# Repairing a Tyco Motor



## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

OK OK I know these are disposable but I want to make them work
Was running my tyco's, I have three two steamers with the motor in the tender and one Diesel and they all have the same motor in them.

First the diesel issue , it was running around fine and then it stopped and it just made a tiny buzzing sound

One steamer was running great and it too just just stopped, the light was on and it made no sound

The other steamer stopped and the motor was running but it was not moving

I completely dis assembled the diesel motor first down to taking the motor completely apart. But before I did that I tested the motor and thought it was running but it was just vibrating and I think the armature was just vibrating back and forth
OK I cleaned it like new, removing all the dried up grease and reassembling it was a real chore especially getting the armature springs and brush's back in place, I figured a way to do it and put it all back together. All the individual drive gears spin smoothly and the armature with the pinion gear spins when power is applied but when I connect all the parts together it just will not turn it just vibrates and buzz's. Could the armature be shot? I did not see any indication of burning or overheating and it did not smell burnt.

thoughts anyone????


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## lajrmdlr (Apr 25, 2014)

Bkubiak said:


> OK OK I know these are disposable but I want to make them work
> Was running my tyco's, I have three two steamers with the motor in the tender and one Diesel and they all have the same motor in them.
> 
> First the diesel issue , it was running around fine and then it stopped and it just made a tiny buzzing sound
> ...


Replace them all w/ can motors & be done with the old motors. The old ones will just kept breaking down all the time.


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

A frequent issue is the metal gear on the armature shaft comes loose. In that case the shaft is turning, but the gear is not. The buzz could be the shaft rotating in the gear. I would try to see if the armature wheel is rotating. Generally, if the magnet losses it's flux, it happens over a period of time. A lot of sudden direction changes will reduce it. It unlikely will cause it to stop working suddenly. If it is what I indicate, a solution is to roughen the shaft and replace the gear. It doesn't take much. 

Putting a different motor in these engines is a whole new layer of difficulty. If your speriously thinking about doing it, you should be thinking about changing the engine as well. The cost will probably be less.
Larry
www.llxlocomotives.com


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## THE TYCO MAN (Aug 23, 2011)

Clean wheels right? A can motor on a Tyco Power Torque as it's called is a real chore! A Tyco GP20 will fit a Athearn blue box GP7/9. A CDROM is a slight improvement in the tender drive. Just need a few drill bits and a Dremel with a die grinder.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

THE TYCO MAN said:


> Clean wheels right? A can motor on a Tyco Power Torque as it's called is a real chore! A Tyco GP20 will fit a Athearn blue box GP7/9. A CDROM is a slight improvement in the tender drive. Just need a few drill bits and a Dremel with a die grinder.


I have the motor out of the loco and was connecting power directly to the brush caps, the armatures is vibrating rapidly back and forth,


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

The way electric motors work is the windings keep changing polarity. The windings in this case are in the wheel. On these wheels there are three sets of windings. It sounds like the polarity is not switching properly. How did you clean the wheel surface? Did you also clean the line between the windings. It is possible that two adjacent are the same polarity some how. Or one is dead. Either way it does sound good.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

ggnlars said:


> The way electric motors work is the windings keep changing polarity. The windings in this case are in the wheel. On these wheels there are three sets of windings. It sounds like the polarity is not switching properly. How did you clean the wheel surface? Did you also clean the line between the windings. It is possible that two adjacent are the same polarity some how. Or one is dead. Either way it does sound good.


I cleaned with 70% alcohol, the worst part was behind the plastic gears it was all dried up grease. I did not pay attention to see how the three sets of windings were connected to each other


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

I missed some key statements in the initial post. You said the motor spins when power was applied. But when you put it all together it vibrated but did not run. The spinning when power is applied, means the motor runs. The problem is when you put the wheels and truck bottom in place with the screws tight it does not run. I have experienced this before. What I think has happened is that the axes and the slots that they run in have some oxidation. When you tighten the plastic truck bottom, it acts like a brake pad. The motor can not overcome the drag. You can test this a couple of ways. First loosen the screws on the truck bottom a quarter to half turn. Apply power and see if it runs. If so that is the problem. If it still does not run, the bind may be coming from the vertices surfaces from the slot the axles are in. Either way, you need to smooth these surfaces. I use a light grade sand paper. Rub it on the bearing surfaces in these 3 slots. Also wrap it around the axle and rotate a wheel polishing the axle. After dong this, The engine will likely run fine. If this does solve it, you need some electricity conducting lubricant to use on these bearings in the long term. Let us know if that solves the problem.
Larry
www.llxlocomotives.com


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Yes it spins with no gears attached, but when I attached the big black gear and the little black gear behind that to the motor and then put the tiny metal pinion gear on the motor shaft, it all turns fine by hand, but when I put the power to it, it vibrates, I did not put the wheels and the bottom plate on.


