Rebuilding diesel motor from MPC era lionels

Sound to me like a bad solder connection on one armature winding to the commutator face.

Pictures would help narrow down exactly what you have, but you can start looking at these breakdowns:

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...ent32/32Complete.pdf (see S32:1-5 - pg 10)

http://olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/loc600p2.pdf

Chuck Sartor posted:

Sound to me like a bad solder connection on one armature winding to the commutator face.

I agree!  But I don't think it's that.  That is something I've seen a bunch of since I started playing with these big Lionel trains from the olden days to the early 80's, is a lot of hodge podge poorly done repair jobs.  

I'm pretty good at soldering and have resoldered a bunch of connections and gotten my stuff working much better.

This particular engine just doesn't seem to like to start up and I did touch of a few parts of solder.  And I tried a different armature in the motor, I have 2 of them and they are both displaying the same exact symptoms.  And it doesn't matter which position the armature is in, more often than not, it just wasn't start unless you get the wheels spinning.   But sometimes it will start up. 

I did take apart the reversing unit and completely cleaned and polished up the roller and it is working well.  

bmoran4 posted:

Pictures would help narrow down exactly what you have, but you can start looking at these breakdowns:

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...ent32/32Complete.pdf (see S32:1-5 - pg 10)

http://olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/loc600p2.pdf

 

 

I have a hard time navigating Lionel's site.  Is there a link to a pdf of the older Pullmor motors with the exploded parts listing?

I see a part that I think might be missing in my truck.  The ball bearing part number 600-110.   

I wonder if that is the cause of all my issues?

I will get pictures later when I get home. 

The Lionel 600-110 is essential if originally equipped. It is a 5/64 ball bearing.

bobotech posted:

..I originally got the engine minus the trailing power pickup truck (it did have the motor drive truck)...

MPC trucks all had integral pickups, so you probably have a postwar 600 series motor, which makes sense, as this is a common problem.

Once you get the bearing in place, you will have to fix the lower bearing plate:

[quote user="cwburfle"]The problem you describe is caused by the the plastic bearing plate on the bottom of the motor (between the wheels) being loose. If you turn the loco upsidedown while the motor is binding, you can use your finger to press the plate from side to side. You will find that with the plate held to one side it will run well, and when pressed to the other side it will run even worse than when you don't touch the plate.

Lionel recommended using a sharp, pointy punch to dimple the aluminum side of the motor frame to push the plate in the proper direction. I have fixed the problem by slipping a paper matchstick on the appropriate side.[/quote]

I have had good luck using tiny black anodized self-tapping screws into drilled pilot holes to hold the bearing in place.

For a non-destructive fix, use CRC QD or any non-residue contact cleaner, clean ALL oil & residue from between the sideframes & the bearing, using the nozzle to spray into the crevice.  Dry it out well, several hours or overnight with a light airflow.

Now use the regular "thin"(not gel) CA adhesive("Super Glue", Eastman 910, etc.) and flow the cement into the crevice on both sides, letting it creep in by capillary action to fill the gap.

In about 10 minutes, the loco is ready to be lubed(grease on gears, oil on pivots & bearings/axles - don't forget to grease the lower armature bushing below the worm) and will run like new. 

OK, so we are talking about a 60's era engine, Not a MPC version? Also check if the motor frame is tight. Sometimes the factory staking together don't get them tight enough and work loose. You shouldn't have any metal movement or it will bind.