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Post by metalman2 on Apr 30, 2014 10:55:50 GMT -5
I would like to clarify some statements I have made. I have just found out that I have been sent a replacement truck for the one that was damaged when I tried to get it off of my NS AZL GP38. I also want to apologize to you of the forum that have been offended by my statement in regards to GM, I realize that I should not have done that. Also THERE has been excellent advice from several of you in regards to the problems some of us have had with our GP38s and I did read and reread several times what was wrote, but I still think AZL should include in their engines instructions as to how to fix problems and also an "exploded" view of this. At the very least one should be able to go to the AZL website and find instructions and pictures showing how to disassemble and reassemble their locos and other products. I have been in the Z scale part of our hobby since 2009. I still consider myself a rookie in this scale. The first thing I learned was to have a "clean rail", and this has not been a problem to me. Also I want to publicly give my apology to Mr. Rob Klutz in regards to comments he found offensive. I am sorry Rob. Sometimes I put my ass before my brains, an inherited trait or gene from my fathers' side of the family, it came thru his mother. Rob has been a real friend in helping me to get what I want in our hobby, Loren you too are a friend and your wife also. I am hoping to meet some of you at the Cleveland show in July, my only wish is that I could have a way to display my layout, I know some of you have made comments about it when I finally posted it to Z Central Station a coupla years back. It is for sale, but I really want top keep it. I don't run it but 1-4 days a month and then only for about 1 hour at a sitting. Rob keep up the good work and help you are giving us. Again I am sorry that I did not know you were sending me a truck to replace the on that is messed up. If anyone out there can tell me how to take one of these trucks on the AZL GP38 I would appreciate it. Send drawings if any are available. The problem I have with mine is the flat piece of copper/brass that goes between the wheels and frame will not go back into position. It needs to go over the axles as there are holes in the brass piece. As far as I can tell the flat contact pieces that are under the truck is not damaged. Any help would be appreciated. Lee Barry, CEO L"Z"PMRR
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Post by gprose on May 2, 2014 18:45:05 GMT -5
Hi, I have five GP-38s and although I've never had any of them die on me they do tend to be quirky. They always seem to need an extensive warm up period whenever I run them. A couple of them run quite slowly at first but then surge ahead suddenly and run at a higher speed which they will usually do for the rest of the time I run them but they do this every time I run them. I do have one which the rear light stopped working shortly after I got it and AZL said they sent me a replacement board for it but I never got it. Another thing I notice is they leak oil all over the place and none of my other engines do this. I have a small layout (if you can call it that) but a lot of stuff, when I'm not using something I put it away in its box until I want to use it again. Every time I want to use one of these engines I always find I have to wipe away oil from around the cab which I never have to do with my other engines and I've never added any oil to these engines since I've had them. While these engines generally run okay I have other engines that run better. I too have some concerns over the lack of exploded diagrams and replacement parts. AZL's SD-70s and 75s did come with exploded diagrams and you could purchase replacement parts such as PCBs and trucks for them which I think was a good idea. We should be able to at least download and print exploded diagrams from the website. I have absolutely no idea how to take the RDCs apart and I have one that doesn't run as smoothly as it used to and one of its lights doesn't always work. A simple cleaning may be all it takes to get it running nicely again but I don't dare try because I'm not sure how it comes apart. Replacing the board my be the only way to fix the light though.
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Post by markm on May 2, 2014 20:02:52 GMT -5
Glen, There is an RDC parts list pdf file that contains an exploded diagram. If you can't find it, contact me privately and I can send you a copy.
The RDC is fairly easy to take apart and clean. A couple of hints: The trucks have ears on the upper body that ride in slots on the shell. Removing the shell will release the trucks from the chassis. These slots are a point that picks up dirt. Watch the drive shaft. It will come out of the universal joints between the trucks and motor. Not a spare part. Hard to find, so tie a thread on it. The drive shaft is also a but tricky to reinstall. Get it to nest properly in the motor U-joint then install the truck, turning the wheels to get the truck U-joint to fit. Took me about 30 minutes the first time I did it. These U-joints and shaft also pick up stuff, particularly hair on the shaft.
