Trucks still slow after refurbishment

[MikeB]

I have 6 Tyco trucks that I have refurbished as described on your website, however, their performance varies. I have cleaned and replaced pick-up shoes, replaced tires, cleaned and lubed gears, and replaced one set of gears that were cracked. The only thing I have not done is use liquid bearings lubricant on the motor bearings. Can that really be the difference between 2 trucks that operate like new, 3 trucks that are a bit slow, and 1 truck that won't make it around the layout? Thanks.

 

[biddle]

No, the liquid bearings is not necessary to make the trucks run good, but I use it on many things around the house too so it's nice to have on hand.

Upload a video to youtube, you can use the app, etc. Copy & paste the video link here. It will be easier to tell what is going on by watching the video.

After I get done with the tear down and cleaning of the chassis, I let it sit on the terminal track without the tires on it and run to break in the motor. You need to start your troubleshooting with the terminal track and determine if the trucks are running properly. Then you can move on to the next step which is the connectivity of the track.

Since these are only factory 6.9/7.9 volts there is no margin for error, especially if the layout is huge. You test the track pieces by running the trucks slow and when they stop on a section of track, it does not have a good connection.

What tires are you using? The ones from ebay?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2820341698...pid=5338236430&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

This is what your troubleshooting track should look like:

 

[biddle]

All New Repair Video-

 

[MikeB]

Thanks for your reply and troubleshooting videos. I don't think my trucks' performance lies with my track as two of the trucks exhibit no performance problems. My layout is 23 feet. I use two power supplies, one for each side of the track, and connect to the tracks near the controllers and about one half the way around on the far side of the layout. My hope was this would compensate for the layout size. I did test the voltage on each piece of track, and the reading was typically 7 volts. My voltage tester only read in whole numbers. I recently purchased and installed new .475" e-bay tires on all trucks, cleaned the pick-up shoes, and cleaned and lubed the gears. As stated previously, 2 trucks run like new, 3 are slower. If I place any of the slower trucks on the same track with the "run like new" trucks, the "run like new" trucks will eventually lap them. The slower trucks do not exhibit poor performance; they just run a bit slower. That was the reason for my question, might lubricating the motors with the liquid bearings lubricant, be the final step outlined in your video to improve the slower trucks performance. The one truck that will not make it around the layout is the one that I replaced the white gears with black gears. Perhaps that truck is simply beyond repair. Thanks.

 

[biddle]

The one truck that will not make it around the layout is the one that I replaced the white gears with black gears. Perhaps that truck is simply beyond repair. Thanks.

No video? Guessing game without a video. The rails may need push up where they are getting stuck and variations in the pickup shoes can cause some trucks to pass with ease and others get stuck.


Maybe, but I've not seen a truck yet that could not be fully restored. The way the trucks are powered is very simplistic as you see in my service video. I took a 40 year old ragged out truck and it runs like new again after sitting for decades.


P.S. I use a single AFX power supply for this entire track and works fine on beginner level of power of 8v.

 

[MikeB]

I watched the various videos you posted with this forum thread and resolved one track issue. I read with much interest about your upgrade to the AFX Power Supply and noted in the comments that one person made use of a Tyco power pack to improve performance. I tried a similar 16.5 VDC power pack set at 50 percent of full throttle. Everything now works smoothly, and my four-year-old grandson can run without wrecking the trucks at full speed as I can customize the speed with the power pack throttle. Seems like a workable solution except when one truck is stopped the other truck picks up speed significantly. Now I am debating whether I should buy a second 16.5 VDC power pack or buy an AFX Power Supply. I do like that I can customize the speed with the power pack throttle, and I already have the left and right side of the tracks wired independently. Any thoughts?

 

[biddle]

I watched the various videos you posted with this forum thread and resolved one track issue. I read with much interest about your upgrade to the AFX Power Supply and noted in the comments that one person made use of a Tyco power pack to improve performance. I tried a similar 16.5 VDC power pack set at 50 percent of full throttle. Everything now works smoothly, and my four-year-old grandson can run without wrecking the trucks at full speed as I can customize the speed with the power pack throttle. Seems like a workable solution except when one truck is stopped the other truck picks up speed significantly. Now I am debating whether I should buy a second 16.5 VDC power pack or buy an AFX Power Supply. I do like that I can customize the speed with the power pack throttle, and I already have the left and right side of the tracks wired independently. Any thoughts?

8 Volts is plenty to make the trucks run fast. Anything over 9v will wreck the trucks.
When I setup my track, which as you can see is very large, I made sure the trucks could go around the entire track at a very slow speed. If you cannot do this, you have an issue with the connectivity of the current in the track. A lot of people avoid doing this and instead "juice" the track.

I use the AFX because it's a modern power supply and designed for slot cars and it runs at 1 amp some of the train power supplies are 5 amps! More amperage won't hurt, but isn't necessary. Too much voltage can be an issue though.

AFX is useless at 22v and at 12v you cannot run the trucks past 3/4 or they wreck.

AFX Tri-Power Pack: Offers three adjustable voltage settings:
8V @1.0A (Beginner)
12V @1.0A (Intermediate)
22V @1.0A (Expert)

The factory power packs were 6.9v and in toward end of production 7.9v. The 7.9v power packs make a big difference!