I have purchased a preowned Lionel 6-31936 set (Pennsylvania Flyer RTR). Unfortunately, the locomotive doesn't start on its own. When on track, all I get is the light plus the sound from the tender. The engine doesn't move until I push it. Once pushed, it runs fine but the transformer has to be at 70 or over setting. Any lower and it will slow down and stall.
So far I have did the following:
1. Cleaned the track and wheels. They are nice and shine now.
2. Measured voltage at the farthest part of the oval from the transformer. All is good and it doesn't drop when engine is moving.
3. Took the body off and cleaned smoke fluid from the smoke generator's housing to prevent any shorts.
4. Removed old grease from the plastic gears and applied new white lithium grease.
5. Verified that the wheels are turning easily without binding.
6. Applied voltage directly from transformer to the pickup rollers and wheels. No movement from the wheels.
Any tips on what to check next? This unit has a single DC motor and the electronic E-unit. All wires appear to be in good shape. Switches for the smoke and direction are working fine.
