Noisy Athearn RTR ?


meanjean

meanjean

Member
I have had several BB engines and now own several RTR engines. I just bought a new SD-40 and right out of the box this loco is significantly louder when in operation, especially at higher speeds and in corners. Slow and on the straightaway is not so bad. It is an older production run and has been sitting for some time I’m sure. Wasn’t sure if lack of lubrication would cause the problem or what? None of the newer SD40T-2 locos I own are even close to this loud.
All the locos have Tsunami decoders in them and are running on DCC.

Before anyone goes bashing the product I’m looking for viable solutions or suggestions to fix this issue.

Any help would be great.
 
Like Wright said, first make sure the shell isnt binding somehow on the chassis. Take the shell off and see how it runs without it on.

Next, make sure all your decoder and light wires are not getting stuck between the motor and the shell. This happened to me on a Genesis model and it makes a pretty good racket. Tape down the wires so they dont get pinched by the shell and its alot quieter.

Hope this helps,

Brad
 
What I find with mine is that where the motor brushes "rub" against the copper cylinder (don't know what it is called), there is black oxidation that builds up. It develops a "clicking" type noise from the arcing electricity. I use a q-tip and a little isopropyl alcohol and clean it until the black oxidation is mostly or all gone. I add a little contact lube (electrical contact lube).

The sound I'm describing isn't affected on turns or straights, but just by running the locomotive. As you increase speed, the noise gets louder.
 
Thanks for the replys. I did run it with the shell proped up so i know that wasnt the cause. I lubed the gears and that seemed to help. Put the shell back on and it seems quiter now. Maybe there was a wire pinched some place causing the noise? Now I will have to figure out how to add some weight to the rear section. I pulled the rear weight to add the speaker and now the rear truck wants to derail in turns. Ahhh if its not one this its another. Come to think of it, another SD45 does the same thing.
 
Try putting a bit of oil or grease on the motor bearings with the end of a toothpick or a fine wire.

How tight are your curves? If they are tight a SD-40 will tend to grind around them.

The black band on the com you mentioned is normal, just the brush track from running. I would not worry about that too much. One thing though if you ever have to clean the slots on the com be careful not to create burrs. This will cause the brushes to bounce, wear out much faster, and of course will cause noise.

The only time I would polish the com would be when I replaced the brushes. As long as it doesn't get oil on it that area should be fine.
 
Glad that you found the problem. I know that the pinched wire thing was a hair puller for me the first time it happened.

I have the same problem with both an SD45 and SD40-2 I added sound in. Those six axle locos become even more sensitive to bad track work with less weight. If you figure out a solution, I'd appreciate hearing it.
 
I added weight to my SD40-2s by putting them on top of the inside of the shell, 1 oz. over each truck. Used lead fishing sinkers, you can pound them to whatever shape you want. Center of gravity is high but as long as you don't go at break-neck speed around sharp curves you should be fine.
 
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