Mark
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Post by ztrack on May 2, 2014 21:06:25 GMT -5
Okay some thoughts on this whole topic. First trucks. Learning good truck maintenance is key. Most problems I have had with locomotives tend to be in the trucks. This is not just AZL, but Marklin and MTL. I can't tell you how much loose ground foam I have had to pull from Marklin trucks. The open gearing under the truck frame will pick up all kinds of things. I have seen ballast and even a pin from a MTL coupler in trucks before. Also in the case of HOS with Marklin, it is typically the trucks that are locked up. It is good practice to learn how to remove trucks from locomotives, clean them, test them for residence, and replace if necessarily. AZL does offer trucks as replacement parts. The same trucks are used for the GP7s, GP30s and GP38-2s. You have to love part standardization. Yes, the grease issue is one that we are seeing across the line. I recommend cleaning the electrical pickups after your remove the trucks. Clean both the pickups on the trucks and those on the chassis with alcohol to remove any grease that may have collected on the pickups. I also use a drop of Conductalube at these locations. Look for more parts to be offered. We have received a number of parts with the SD70 run. We have not started to offer these yet, but they are coming. You can find the parts that we do have in stock here: www.ztrackcenter.com/azl/azl-partsRob
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Post by metalman2 on May 3, 2014 14:26:36 GMT -5
Try a Tenshado, I had one that came in a set that included a Tenshado 2-8-2 engine and tender, two lighted passenger cars , an oval of track, a placement mat to put under the track, and a Rhokuhan power pak, the track was Rhokuhan. This engine ran excellent , I had no problems with it, until I went to remove it off of the oval track to place on my 37x27x10 layout and with the injury to my left hand in April,2008 some times I just lose all grip, just happen to be the time to lose it and the tender dropped from the engine and separated the wires from the engine and tender. I would recommend that brand if you want a good running engine in steam, unless you have a much endless money supply and then you can go to brass. I myself am not that blessed moneywise, I am on a fixed income and if it weren't for the $7.50 per hr. my wife makes at her daycare job my model railroad buying would come to an abrupt halt.
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Post by aceisback on May 3, 2014 21:24:25 GMT -5
I hear you Metalman. I am not blessed money wise either which is why this is frustrating to me. I can't afford a brass loco yet nor a replacement loco of any type right now, I just want something reliable that I can come home from work and sit down and run for a while. I am still up in the air as to whether or not I am going to do anything else with these 3 engines. One is totally dead since I cannot get a replacement motor.
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Post by boxcarwilly on May 6, 2014 19:28:15 GMT -5
Interesting reading about these 38's. I have 3 and the only major problem I've had was a sagging coupler on one which is in the process of being remedied thanks to Rob Kluz. Mine all seem to run at the same relative speed give or take, and they seem to work quite smoothly even from a standing stop. I guess the only issue I really have with them is when I turn the power on and they sit there. I give them a gentle tap and off they go. But I have this with all my engines including my MTL's
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Post by aceisback on May 6, 2014 22:02:27 GMT -5
I have talked to several people who have good luck with theirs, and I have talked to a handful who also have issues, so I don't know what to do. I like these locos, just can't use them. Only 2 of mine actually have the issue I described, the 3rd one just has a broken motor. I kind of have one starting to run. I found that the circuit boards are loose also. They vibrate a bit causing intermittent running. If I shim the board with a piece of paper, I can get it to run for a few circuits. I cannot put the body back on. I took a break from them for a few days and spent another couple of hours the other night. Just can't get them to work. I disassembled and cleaned every part that has to do with electrical contact including the trucks yet still cannot get one to run right. I am afraid that the more I try to fix them, the more they get damaged.
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Post by Rob Albritton on May 7, 2014 6:54:44 GMT -5
I am afraid that the more I try to fix them, the more they get damaged. Hi Guys, I think this is a lesson for everyone: if you have any hesitation at all, please send the locomotives back to us for warranty repair. We want to have happy customers, but these locomotives are not toys. They need to be handled properly. They have very few customer serviceable parts inside. If you drop them, then you should expect it to run about as well as if you dropped a real locomotive off a 30 story building! If the parts are bent to hell, then it's just unrealistic to expect them to work properly ever again. If your locomotive is out of warranty, contact us! We have authorized service centers that can get you running again. Of course we are happy to help with tips and tricks to do the work yourself, but you have to do that at your own risk. You can use the contact us tab on our web site (americanzline.com) for any service request. Again: we want you to be fully satisfied, and that's why we provide end-to-end support. Cheers! -Robert
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Post by aceisback on Jul 2, 2014 3:07:49 GMT -5
Just an update, I sent 2 of my GP38s in a while back, and Rob got one of them back in working order. The other one had issues but I have finally been able to get the second one working on my own using some parts from my 3rd loco that has a dead motor. I have been running them quite a bit the last couple of weeks and they seem to be running well. So hopefully, I can get past the issues I had and enjoy what this hobby is all about. Thank you rob for taking time to work on them.
