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Hi, All;

 

I have a number 4004 Susquehanna Dash-8 40B, #6-18218.  New to me. Obtained in used condition.

 

When I first put it on the track and applied power, the cab light came on, as did the flashing LED on top of the cab.  When I hit the direction button and it moved about 1/8", all went dark.  Could not see any life regardless of e-unit lockout switch, repositioning on the rails, nothing.

 

I pulled the cab off just to see if there was anything obvious; all 3 boards were in fine shape; no loose wires, etc.

 

I put it back on the track, and still  nothing. (did not re-attach cab - just sat it on top of the chassis). I pushed down on the cab just a bit as if to move it along the tracks a bit, and the light came on, and signs of motor life were heard. I removed my hand, and it moved about an inch, then died again.

 

Bottom line is that if I press anywhere near the forward truck assy, especially on left side of the chassis, it comes to life.  All is clean; has been cleaned; no wear, good spring pressure on the pickup, etc.

 

I just haven't had time to dig deeper, but will this weekend. To save time, is there anything "known" about the trucks/motor assy in these units that might be a common source to check? Maybe an insulating layer of plastic that might have shifted, or a pickup wire that might not have been placed correctly, etc?

 

Thanks for any suggestions;

Carl

 

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If you don't find anything loose, check for a cold solder joint somewhere. Little Chinese girls have Monday mornings just like anybody else, and I've fixed plenty of problems of that nature with a quick touch from a soldering pencil. 

 

That said, I suspect you'll find something obviously loose when you examine it closely. Sometimes the wire ends are not properly secured in the female plugs, resulting in bad connections. 

Originally Posted by Southwest Hiawatha:

Little Chinese girls have Monday mornings just like anybody else...

Now that Mr. Hiawatha has shown his ignorance, you'll be pleased to know that this piece was made in the US.

 

Having said that, there aren't any known issues with those locomotives, and the power-truck assembly is based upon one in use for ages. The lights in that locomotive are wired directly to the track without passing through any electronics, so if the locomotive is completely dead and dark, that's a big clue that it's not getting any power at all.

 

This locomotive's electrical system was assembled with wire nuts, and they can be a source of problems. The center rail rollers should be wired to one, and ground comes from one of the lugs on each motor. Find those particular two wire nuts (there will be a bunch of wires in each one for the lights, reversing unit, MARS light board for the roof light, etc.) and that's where I'd start finding where the problem could be.

 

I hope this helps.

TRW 

Last edited by PaperTRW

TRW - Even if the unit was assembled in the USA, the electronics are imported - and that's where you look for cold solder joints. The wire nuts are an excellent place to look; the wires can be disconnected inside even if they appear to be connected. Sometimes the bare portion of the wire is too short and it helps to strip the insulation off a bit more of the wire when reassembling. 

Originally Posted by Carl Orton:
Thanks for the suggestions, TRW; one thing I can't figure out is why, with the cab off, if I press on the FRAME next to the truck, it goes until my finger comes off.  I already re tightened the wire nuts but didn't do a tug test on em yet.

Carl,

 

This can be a difficult thing to diagnose remotely, and I'm not sure why you can get it to work when pressing on the frame near one of the motor trucks.

 

Each truck is identical in that both pick-up center rail and ground, and therefore there's a redundancy where one truck can supply power even when there's a problem with the other. That's why I suggested starting with the wire nuts, as it's where everything comes together.

 

TRW 

Last edited by PaperTRW

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