My first experience with a screaming smoke fan!!

I've used Eric's cure but it was on a late model Legacy engine (which I think is the kind of model his video concerns), not an 11/12 year old TMCC engine. If your set is NIB and consequently has never been run I suppose that the fan motor lubricant may have dried out after years of being in storage. If you are going to open them up I think I'd try oiling the fan motor shafts before trying to replace the fan motors with the MTH ones.

 

Part of the reason I suggest that is I've never had a problem with a pre-Legacy Lionel fan motor. They certainly did get a bad batch of them a year or so back but before that I'd never had any of the sound/failure problems so widely reported.

 

Good luck!

Did you try letting it run for a while?

That happened to my Legacy C-420 when I first got it, and it ran just fine after I did that.

Keith - It ran about 5 - 10 minutes, if that, and it kept getting louder! I was really surprised those can make that much noise.

I tried Eric's method on an MTH 0-8-0 from 2001, and it worked quite well. Just make sure, as Eric says, you can open it up safely to lubricate the right point.

I think I ran them a bit longer than ten minutes, but I would try Eric's method.

Buy some of JT Megastem Eliminator it will get rid of the scream:

Here is before on one of my engines;

 

Here is after:

 

It really does work and he is a forum sponsor;

http://www.megasteam.com/

Scott Smith

Nothing to lose inspecting and oiling the motor bearing, unless these are under warranty.  Worse case is the bearing is bad and than you replace it with a new motor $6 to 8 depending on which motor you buy.  G

Jeff

JT's Eliminator did not work for me, but you could try it and you might get different result.  I found it at Berwyn's.  I think I saw it at America's Best too.  However, I would oil it or replace the fan.  Ken

I always make it a point to oil the smoke unit fan motor bearing(s) anytime I have the unit opened to re-wick. Just pull the fan impeller off the shaft with some needle-nose pliers and put one drop around the shaft&bushing.

In Jeff's case, these units have been on the shelf drying out for 11 years, no wonder they might be in need of some oil.... (The grease in the gearboxes also needs to be re-freshed; I just had a friend bring his 18056 Hudson by with a complaint it wouldn't run. He was right; - the gearbox was almost solidified with hardened grease. Once I removed it and re-lubed with some Lucas Red 'n Tacky, it runs like new).

I've also been on the opposite end of this problem - a smoke fluid soaked motor that will not run at all. I've successfully revived two of these by swishing the entire motor around in some rubbing alcohol and then blowing dry with some compressed air. Afterwards, re-oil the bearing and try again. So far they continue to run. Too much smoke fluid seeping into the motor insulates the brushes from the commutator.

Ken - At 11 years old I'm leaning towards the drop of oil with new fan motors nearby!!