# American flyer Frontiersman question



## Rcbulldog1983 (Aug 15, 2017)

Hi my name is Ryan and I am new to this forum. Have a question about American Flyer Frontiersman. I don't have the manual for it and wondering if when adding smoke fluid do you put it in the funnel around the small stack or directly in the small stack hole inside funnel. Currently does smoke a little but wanted to ask this before I add smoke fluid and how many drops are recommended. Thanks for any help.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Welcome to the forum. The smoke fluid goes into the small tube in the center of the stack at the bottom. If there is no small tube then its missing and the fluid goes into the small hole at the bottom. I generally put in about 6 to 8 drops. Lots of folks here are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Hope this helps.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I use smoke fluid that has a eye-dropper with it. That way I can get the fluid into the right place, and not over the whole front of the engine,lol.. It also comes in scented "flavors", just in case your loved ones object to the odor. I have original scent Gilbert smoke fluid, coffee, black licorice, pumpkin pie, peppermint, ginger-bread, and cinnamon roll. ( I tend to get hungry when I run my trains for any length of time.. I wonder why?)


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## Rcbulldog1983 (Aug 15, 2017)

*MTH General question*

Hi thank you all for the help. I have another question I have a MTH General Locomotive which is awesome and a great smoker,my question is this engine smokes way to much and is very unbearable with the smell of it after just a few laps around track. Since I use this indoors is there any advice how to deal with the overbearing scent of this smoke unit? I am currently using some jt eliminator in it since I have not used it since last year before adding any smoke fluid to it. Just would like to know if anyone has this engine and how do you deal with the overbearing scent since none of my other trains engine smell the house up like this one does.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Rcbulldog1983 said:


> Hi thank you all for the help. I have another question I have a MTH General Locomotive which is awesome and a great smoker,my question is this engine smokes way to much and is very unbearable with the smell of it after just a few laps around track. Since I use this indoors is there any advice how to deal with the overbearing scent of this smoke unit? I am currently using some jt eliminator in it since I have not used it since last year before adding any smoke fluid to it. Just would like to know if anyone has this engine and how do you deal with the overbearing scent since none of my other trains engine smell the house up like this one does.


Many, including myself, buy MTH engines because of the copious amount of smoke they produce. My wife hates it when I run my MTH O scale trains because they fog up the room!! Is there a switch on the loco where you can turn off the unit?? I don't know, I've never looked for one.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Smoke fluids are available in many different scents. I use original American Flyer which is similar to a cedar scent, I do not mind it in great volume but others sometimes complain. I sometimes have 4 steam engines running and smoking at the same time.
If you are running in command control the smoke can be reduced or turned off with the controller. For conventional mode operation there should be a smoke On/Off switch somewhere, I know all the Lionel engines have them. There are no S gauge MTH steam engines.


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## Rcbulldog1983 (Aug 15, 2017)

*American flyer Diesel problem*

Hi all I have inherited some American flyer Diesel engines which work but spark all throughout the run and is ruining my track does anyone know what could be causing this my other American flyer diesel and steam engines dont do this.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Rcbulldog1983 said:


> Hi all I have inherited some American flyer Diesel engines which work but spark all throughout the run and is ruining my track does anyone know what could be causing this my other American flyer diesel and steam engines dont do this.


 Which diesel engine? Have you cleaned the wheels and the pick up shoes? If not, remove the side frames on the trucks( The 2 small screws on the bottom of the trucks) and clean the wheels. Make sure the spring loaded shoes on the side frames are free to move. Next, if you haven't done it, put a couple of drops of oil in each small hole in the bottom of the trucks to ensure the engine bearings are lubed. One other thing to check is the axle play in the truck frame(s) that have motors. Put your thumb and first finger on each axle over the wheels and see if you have excessive play or rocking of each axle. Sometimes, depending on how much the engine has been run over it's life, the axle holes could be worn to the point to cause sparking and poor performance. If that's the case, only re-bushing of the frames will correct that. Hope this helps. Don't forget to clean the track again if it's become dirty from running this engine.


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