K4 Motor Replacement Options?

[Tom M.]

Folks,

I have one of the newer Spectrum K4's and the motor is "cooked."  Is anyone aware of any aftermarket remotoring kits?  I checked the NWSL web site and couldn't find any direct replacement kits listed.  I'm hesitant to purchase a Bachmann replacement for it because the loco has relatively little run time on it and I have to wonder how long an identical replacement will last.  Any help is appreciated.

Tom

[jonathan]

The following falls under the "opinion" response.  So, take it for what is worth...

The tinker in me wants to pursue your thought, which is buy a better motor, get a gear pulling tool, pull off the worm and flywheel from the bad motor, press the parts onto the new motor, make it all fit, and be proud of the fixit job I did. NWSL certainly offers a myriad of motors, one of which will certainly fit in the space allowed.  Hopefully, the motor axle is the same diameter as the Bachmann motor.

The practical part of my brain weighs the cost of this work, both financially and time spent on the project.  Also, I'm swayed by the fact none of my Bachmann locos have ever cooked a stock motor.  I have to ask myself what burned up the motor in the first place?  If it was a random bad motor, I wouldn't hesitate to order the motor ($18 US) from the Bachmann parts dept.  I know it will fit; a drop-in replacement it you will.  The odds are slim I will get another bad motor.  Is there a wiring issue, or stray blob of solder that caused the motor to cook?  Is the mechanism binding, which caused the motor to overheat? Finally, did the decoder go bad, causing the motor to overheat.  These are possibilities...

Additionally, I see how inexpensively I can get a replacement K4 on line. Did you get a warranty, or was this a second hand purchase?

A couple of things to ponder...

Regards,

Jonathan

[Tom M.]

Jonathan,

Thanks for responding.  I'm helping a friend out with the loco.  It is in a 2008 vintage K4.  The decoder is a factory installed Tsunami.  Going the warranty route is off the table.  The loco has been upgraded using a secondary TCS FL4 decoder to support a tender backup light, cab light and working marker lights.  When I got the loco for testing, all the sounds and lighting worked, but there was no movement.

First, I visually checked the gearing and it all looks good (i.e., no cracked axle or idler gears).  I then checked the running gear and it all works silky smooth.  Since I had to remove the motor to perform these test, I also bench tested the motor by attaching it to a DC power source.  The motor barely ran and emitted smoke almost immediately.

I then attached the loco's DCC motor leads to a Sagami can motor I keep handy for decoder testing.  The motor ran as expected in both directions.  This confirms the decoder is still functional.  Thus, my determination that the factory motor was "cooked."

Tom

[richg]

Search ebay for Bachmann motor. I did and found some. Don't know if anything would work. They seem to look like motors for diesels.

You can email, Dave at NWSL and ask directly. I have and he does answer. Might take a few days but he does answer.

From what I have seen, the Bachmann motors are pretty good for the price.

Rich