# Another AF 293 electrical question



## Monkeyleg (Apr 22, 2014)

In another thread I was asking about finding an e-unit. I got one, put on new fingers, and it works great. The motor runs strong. If I put the tender car and the locomotive chassis on a few sections of track, it runs great.

When I put the locomotive body shell on, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I noticed some sparks at the track up at the front truck, which didn't make sense. I put a meter to the shell and to various wires from the e-unit. Wires going to each side of the field winding, wires going to the brushes, and wires going to the light and the smoke unit. I got a completely closed circuit, 0 resistance on all.

Even with the body shell off, I get 0 resistance between parts of the chassis and all of the various wires on the e-unit. 

Is this normal? How could the motor run if everything is going to ground, and thus everything is connected?


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Make sure you have some type of electrical shield around the smoke unit's wire lugs. They sometimes will short out against the metal boiler. Flyers came from the factory with a piece of tape around that part of the smoke unit to prevent shorts.


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## Monkeyleg (Apr 22, 2014)

There's voltage everywhere. Even if I disconnect the smoke unit/"chug tube" from the chassis, the chassis is still getting voltage somewhere. And this is with the bracket from the tender car disconnected, so only the wires from the tender car are touching any parts of the locomotive. I think it can only be from the magnet. 

I can put it on track and it runs for a few feet, stops, starts, does nothing, sparks... I can hook alligator clips with wires to the pickups and it runs fine.

I can't sell it like this as a running locomotive. I've put in way too many hours dinking with this. I'm just going to sell it for parts.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Monkeyleg said:


> There's voltage everywhere. Even if I disconnect the smoke unit/"chug tube" from the chassis, the chassis is still getting voltage somewhere. And this is with the bracket from the tender car disconnected, so only the wires from the tender car are touching any parts of the locomotive. I think it can only be from the magnet.
> 
> I can put it on track and it runs for a few feet, stops, starts, does nothing, sparks... I can hook alligator clips with wires to the pickups and it runs fine.
> 
> I can't sell it like this as a running locomotive. I've put in way too many hours dinking with this. I'm just going to sell it for parts.


I like your last sentence..Too many hours drinking on this.. Oops, I meant dinking,lol.... It sounds like one of your white insulators is causing the problem. Check them out real good, and I think you'll spot a loose insulator. Or, one of the wheels itself is coming into contact with the chassis.The problem sounds like when you place it on the tracks, you get the problem, so I believe it can only be 1 of 2 things, and that's what I described above....


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## Monkeyleg (Apr 22, 2014)

I don't know where the white insulators are, but I've suspected for quite some time that whatever was insulating the wheel assembly from the rest of the tender car had a short. 

There's a metal wheel (copper, I think) on the front truck and one on the rear truck of the tender car. I'm assuming that those are supposed to go on the same sides as the pickups. Correct?


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Monkeyleg said:


> I don't know where the white insulators are, but I've suspected for quite some time that whatever was insulating the wheel assembly from the rest of the tender car had a short.
> 
> There's a metal wheel (copper, I think) on the front truck and one on the rear truck of the tender car. I'm assuming that those are supposed to go on the same sides as the pickups. Correct?


On the tender there should be 4 sets of 2 wheels.If you turn the tender upside down, there should be 2 wheel sets, on the front truck the metal wheels should be on the right. At the rear truck, the metal wheels should be on the left...
The white insulators I'm talking about are the white rims on the drive wheels of the engine. There's 6 total on a 293. Many times the rims will become loose from the white insulators, and you get a short. The engine will run fine when you lift it up and not place it on the track, but as soon as you place it on the track, it will short out and cause sparking, and it won't run for more than a couple of inches. That's because the insulator is loose, and it's causing the wheel rim/ insulator to wobble. If you still can't get this great little engine running, send it to me and we'll get it fixed up for you. A 293 is a great engine. Just pay the shipping back and forth, and I'll handle the parts.


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## Monkeyleg (Apr 22, 2014)

Thanks for the help, flyernut. I have the metal wheel on the right in front. I figured it should go on the same side as the pickup (or whatever you call the track contacts).

The white rims seem to be fine. The locomotive will often go for several lengths of track. The track is in pretty bad shape, so that doesn't help. It's probably connecting and disconnecting with the movement of the locomotive.

That's a very generous offer. I wouldn't feel right about it, though, as I'm just going to sell this (or part it out). I'm trying to clear out things I'm not using while I'm still young enough to do so.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Monkeyleg said:


> Thanks for the help, flyernut. I have the metal wheel on the right in front. I figured it should go on the same side as the pickup (or whatever you call the track contacts).
> 
> The white rims seem to be fine. The locomotive will often go for several lengths of track. The track is in pretty bad shape, so that doesn't help. It's probably connecting and disconnecting with the movement of the locomotive.
> 
> That's a very generous offer. I wouldn't feel right about it, though, as I'm just going to sell this (or part it out). I'm trying to clear out things I'm not using while I'm still young enough to do so.


MANY times, and I do mean MANY, people, myself included WANT an engine that doesn't run. It's something we can just putz around with.. If you're going to sell it,heck, I'll buy it, non-running. Send me a PM...:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Nuttin But Flyer (Dec 19, 2011)

Sounds like a win-win situation in the making.....


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