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Z-4000

IF you have had a failure of a MTH Z-4000, please check the serial number of your unit, read below and let me know if your serial number is in the range of 119865###?

My train club has had 2 units fail, including 1 unit that failed, was repaired, and had the same failure again. The failures are either right handle inoperable or melted wire nut connector on back.  Our 2 problem units are within 300 serial number units.....

Z #1   119865544                      Z#2  119865245
 
Our club has several other Z-4000's and many of our members as well have Z-4000's and there are no reported issues and the serial numbers are not in this range.
 
I'll look forward to your reply.
 

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  • Z-4000: Melted Wire Nut Connector
Last edited by Jim Schababerle
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any transformer no matter who makes it can fail from a melted terminal if the holding nuts on the terminals inside the transformer becomes loose. don't blame the transformer it is not that difficult to check the inside terminals for tightness, if you don't feel comfortable I'm sure you have a friend in your hobby that would be glad to check your transformers for you weather it is a Lionel or MTH model!!!

Alan

P,S. THE P[ROBLEM IS WHEN THERE IS A Loose connections that creates heat and the heat makes the joint draw extra amps that it was not designed for, if you have loose circuit breaker wires in you home you could have your house burn down, always want to make sure your wiring is tight connection no matter what you are working on ok.!

good luck   

I have seen that.  It happens with the nut inside that holds the connectors in place being loose.  It is not something that happens with one release.   It is not an issue related to any number.

Alan is correct.  I have one on the layout that was given to me with that issue.  I run several Z4K transformers and have opened all of them to check for this issue.   Easy to fix.

@GGG, Thanks for your request for clarification.  This Z-4000  melted down at a one of our shows,  though there was nothing unusual about our layout at this show.  It was a common configuration that we had been using for other shows earlier in the season.   See attached picture......the melt down was on the right handle.  Our curiosity is that another transformer that we had been using earlier in the year also failed on the right handle side, though not a melt down issue. We sent that one in for repair, received it back, and it was still not operating when we received it.

For this example, with the melt down, we were trying to operate a TMCC crane car with 18 volts.   Transformer showed 18 volts and  6 amps and track read 3 volts.   The crane car had been removed, since it was not working at 3 volts.  We believe there was NOTHING on the rails to draw current at the time of the melt down.  Someone smelled the "burnt" smell and shut everything down and we found the condition pictured.

Hindsight, being 20/20. 18 volts and 6 amps is a lot of power to run a crane. Checking actual voltage probably done after meltdown. 

I had a similiar problem. Where those output wires plug into the power board the socket failed. Most likely a poor connection. My 20/20 Hindsight is do not waste a Z-4000 throttle running lights at 16 volts and 8.5 amps. Normal parameters but time of use pushed it over the edge.

Was this Z4000 of Korean,Chinese or Thai (Thailand) manufacture? I and several friends all have 20-30 between us.Interestingly, it appears the earlier Korean Z's have had the most problems,I've fixed several with loose handles and pots.. The Chinese Z's seemed to be made with lighter/thinner materials,the housing/handles . The most recent Z's made in Thailand have had no issues and seem to be the most "robust"and the workmanship/ internal components appear to be superior. 

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

BOOMER,

    Are the MTH Z4K's identified in any manner on the Transformers, allowing owners to know were the Z4K was actually made?

PCRR/Dave

Yes they are. The first 2 digits are the month produced, i.e. 01= January, 02= February, 12= December. The next 2 digits, (positions 3 & 4) are the last 2 digits of the year, 16 = 2016, 98 = 1998. Examples:

0398XXXXX = March 1998 one of the first runs

1198XXXXX = November 1998

1001XXXXX = October 2001

Steve

 

Hello L & N...........

I think what BOOMER mentioned of "WHERE" the Z4000's are made from as on mine ,it says Thailand as its is clearly marked on the flat white outer shipping carton in bold letters " MADE IN THAILAND"  so I would think the others would be as marked in Korean, China........ On mine Z4000, the S/N is 101145599 (Oct 2011) which I bought new in Dec 2012.  I have used mine a lot using Williams F-3's ABA units, all powered 6 motors total and this unit didn't even warm up @ 13 volts / 7amps ( ABA and 13 cars).  My Z4000 is 5 years old and still works great to this day.  The posts are all tight go figure !!

Tiffany

Last edited by Tiffany

RJR,

   My original is around 15 years old and I am not sure how old the other 2 I picked up used, really are, I will look on the shipping Carton of my original to see where it was made. The shipping containers of the other 2 are long gone. I was hoping that on the actual Z4K Transformer there was some kind of ident, showing this information.  Other than one of my used Z4K's having the voltage display 1.7V low to the digital read out, they all work perfectly.  All my Z4K side receivers have worked perfectly also.

 

L&N,

   Is there any way we can tell by MFG date, which country the Z4K Transformers were made in?

PCRR/Dave

 

Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad

As a first time post attempt, let me say thanks for your feedback and contributions..  With the last couple of posts I believe we gone off track on a tangent and that would be a good time to close/suspend this discussion.

I will share an update after we complete our repairs.  That may take a while.  Until then "Stay on track." Cheers!

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