# engine maintenance



## swiggy (Jan 25, 2010)

hey all, just wondering if there is a diagram showing oiling points for my *Athearn f7a. I just bought it and it ran fine at first, but now it wont begin to move until about 50 on the dial, then it flies and seems to work ok when I throttle down slightly. it just does not seem to move at first though???? I have a Bachman gp40 that pulls great, it was $35. The Athearn is faster, but weighs much less than the Bachman.

thanks,

jason*


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Trouble Shoot!*

Hi Jason,
Just a couple of questions. 1. How old is your F7 unit? 2. Is your track dirty...take a Brite Boy and run it over your track til it gets shiney then wipe it off w/ a soft rag. 3. Are your wheels dirty or gunked up on your trucks. You can clean these with rubbing alchohol and Qtip. It doesn't leave any residue. If any of these help then I would clean & lube the gears on the trucks. for oiling diagrams you could contact Athearn...they are very helpful. Hope this helped!:thumbsup:


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Try here>>> http://www.mcor-nmra.org/Publications/Articles/Athearn_TuneUp.html


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## mr_x_ite_ment (Jun 22, 2009)

Hi Jason...

Like MacDaddy said, clean wheels and track are a must. Just having one without the other doesn't seem to be good enough. Both should be relatively clean for reliable operation!

Chad


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## swiggy (Jan 25, 2010)

hey all, thanks for everything. cleaned and lubed both locos (athearn, and bachmann) and they both run much better. they were both brand new prior to servicing. funny thing, the athearn runs slower than before, no noise though. the bachmann gp40($32) pulls much better than the athearn f7a and is twice as heavy.videos this weekend

thanks again for the help/info

jason


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