A few years ago, I tried to run a very nice #3092 analog loco (LFCM) that had been unused for years. It was inoperable because of bound gears from congealed oil. As a crass amateur, I was reluctant to try a DIY fix, so sent it out for repair. Three weeks and $60-ish later it was fine.

A while later, I had the same problem with an NIB FX digital loco (DCM) from eBay. Not wanting to spend extra cash again, I searched for a new solution. I found little guidance specific to Marklin, except for info saying oil-bound gears are a fairly common occurrence. I finally tried the simple 5-step DIY approach below which worked well.

After undoing the body shell . . . . . 1) Remove brushes & motor-shield, then remove magnet & rotor. 2) Apply a FEW drops of WD-40 to the gears with a syringe – DON’T use the spray – then wait overnight. 3) Next morning, apply a FEW drops of Naptha (lighter fluid) to rinse out the WD-40 residuals; apply the Naptha rinse once more several hours later, then wait overnight again. 4) Reassemble everything & do a very short low-power test on track. If the gears are still bound, repeat the process. 5) Once everything works, lube the motor & axles lightly with LaBelle 108 or equivalent and replace the body shell.

I’ve done this on three oil-bound DCM locos. Only one needed a second run-through, and nothing was ever electrically or cosmetically damaged. Total time = Not much . . . . a half-hour to disassemble, a half-hour to reassemble, and a couple nights of waiting in-between. A professional might be able to do it without disassembling and waiting, but I’m very far from an expert.

I’ve written this note because I couldn’t find clear Marklin-specific guidance the first time I had the problem, and I may well encounter it again. I’m sure there are alternate simpler ways, and my 5-steps may not be the best. CRITIQUES, CAUTIONS and BETTER METHODS much appreciated!! I hope this starts a useful thread. P.S. I’m a new Forum user.


Update on Jan 10 . . . Consensus from smarter guys with more experience says to avoid WD-40 (Omit my Step 2) because of potential gummy residuals that may develop later, and that the wait-time can be less. But Ronsonol-Naptha is a keeper! Thanks to all.

Edited by user 10 January 2012 20:51:00(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Welcome to the forum, no longer a dumbguy

Robert,

Compressed air ? A few ideas have come to my mind

I use the waterhose and let it dry out or use a hairdryer to get rid of any moisture.

there are so many ways of doing it, not one is the ultimate solution, so long you're happy with the visual outcome

John

I can only agree with Robert (RJFtrains);
Skip the WD-40! (It could damage paint on wheels and other details...)
Apply lighter fluid liberally and, rather quickly, you'll notice you'll be able to un-stuck the whole mechanism quickly.
No need to wait for a night or so AFAIK

I tend to diverge from Robert on one point though: there is at least *one* gear that will welcome some oil: the small pinion that's part of the motor shaft (7 or 8 teeth) will welcome a little oil.
This is were the speed of the moving parts is the highest, and thus the friction ( =resistance+noise!! ) plays the biggest influence (it grows with the square of the speed)
Your loco will run *much* smoother and *much* quieter!

One of Dr. Eisenbahn's little secrets...(not!)

Cheers

Thanks for starting this thread, and to those who contributed. Clear and detailed. Very helpful.

Bill

My thanks to Robert, Jacques, Thomas and everyone else. From your consensus, WD-40 will disappear from my approach (making it a simpler 4-step process). I may also take some time over the next month or so to give the locos I've already "fixed" an extra Ronsonol-Naptha bath just to ensure that WD residuals are really gone. Much appreciated.

Best regards -- DG

Had a really tough one this summer... Used WD40 and that solved most of it, but not the suck gears in the frame.
The gear axles were heavily stuck, "glued" inside the frame and I had to tap the gear axles with proper tools to get them unstuck...
Some more WD40, and the gears were free again. Converted with a 60903, since the stuck gears had caused the original 6080 in it to fry.

I have no negative experience with WD40, except that you have to carefully wipe the oily bits off. For vintage models, it's maybe a no-no as Jacques & Robert says...

End result was fine, after oiling with some Faller "Teflon-Öl" it was smooth as silk.
That loco is now south of the equator, and I hope the nevw owner is happy with it...

There are a lot of really good synthetic lubricants that will break down and replace dried old oils. Just dissolves it. I use Slip 2000. It's actually a gun lubricant, but so far it's done a great job unsticking the two locos I used it on.

Hmmm, would you trust someone telling you that they have the best snake oil for your marklin and not even have enough brains to know what a marklin train looked like? - the image looks like some cheap kamakooza brand to me. The same image is used with his Bachmann, American Flyer, Branchline, Lionel etc etc, plus of course various assorted slot cars, audio turntables, clocks you name it.

It might be a good product, but someone who does spam/keyword listings like this won't get my $

Tacky tacky, maybe like the oil will be in 5 years?

I can't find his listings for steak knives but I'm sure he must sell those also, but wait, there's more...........

I have compressed air available but seldom use it. I disassemble the lok and place it in an appropriate sized alum. or plastic tray ( cheap alum. bread pan - small) and soak it for a while in naptha (lghter fluid). I then dispose of the first bath and put in some clean fluid and swish it around. Take the lok out and let it dry. Clean as a whistle.
Eric