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Post by zscaler59 on Mar 9, 2018 20:19:14 GMT -5
How does everyone keep their GP38's running? I have 3 GP38-2 locos and all 3 are now non-functional after about 2 hours of run time each. I had sent one back and it was cleaned and checked and it only ran for about 30 minutes before dying. My newest one that was purchased while the other one was being repaired no longer works. 2 of them had the circuit boards come loose and I thought I had that fixed, but the fix did not last long. My 3rd one had a dead motor. I thought the motor burnt up, so I took it out and removed the end bell and found that one of the commutors was broken off. Can't fix that. I have cleaned everything trying to restore electrical contact, but nothing works. I do not use oil or any lubrication because I was told that my repaired loco was full of oil, yet I don't use oil. Although I keep hearing good things about the GP38's, I cannot understand why I cannot keep at least one running. I know it is not the track or the power supply (bought one of the power supplies from Z-track center). My problems lie in the truck/body contacts or loose circuit boards as I can just touch them with a small stick and get temporary operation, plus I borrowed an MTL loco from a friend and it runs fine. I really like these GP38's, but I am very unhappy with them at the moment. Anyone else having issues with there GP38's? I want to buy a better quality AZL loco, but am a bit hesitant due to the money already spent for 3 dead locos.
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Post by zscaler59 on Mar 9, 2018 20:29:20 GMT -5
How does everyone keep their GP38's running? I have 3 GP38-2 locos and all 3 are now non-functional after about 2 hours of run time each. I had sent one back and it was cleaned and checked and it only ran for about 30 minutes before dying. My newest one that was purchased while the other one was being repaired no longer works. 2 of them had the circuit boards come loose and I thought I had that fixed, but the fix did not last long. My 3rd one had a dead motor. I thought the motor burnt up, so I took it out and removed the end bell and found that one of the commutors was broken off. Can't fix that. I have cleaned everything trying to restore electrical contact, but nothing works. I do not use oil or any lubrication because I was told that my repaired loco was full of oil, yet I don't use oil. Although I keep hearing good things about the GP38's, I cannot understand why I cannot keep at least one running. I know it is not the track or the power supply (bought one of the power supplies from Z-track center). My problems lie in the truck/body contacts or loose circuit boards as I can just touch them with a small stick and get temporary operation, plus I borrowed an MTL loco from a friend and it runs fine. I really like these GP38's, but I am very unhappy with them at the moment. Anyone else having issues with there GP38's? I want to buy a better quality AZL loco, but am a bit hesitant due to the money already spent for 3 dead locos.
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Post by zscaler59 on Mar 9, 2018 20:39:03 GMT -5
i have the same problem as aceisback. i have brought 4 azl gp38-2 and none are working. 3 are still in the box and one i touched the frame and it crumbled into pieces, i will use the shell and wheels as a dummy, the other 3 tried to test run but no response so packed them back into the boxes. i am running marklin track with a z scale transfomer, the other azl and mtl and marklin locos have no problems. is anybody else having problems as well as me and aceisback ?
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Post by markm on Mar 9, 2018 21:13:20 GMT -5
zscaler59, Welcome to the forum although I wish it were under better circumstances. There are known problems with the first run of GP38-2s. These have been discussed at length in the z forums. Regarding the DOA locos, there can be a problem with the seating of the PCB board. This is something you may be able to fix this yourself: www.americanzline.com/tech-tips/gp30-pcb/The crumbling chassis is a known problem that occurred at one of AZL's manufacturers. The best way to resolve that issue by contacting AZL support: www.azlforum.com/thread/1160/contacting-azl-supportHope this helps, Mark
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Post by mgatdog on Mar 10, 2018 7:42:00 GMT -5
i have the same problem as aceisback. i have brought 4 azl gp38-2 and none are working. 3 are still in the box and one i touched the frame and it crumbled into pieces, i will use the shell and wheels as a dummy, the other 3 tried to test run but no response so packed them back into the boxes. i am running marklin track with a z scale transfomer, the other azl and mtl and marklin locos have no problems. is anybody else having problems as well as me and aceisback ? I had the same problem with mine with the crumbling frames. Rob K at AZL took care of the problem and there back up and running . I can’t say enough ,how good that AZL has been when it has come to customer service.
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