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I have been repairing a few loco's I picked up to run on my new layout if and when I get to it. I am primarily a tin guy, but will have a loop for S. The reverse units generally seem easy to clean and repair but on a couple of them the plate & catch assembly stays in the up position every 3-6 cycles. A light tap and it drops and we go through the routine again. The assembly appears to be free, I have applied a little teflon to the frame sides to make sure it does not drag on the sides. This helps a little, but not completely. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

thanks

 

Steve

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I am looking forward to reading some tip and tricks for stickey AF reversing units too.

 

The armature on an AF reversing unit is made up of two pieces that are hinged together. Sometimes it helps to make certain the surfaces that rub against eachother are clean, and free of rust, grit and/or dirt.  I've tried putting a bit of Neolube between the plates (make certain they aren't stuck together when the Neolube dries.

Sometimes doing this helps, other times, it doesn't.

Hi the problem with relays in American Flyer E units in general, they will develope a little residual magnatism as they are being used, so it is good if you can create a little air gap, like a piece of scotch tape as mentioned above or better yet a little teflon tape, the trick is to keep the airgap small enough so you can get the travel needed to do the mechnical cycle. Also as mentioned any place you can improve the frictions points the better the unit will run.

 

As already mentioned these units are temperamental. They rarely get magnetized though, and if and when they do its best to take the plate off and give it an oil bath, clean thoroughly, clean out the pivot holes on the frame with a rat tail file, and replace as opposed to the tape trick. These units don't seem to have the same pull as a Lionel unit and the tape makes them not pawl at all or pawl weakly. Port Lines' tips are generally my tips as I've used them all. If the pawl is sticking on the up swing, make sure the contact fingers are not pressing too hard on the drum causing excess friction. The sticking pawl is the biggest problem. When apart I clean out the holes where the drum go gently with a rat tail file. Ensure that there are no burrs or marring to the "gear" part of the drum. File smoothly any imperfections or replace the drum. The pawl should float very freely on its pin. Resist the temptation to oil it, instead clean it with solvent to remove any lubricants. Clean the opening on the side where the pawl sticks through to remove any rough edges. If the pawl still sticks, bend the tip of the pawl up or down slightly with a needle nose pliers. These steps usually take care of the sticky AF e-units.

 

Gandy

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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