Bachmann DCC engine does not respond

[MisterJim]

Hello all,  I am a newcomer to HO and bought a DCC set with EZ Command
and after opening the box and setting it all up; it all worked just fine.
The set has 2 diesel engines and I ran each of them for only about 10 minutes total and then put them away (for about 8 months) until I had time to set up a table and get serious about a layout.  Tonight I started back into it and now only one engine works.  The other is dead as a doornail.  I tried resetting the DCC address but got no response at all. 

Then I recently bought another Bachmann set that is DC so I took out the power pack for it and connected to the track.  Still no response but now at least the headlight came on but nothing from the motor.

Anyone have any suggestions or do you think I might have fried the motor?

Thanks!

[Santa Fe buff]

Ah, the many things that come of long-term locomotive storage... Try cleaning your wheels, they get incredibly dirty. Also, I would try to lubricate, and see if you can remove any dust or debris from the motor. To access it, well, just simply get the cover off. Try it out, you certainly couldn't of just fried it, it is wound wire after all... The decoder and the computer chip is a different story... But do not worry, you shouldn't worry about that, the motor is probably just taken on some filth, as do all stored items.

Good luck!

Josh

[MisterJim]

Thanks Josh,  I had the cover off already and took the screws out of the
decoder board and looked in at the motor and turned the driveshaft and it seemed to turn easily.  Now I will try your suggestion and clean the wheels although they shouldn't be dirty after only about 10 minutes of running previously but it won't hurt to clean them anyway.

[MisterJim]

Sorry for being such an amateur on these trains but when I went to clean the wheels;  they don't turn so I could only clean the bottom half!
Is there a way to turn the wheels since the motor doesn't respond yet?

When I had the decoder board loosened there was not much space to
get down to the motor.  Or do the "trucks" come off easy for cleaning?

[mattallen37]

Because the light worked, that means one of the wires to the motor probably broke and is NOT a pickup problem. I have the exact set, and that happened to one of my locos as well, so I just soldered it, and now it runs great.
                                                        Matt

[mattallen37]

O and the reason the wheels will not turn, is because there is a worm gear. but if you need to turn them, turn the motor shaft by hand(finger or scrwedriver).

                                            Matt

[MisterJim]

Thanks for responding Matt,  I have been too busy last few days to check further but I
will check on the loose wire.  Tomorrow I am going to a big train show that's in town
and may learn some new things there as well. 

Thanks again!

Jim

[Running Bear]

Broken wires are a common problem. I've found them even on high-end models.

[MisterJim]

Still can't get any response from my Bachmann DCC locomotive.  Doesn't seem to be
any loose wires and it's only been run for less than a half-hour total time.  Went to
a local train show there and spoke to a guy that had an HO DCC/Sound layout running and he suggested my engine has "gone to sleep" due to the DCC settings.  He thought that
a Bachmann system would "wakeup" if I hit 6-6 on the controller.  I tried that and still
no response but the headlight still lights up.  I must have misplaced the CD that came with the set and the instruction manual says nothing to help me in this problem.

Anybody have any ideas??

[Running Bear]

Set the address as if it was a loco from another manufacturer and has an address higher than 9. Follow these steps:

Remove all locomotives from the layout. Press and hold the key for the new address you desire the locomotive to have.

Now press and release the 'Stop' button.  Release the address button
The 'Stop' LED will blink fast.

Place the locomotive on the track that you desire to assign a new address.

Press and release the button that corresponds to the new address you desire. This should be the same button you presses in step 3 above.  The 'Stop' LED will now blink slowly.  The programmed locomotive will make a series of small clicks or movements indicating that the programming is successful. 

Now press and release the 'Stop'  button again. The 'Stop' LED will change from slowly blinking to being on solidly. Your locomotive should now be programmed for the new address.

[MisterJim]

KCS 1......Thanks for your suggestion.  I tried it and unfortunately there was no reaction from the engine.  I saw a post over on the General Discussion forum that covered a problem similar to mine and the person suggested he take the engine to someone who has a controller that could reset the CV values and maybe this would work to re-establish things.  I might try taking it to a LHS and see if they would try this for me. Eventually I will likely buy a more advanced system but first I want to make sure I am really going to like this hobby!!

[rogertra]

"DCC is easy, only requires two wires to the rail."

Yeah.  Right.  Pull the other one.

[CNE Runner]

It seems, to me MrJim, that you have covered all the bases with the uncooperative engine. I store my engines (2-Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0s and an Atlas MP15DC) all winter in an unheated garage and they all run in the spring. I do routinely clean the wheels; but I don't do it all that often (ah, the beauty of starting off with clean rails and metal wheels).

I had a problem programming my 4-4-0s (DCC/sound) and the suggestion of a poster on this board or the MR board was to purchase a Soundtraxx programming booster and attach it to a dedicated programming track. I did what was suggested and - voila - the engine accepted my programming commands without a problem. This is somewhat different than your problem as each of my engines ran fine (except they were both on the default address of 003).

We hate to see you throw good money after bad so I would suggest you take (send?) the engine off for repair by a qualified shop. I know, I know...you hate to spend the money to find out that the original problem was simple and could have been rectified by you. The saving grace is that you would then have an engine that runs! Good luck on this: been there - done that.

[MisterJim]

CNE Runner.....Thanks for your suggestion.  I really think it's just a programming problem that can be fixed with a quality programmer.  That's why I think I will try a LHS first and if that doesn't work; maybe I will contact Bachmann and send it to them for repair.  Anybody have any recent experience sending engines back to Bachmann?

[Yampa Bob]

Jim
Unless I missed it in previous posts, there is one base you haven't covered, and that is to see if the motor is operative.  The way to find out is to touch  DC powered wires or probes directly to the motor brush terminals. Until you make this test, you are basically "shooting in the dark".

If the motor runs, trace the wiring back to the decoder motor output, applying power at each connection. Finally, perform the reprogramming procedure as mentioned by KCS.  The instructions are at the bottom of page 3 in your manual.

A decoder doesn't "go to sleep" just being in storage. However when you placed the locomotive on the track, you might have temporarily shorted something. Always turn the power to the EZ Command off before placing or removing a locomotive. An inexpensive switch controlled power strip mounted to the side of the layout makes this simple to do.

Efficient troubleshooting is a process of elimination. To make the process easier, every modeler needs an inexpensive digital multimeter (DMM) and a test light.