train set locomotives with two-field motors have the field coils wound differently to a two-field motor in a higher-end motor? Is there something I'm missing? No idea, but have you tried applying power directly to the two windings, bypassing the E-unit? You'd at least be able to confirm the motor is wound correctly (leaving the E-unit as the likely culprit), or know where the problem lies.
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Post by firewood on Mar 25, 2024 0:47:45 GMT
Thanks Steve,
There’s the rub - if the e-unit is left out of the circuit and I try combinations of one field or the other (or both fields) there’s no difference. The motor runs just fine, but in forward only. I haven’t unwound any of the coil because the field laminations are riveted into the mounting plate and I don’t want to start messing with re-riveting. I couldn’t swear to it but it looks like the red and green coil wires are wound together in the same direction.
Curiouser and curiouser…
Dave
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Post by BobS2056 on Mar 26, 2024 1:53:17 GMT
I am not a repair wizard BUT
Sure sounds like a e-unit issue to me (fingers not making good contact?)
What Locomotive number do you have?
Could you post some photos with the shell off and the underside trucks area
Some have a motor conical grounding spring (looks like #622-133) goes between the stud/lug on lower side of motor and the truck frame, bad grounds do some strange things.
Just my 2cents
Bob
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Post by firewood on Mar 27, 2024 5:11:41 GMT
I am not a repair wizard BUT Sure sounds like a e-unit issue to me (fingers not making good contact?) What Locomotive number do you have? Could you post some photos with the shell off and the underside trucks area Some have a motor conical grounding spring (looks like #622-133) goes between the stud/lug on lower side of motor and the truck frame, bad grounds do some strange things. Just my 2cents Bob Thanks Bob, much appreciated. 👍👍 I have everything disassembled at the moment, but will post some pics as I start to work through it again. A friend sent me a wiring diagram I hadn’t seen before, so I’m trying that one next. In one diagram I noticed one of the solder lugs for wire location has an insulating washer that isn’t there on my project. That’s my next kick at the cat. Dave
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