lubricating emily in HO

[ef57]

Getting at the gears is easy but how do I get at the motor?  She is screeching something terrible.  Sounds sort of like a whistle, but never stops.  Both directions.  The exploded drawing is not much help.  Thanks in advance!

[JLK2707]

You would just have to dismantle the locomotive and work from there.

[Plow_Bender]

First off, the whistling sound you are referring to sounds like the motor may be dying out, or it could be simple as there just isn't oil in the gears.  I honestly wouldn't really know without hearing the model and seeing it run first person.  Something I will recommend is that if you just recently got the model, get in touch with Bachmann's service department as they do offer a limited warranty on their models.  I believe it's valid for 1 year after purchase if I'm correct.

If it's just a case of simply lubricating the model, then it should be relatively easy.  From what I have reviewed with the exploded diagram, it appears there are 3 screws at the bottom of the model on the oil pan.  These will need to be taken out and the wires connected to it will most likely need to be unsoldered if you want to get to the gearbox.  Make sure to keep track of polarity for when you put the model back together.  There is also a screw that runs up through the chassis to (I believe) a post right under Emily's front footplate.  This needs to come out as well.  After that I'm thinking the entire chassis assembly should come out along with the gearbox, but you'll have to check at the back of the chassis and even inside under the oil pan to be sure there's no hidden screws still holding the chassis to the shell.  Do "NOT" force the model apart!

Once you've got that far, you'll need to remove a screw just behind the gearbox, which will allow it to be lifted out of place afterwards.  It is held on at the front by a metal tab.  After that you'll be able to access the gears for the wheels (which could also be accessed just by removing the oil pan) and some of the gears in the gearbox.  The motor however cannot be serviced unless the gearbox itself is taken apart.  If you're going to open up the gearbox to service it, I highly recommend laying it down on a flat surface, taking out the 3 screws on the one side of it, and then gently prying apart the 2 half's with a flat-bladed screwdriver.  I cannot stress how important it is to be patient during this procedure, as if you rush it and open up the gearbox too quickly, you'll have gears/parts flying everywhere.  Good luck trying to get everything back together after that...

Once the gearbox is opened you can clean, oil, check for issues, remove gears to examine them, take the motor out, etc.  You'll need to pay close attention to how it's put together and maybe take a few photos as reference to assist you when it comes to reassemble everything.  If you do not feel comfortable with attempting this, then I'd recommend getting in contact with Bachmann's service department to discuss sending the model to them to work on, but you'll have both a shipping fee and service charge ($30 for a standard HO model) on your hands, especially if the model is no longer covered under Bachmann's warranty.  In the end it's far cheaper to do the servicing yourself if you're capable of doing so.

Hopefully my post has helped you out and given you confidence to attempt this procedure, rather than hindering you to do so for the fear of damaging the model.  To be honest, I have serviced quite a few gearboxes in various scales over the years, and it's not hard to do, but you do need to pay close attention and take your time.  My perspective of the diagram may not be fully accurate either, so if you see something that doesn't match up with what I'm saying in my post, let me know and I'll go back over it again.  Good luck and if you need anymore assistance/advice, don't hesitate to ask.

-Rusty

[ef57]

Hey Rusty man, thank you so much for your detailed and well-written reply.  As soon as the word ,,solder" came up, I knew this job wasn't going to be for me.  I'm a relic of the sixties, when my Mantua steamers and Athern diesels were easy to open up and required no (shudder) soldering.  Even my Euro-N from the 70's was still doable, as are today's J-trains.  It's like the differnce between servicing a ´67 Mustang and a (whatever) today. 

Here I couldn't even get the green shell off, despite unscrewing various screws.  I did grease the gears from underneath and that made no difference.  It's definitely the motor screeching for help.  (the engine has hardly been run, only a few minutes over two years). Your guide perfectly reinforces what I had figured from the diagram, which was that opening up that inner shell containing the gears and motor was going to be too tricky for me.

Since I live in Switzerland sending it off by mail is not an option.  We have a guy that comes into a LHS (practically the only one left) once a week to fix stuff so I'll entrust Emily to his tender, Märklin-oriented mercies.

Once again, thanks for taking the time and effort!  May this thread help others down the road!