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

The motor is not producing any significant torque. It stalls with only the gear load. The magnet flux is likely too low or the winding polarity is not strong. Because it spins, I would say it is the magnets. I would grit another motor. 
Larry


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

ggnlars said:


> The motor is not producing any significant torque. It stalls with only the gear load. The magnet flux is likely too low or the winding polarity is not strong. Because it spins, I would say it is the magnets. I would grit another motor.
> Larry


Here is the loco and the motor I have


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Bkubiak said:


> Here is the loco and the motor I have



Here is the Royal Blue Motor


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

If you desperately want to fix,as opposed to replace, this motor you might try testing the armature coils with an ohm meter. The vibrating may be due to one of the coils being burned out. if so, replacing the motor would be the only practical solution.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Bkubiak said:


> Here is the Royal Blue Motor


These are the pictures I wrote about of the life like loco


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## Cab1 (Jul 26, 2009)

I converted a Tyco GG-1 electric to DCC with sound. It had the same motor you have in your Northern. I re-motored it with a DVD motor and swapped out the bulbs for LED's. It runs, but I would never do it again - it's a lot of work and it's not prototypical. It sounds like a diesel.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

the cd/dvd upgrade takes a bit of time, but does give an excellent end result... use the load/unload motor, pretty close to the right size


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

GGNLARS is sending me some good motors and some parts I needed, by this time next week I should have my three tyco's up and running
I really want to get a BLI Mikado 2-8-2 DCC W/paragon sound and smoke or a BLI 4-6-2 PRR with sound and smoke and an NCE Starter Set, gotta start saving up.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Got My Tyco Chattanooga Loco Running, it runs surprisingly good with a few small issues.
Starts off very slow and just builds up to speed, once running and all warmed up it will suddenly slow down, run slower for a few feet and then speed back up, what can be causing that.
The motor is in the tender and I see the tender appears to be bouncing along instead of running smoothly??????? 
On the plus side it is a good smoker with a bright headlight and appears to have good pulling power


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## Mr. SP (Jan 7, 2015)

*Tyco*

Tyco stuff just isn't a quality product. Instead of doing a lot of work and spending a lot of time and money JUNK 'EM and buy a quality locomotive. If there is some sentimental value then make shelf queens out of them


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Bkubiak said:


> Got My Tyco Chattanooga Loco Running, it runs surprisingly good with a few small issues.
> Starts off very slow and just builds up to speed, once running and all warmed up it will suddenly slow down, run slower for a few feet and then speed back up, what can be causing that.
> The motor is in the tender and I see the tender appears to be bouncing along instead of running smoothly???????
> On the plus side it is a good smoker with a bright headlight and appears to have good pulling power


Turns out the bouncing was caused by a imperfect traction tire, changed it and the bounce went away


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

You really need to figure out how much you need to spend, in both money & your time, to get something that is very un-technical to run, and keep running (until you can't get any parts at all), before you make a decision to "junk 'em" and start investing in today's items......some folks like to tinker with the oldies.....gives them a real sense of accomplishment, and some like to run trains right out of the box, which today's pricey pieces are designed to do.

It's all about what gives you more fun.....after all, it's a hobby, which is supposed to be fun.......


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

Bkubiak said:


> Yes it spins with no gears attached, but when I attached the big black gear and the little black gear behind that to the motor and then put the tiny metal pinion gear on the motor shaft, it all turns fine by hand, but when I put the power to it, it vibrates, I did not put the wheels and the bottom plate on.


GGNLARS finally figured out why the motors were vibrating, it was me. I was using an old Lionel o gauge power pak to test the motors. Turns out that particular oak was an AC pak and not DC.
Live and learn


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

That makes a big difference, ac or dc. Every tyco that quit running for me has been fixed
by a "small" drop of oil on the motor shafts where they stick out of the motor, both sides.
I think people forget or don't think of it. Those shafts will freeze up and not turn. It gets dry there. Again very small drop. I have had tycos that won't move at all and oil the shafts and it is like a new engine.


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