# HELP! I accidentally overfilled smoke fluid!



## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

So I just received a used 0-6-0 steam engine and accidentally put twice the 4 drop dosage of train smoke fluid into the loco. Now the bottom of the train has a film of oil that I fear will not be good to keep on. How can I clean this loco and get it to start creating smoke?


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## IronManStark (Jan 15, 2017)

You can use a small syringe with a flat tip needle to pull out the extra oil. A q-tip with a little dish soap & water should help clean up the rest. 


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

IronManStark said:


> You can use a small syringe with a flat tip needle to pull out the extra oil. A q-tip with a little dish soap & water should help clean up the rest.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sorry I don’t have a syringe. Is there another way to get it out? Like could I leave it upside down overnight?


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## IronManStark (Jan 15, 2017)

I guess ... however it will probably cover everything inside your loco shell with oil.... 
I don’t recommend it, however it’s your call. You can also try to just run it , and burn the fluid off. 


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

I wouldn't worry about it. Just clean up the excess and run it in smoke mode.


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

IronManStark said:


> I guess ... however it will probably cover everything inside your loco shell with oil....
> I don’t recommend it, however it’s your call. You can also try to just run it , and burn the fluid off.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I will probably just burn it out. With a rough estimate about how long do you think it will take to all burn out?


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

D&J Railroad said:


> I wouldn't worry about it. Just clean up the excess and run it in smoke mode.


Is there a way to turn off smoke mode? Also how long does it take to start smoking while it’s overflowed?


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

Also there is still some slickness on the undercarriage. That won’t affect the way the loco runs will it?


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

Ok so the smoke is coming out now, thank you for your help everyone!


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

The smoke fluid doesn't really burn it's vaporized. It's a light oil. Mineral oil of some form.


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

Severn said:


> The smoke fluid doesn't really burn it's vaporized. It's a light oil. Mineral oil of some form.


Burn/vaporize whichever term works. Also why is it that the loco has to be going sort of fast to produce smoke?


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

If it's a DC loco, you need a certain voltage to the rails to get the motor to turn, and more voltage means more speed. It also heats up the smoke generator that much more, so more smoke. Notice that the headlamp at the front of the loco gets brighter as well.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Normal procedure is to turn the loco upside down, and let it drain out.Years ago my younger son over-filled his Lionel loco, and it stopped smoking. I took it to the local dealer, and his "mechanic/technician" turned it upside down over-night and that cured the problem.. It also cost me $10 bucks for this "fix".. I never went back to that store.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

If you're running DCC your smoke on and off should be F7. There may be a switch under the steam dome too. Read the manual for your loco.


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## Hotrainewbie (Feb 14, 2021)

It’s a dc loco, I didn’t want to take my chances at getting the shell full of oil. The bottom of the loco was hard enough to clean. Thanks everyone


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## Billy 2 Wolves (May 22, 2018)

Hotrainewbie said:


> Sorry I don’t have a syringe. Is there another way to get it out? Like could I leave it upside down overnight?


Perhaps an eye dropper: the older type glass tube with rubber top.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

My 2 cents...
Smoke is evil.


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## Sideways (Jan 25, 2021)

Hotrainewbie said:


> It’s a dc loco, I didn’t want to take my chances at getting the shell full of oil. The bottom of the loco was hard enough to clean. Thanks everyone


Good call, its utter misery trying to get the shells off of those 0-6-0s. I removed the smoke generator from one of mine as it was melting the stack and its oil caused the track to get slippery when I tested it, and it took ages to gently pry up the shell so as not to break or stress the body.


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