Well I guess it all started while transversing over my #117 post war switches. Apparently the rear loco pickup roller came up to a chassis screw and welded itself to it. Bad location,minimal clearance. This in turn melted red wire in teather end to end. After repair I have lost backup lite and electrocoulper still opens crossing my 711 switches. I need the factory reset code to continue, any help is appreciated.
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If it melted that wire, chances are it damaged the coupler and backup light wire as well, both are in the tether. I don't think a factory reset is going to change things.
I forgot to mention that I have installed the cap across coupler.i tried reset 740,now have backup lite, but lost chug at speed!
There was a thread on this forum, probably ten years ago, that showed a burnt trace on one of the circuit boards. That caused the coupler to open. Jumper that trace, fix the original cause, and you are good to go.
Reset code is Aux1 4 unless the boards have been changed. This is a simple RS4 in the tender. Usually the coupler is fired from the RS4 board via serial data from the engine. The red wire that melted may have been a 3rd rail jumper from the tender back to the engine.
If you have chuff starting up but then lose it it may be the chuff switch in the engine. Otherwise it may be serial data not getting to the RS boards.
Not sure how how shorting the pickup roller to chassis would have taken out serial data unless more than wire's insulation melted.
Pete
Thanks to everyone for your info and experience. I need to take a break and maybe sleep on it, sometimes that help's.
Forgot to mention that when I had the tether open their was a brown wire looped back toward the loco with no termination and to short to reach the tender PC board,any ideas? Roy do you remember the article title on the open trace? And why can I run all over my layout with no problem till I come to a switch?
Norton posted:Reset code is Aux1 4 unless the boards have been changed. This is a simple RS4 in the tender. Usually the coupler is fired from the RS4 board via serial data from the engine. The red wire that melted may have been a 3rd rail jumper from the tender back to the engine.
Many K-Line steam locomotives have a discrete wire for the coupler and the backup lights.
OK, I just checked my K-Line Hudson also a 5343S. I did find somewhat of an anomaly though as the markings on the audio motherboard don't match up.
The colors for sure.
Red is in fact hot or 3rd rail and black is common.
Violet is serial data.
The brown/tan wire on the tether goes to a pin marked RC (rear coupler).
The light blue wire goes to a pin marked RL (rear light).
The anomaly is the RC pin goes to light and the RL pin goes to the coupler.
I didn't trace it back into the engine so I don't know what the colors actually connect to on the R2LC.
It makes sense the red wire melted as its a smaller gauge than the wires coming from the rollers.
Can't help with the other issues without actually looking at it.
And John is right, the R2LC drives the lights and couplers directly, not via serial data.
Pete
Pete, it has to work that way as the RS4 board has no capability to handle the couplers or light.
The RS5 board, although never appearing in stock K-Line stuff, does have provisions for both the coupler and the backup light. It also handles the IR receiver, so the AD20 board that was used in Lionel RS4 wireless tether equipped locomotives was not needed with RS5 or later sound boards. As some point I'd like to try a wireless tether with an upgrade using the RS5 board, maybe my Williams Cab Forward... 
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