# Santa Fe Chief #2333 E-Unit Burnt Out or What?



## igmuska (Nov 21, 2009)

The problem:
The engine worked for a bit, then started randomly going in reverse; finally reverse is the only direction it goes.
I just looked the diagram in the other post and see that the E-Unit might be having issues.
Has anyone successfully cleaned that out? Or should I start look for a replacement? If so, where?


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Random change is loss of electrical contact. Dirty track, bad pickup, dirty wheels. No change is a bad coil or a bad connection on the lever.

The fingers or the drum could be bad. You need a visual to see what is not working. Replacement parts are available.


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## igmuska (Nov 21, 2009)

T-Man said:


> Random change is loss of electrical contact. Dirty track, bad pickup, dirty wheels. No change is a bad coil or a bad connection on the lever.
> 
> The fingers or the drum could be bad. You need a visual to see what is not working. Replacement parts are available.


Thanks T-man, just checked the drum and it was stuck. It seems very dirty, you have recommendations on cleaning; I hate to misshapen it with sandpaper. I'll probably try isopropyl alcohol and Q-Tip, then check back soon.
Edit: cleaned drum, runs forward again. I also turned off the auto-reversing switch for now


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

Hey ig,

I don't know about Lionel e-units.....but I know for a fact, Marx e-units MUST be clean to work properly......(don't ask me how I know this)

I sprayed my e-units with WD-40 and cleaned with Q-tips...now they work fine

Cheers, Ian


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## igmuska (Nov 21, 2009)

Sadly the ceramic on the drum is cracked (pitted?), causing the fingers to get stuck in the pit. In the meantime, I've learned how to use a plastic probe to roll the drum for moving in the right direction, and until we replace it with a new part, forward is the only direction to roll.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I recently replaced a drum on one of my e-units. Not too painful of a job. The trickiest part was getting all of the e-unit pieces back together with the right tab alingment for the reassembly ... sorta like one of those Chinese 3D geometry puzzles.

But all in all, a doable job.

Lots of places to order parts ... I use Jeff Kane at the Train Tender ... A+++.

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

tjcruiser said:


> I recently replaced a drum on one of my e-units. Not too painful of a job. The trickiest part was getting all of the e-unit pieces back together with the right tab alingment for the reassembly ... sorta like one of those Chinese 3D geometry puzzles.
> 
> But all in all, a doable job.
> 
> ...


"sorta like one of those Chinese 3D geometry puzzles."

Train tender Link, http://www.ttender.com/


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## igmuska (Nov 21, 2009)

Excellent resource for parts. I was thinking about putting something that starts out with the consistency of gum, then hardens. What I had in mind is that stuff used for emergency fuel tank repair, comes in a stick the size of Wrigley's chewing gum. Once you smash it together to mix it, you then place it in the hole, hardens very solid.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

igmuska said:


> Excellent resource for parts. I was thinking about putting something that starts out with the consistency of gum, then hardens. What I had in mind is that stuff used for emergency fuel tank repair, comes in a stick the size of Wrigley's chewing gum. Once you smash it together to mix it, you then place it in the hole, hardens very solid.



Theres a whole bunch of different products out there on the market, harden like steel.

The T man would probably recommend epoxy.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Just to clarify (for repair bonding), I believe the Lionel e-unit drums are made of plastic, not ceramic. Uhhh ... I think ... maybe ... hmmm ...

TJ


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## Stillakid (Jan 12, 2010)

TJ, I believe that you're correct. I had to replace a bad drum that had sheared off one side. When I pulled it and inspected the damage, it looked like plastic, to me!


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

Sounds like you're describing JB Weld to me. Great stuff. 

I use it at work to reapply data plates to propane tanks.


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

You heard it from me, Old e unit drums are a waste of time. The plastic will even shrink over time, get a new one. A defective drum can burn an engine out. I even, used a plastic straw to repair one once.


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

Now THAT I would like to see:thumbsup::laugh:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I drilled through the drum . It was a small coffee straw. I split it on one end to hold it in place between the bracket and frame. It spun, somehow. Part of those nubs need to be there to prevent the drum from shorting.


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## Stillakid (Jan 12, 2010)

The e-unit in my 2035 was acting up. When I pulled it, the right side was crumbling. Not sure what would cause that to happen but it was a mess!
Since then, I've purchased 2- lots of "E-Units for Parts", just so I'd have extra drums. Out of 6 units, there where 3 drums worth keeping, plus plungers and I even salvaged 2 sets of fingers! Total cost was under $11 for both lots and that includes shipping!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Jim,

That's not a bad price for 3 e-units worth of parts. Good to have all of the little fingers, side cheeks, etc. on hand.

T-Man ... I had the same problem on the original drum from my 1668 ... one of the little axel-like nubs on one side had worn away, so there was nothing to support that side of the drum as it tried to spin around.

I bought a replacement drum from Train Tender ... I think around $4 or $5.

TJ


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