I bought Proto Power West repowering kits for my E60CP locomotives. However, i'm having a difficult time assembling the parts. One of the main problems is that the metal shaft that the worm gear is attached to, does not want to slip inside the universal joint coupling, and so its being a pain in my side. Does anyone have any advice on how to repower your locomotives literally from the ground up?
Repowering help needed!!!
- Thread starter green_elite_cab
- Start date
Try North West Short Line. They have motors -gears- u-joints- shafting. All the things you need for a repower.:thumb:
Try soaking the joint coupling in hot water. It will expand a little bit, maybe enough to fit. Then it will cool and contract.
Loren
Loren
I'm assuming that you mean simply "worm": the worm gear is the gear driven by the worm. Try chamfering the end of the shaft slightly to allow it to "get started".
Wayne
I finally got it to work. i held the shaft onto the concrete floor of my basement, and with the end of a rachet, i lightly hammered the part onto the shaft. Its tough to get it on, but once it is on, it is fairly easy to keep hammering it down. I already have it all ready to go for my E60MA, i just need to go back and do the same for the E60CH.
Still, how far should i push it down? I mean, it looks like its far enough, and so far everything is spinning right when the motor runs.
here is a picture of the setup so far. I know i need to attach the motor, but i'm going to install the wires before i do so.
Still, how far should i push it down? I mean, it looks like its far enough, and so far everything is spinning right when the motor runs.
here is a picture of the setup so far. I know i need to attach the motor, but i'm going to install the wires before i do so.
When the motor is in place you should have a little end to end "slop" in the drive shaft that goes from the flywheel u-joint to the worm gear u-joint. Other wise the drive shaft will bottom out and bind when the motor runs.
Loren
Loren
It almost looks as if the part that you installed on the wormshaft is too far onto the shaft: the "fingers" on the female part of the coupling appear to be almost touching the retainer clip that holds the worm in place (and secures the truck to the frame).
And Loren is correct: leave a bit of endplay in that splined shaft so that it doesn't bottom out when the trucks encounter vertical irregularities in the track.
Did you remember to "seat" the motor bearings? To do this, hold the motor in one hand, then apply power. As the motor runs at a low-to-medium speed, lightly tap the ends of the motor casing with the handle of a small screwdriver. You'll notice an audible difference in the speed of rotation. I suppose that you could measure current drawn to find the optimum "adjustment", but I find that doing it "by ear" is acceptable.
Wayne
And Loren is correct: leave a bit of endplay in that splined shaft so that it doesn't bottom out when the trucks encounter vertical irregularities in the track.
Did you remember to "seat" the motor bearings? To do this, hold the motor in one hand, then apply power. As the motor runs at a low-to-medium speed, lightly tap the ends of the motor casing with the handle of a small screwdriver. You'll notice an audible difference in the speed of rotation. I suppose that you could measure current drawn to find the optimum "adjustment", but I find that doing it "by ear" is acceptable.
Wayne
Seat the motor bearings? i didn't know i had to do that. what is the purpose of this? will it make the locomotive run smoother?
It may help the motor to run more smoothly. I went through my NWSL catalogue looking for that tip, but I can't seem to locate it. I was almost certain that that's where I had seen it. 
I also went through a binder of reference material that I've compiled over the years, again with no luck. I probably wouldn't have thought of this technique had I not read of it, but I can't find the source. It does seem to work, although not all motors will benefit, as some bearings are already in their optimum position. Obviously, the info doesn't seem to be important enough to have been repeated in the modelling press, so you can try this or skip it, as you choose. :neutral: I have seen improvement on some motors, but I've only remotored about 50 or 60 locos.
Wayne
I also went through a binder of reference material that I've compiled over the years, again with no luck. I probably wouldn't have thought of this technique had I not read of it, but I can't find the source. It does seem to work, although not all motors will benefit, as some bearings are already in their optimum position. Obviously, the info doesn't seem to be important enough to have been repeated in the modelling press, so you can try this or skip it, as you choose. :neutral: I have seen improvement on some motors, but I've only remotored about 50 or 60 locos. Wayne