Re-assembly of a clamshell gearbox HELP !!

Madman

Madman

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I dismantled a 2017 tender motor. The two halves of the clamshell gearbox separated nicely. However, I cannot get them to go back together. I am meeting resistance from one of the motor tabs, and if I force the shell on it bends the tab. The motor is properly in place. There is a small tit on the end of the motor that sits in a groove. That aligns OK. The thrust bearings are in place and the worm gears are seating properly.
I've looked at the brass bar on the other side and the motor tab is resting nicely against it. It doesn't look any different than the side I am trying to get back on.
 
Have you accidentaly reversed the motor, I had one like this and i'd put the motor in the wrong way round, ie reversed polarity
 
Dan,

What Sparky says may well be right, although the lug on the motor is intended to stop accidental reversal happening and you say that this is home in the intended niche.

Presumably the two halves will happily go together without the motor being there? I would suggest that you next take out the axles, then the contact strips until you find out exactly what it is that is interfering with whatever it is by process of elimination.

Is the motor the original, or have you replaced it with a more modern one? The new ones with longer shafts don't need the thrust balls and trying to fit a motor with a longer shaft with the balls still in place would not work. But then you say that the thrust balls are also home, at the ends of the shaft.

The only other suggestion that I can make is that there is a foreign object that has somehow got into the mix, say and old thrust ball, a star washer from the wheels, or an assembly screw. The first two an be attracted to the motor and can go almost un-noticed. The latter will still be attracted to the magnet, but is more noticeable!

Please let us know how you get on and when you solve this, as you surely will with perseverance, please let us know what the answer is!

Good luck,

James
 
Well, Murphy must have been watching over my shoulder before I cried for help. After I posted my plea, I went back out to the shop and after two more attempts, the thing went back together like there was never an issue.

However, thank you for coming to my rescue so quickly.
 
Dan,

If you hadn't made the posting, it would never have worked!

The amount of stripping down required to get inside a clam-shell makes it easy to understand why the switched the drop plate type chassis.

Most of my locos are clam-shells! Just a simple job like changing the carbon bullets involves a large amount of work!

James
 
TIP You were lucky... I always open clam shell motors in a polythene bag, so as not to loose the ball bearings each end of the motor shaft. Alyn
 
I really dislike the clamshell design for the reasons stated. I'd be willing to bet that most clamshell motor blocks have never been lubricated with the exception of the initial factory lube job. I have two 2017 types. This latest one I got on Ebay for $75.00. The seller had two more at the same price. I just happened to log on and tried to grab all three. If I had waited a few more minutes I would have missed this one. The seller advertised them as not having been run for ten years. The only thing wrong was the piston covers had come loose due to dried out glue.

The reason for my dismantling of the loco and tender motor blocks was to remove the carbon brushes and pick up skates, as I converted it to battery power.
 
dont see the problem with clamshells, there quite simple compared to some of the Industrial motors I work on, I must have taken apart most of the Stainz I own and serviced the gear boxs
 
sparky230 said:
dont see the problem with clamshells, there quite simple compared to some of the Industrial motors I work on, I must have taken apart most of the Stainz I own and serviced the gear boxs
Click to expand...

I agree, compared to the type of motors you mentioned, the clamshell gearboxes have a lot less parts. But with the newer design, I don't have to dismantle the side rods, remove the wheels, take the entire motor block out of the loco, in order to do routine maintenance on the gears, like simple lubrication or motor brush changes.
 
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