Welcome to the forum   
Welcome Guest! To enable all features please Login or Register.

Notification

Icon
Error

Share
Options
View
Go to last post in this topic Go to first unread post in this topic
Offline AdamT  
#1 Posted : 26 July 2020 05:22:49(UTC)
AdamT

Canada   
Joined: 26/07/2020(UTC)
Posts: 2
Location: Ontario, Toronto
Hi all,
I've got a new Marklin 88715 (Z scale four car ICE-3 set) and I noticed when I tried to run it that it only operates in one direction. When I attempt to run the train in the reverse direction, the lights come on, and the headlights and marker lights correctly change colour (white at the front, red at the rear), but the motor does not operate.
Before I resort to sending it back to Marklin, I wanted to see if any of you experienced folks could shed some light on what might be going on. Any idea what could be causing this and whether it could be a fairly straightforward fix?

If it's at all relevant, I'm running it on a Noch "Meran" briefcase layout.

Many thanks!

Adam
Offline Carim  
#2 Posted : 26 July 2020 12:11:47(UTC)
Carim

United Kingdom   
Joined: 15/09/2014(UTC)
Posts: 649
Location: London
Hi,

I would be very careful about taking this model apart, it is exceedingly fragile (guess how I found that out)! Get your dealer to have a look at it, otherwise back to Märklin. Cursing

Carim
Offline Poor Skeleton  
#3 Posted : 26 July 2020 15:47:05(UTC)
Poor Skeleton

United Kingdom   
Joined: 09/10/2015(UTC)
Posts: 550
Location: England, Cambridge
I had a similar issue with the Ludmilla loco that came with the 81451 set. I concluded that there was too much play in the gears of one of the bogies and this caused the gear train to jam in one direction.

I returned the loco to the supplier and got it replaced for a good one and I suggest you do the same.

On another occasion I found an old 3 pole motor developed less torque in one direction than the other. I never really concluded why his was, but replacing the motor with a new 5 pole one fixed the problem.

Don't be a fool like me and try to fix it yourself. On more than one occasion this has left me embarrassed to return the loco and out of pocked owing to spare parts I've had to order from Marklin!

Cheers


Chris
Offline Zme  
#4 Posted : 26 July 2020 19:27:58(UTC)
Zme

United States   
Joined: 02/10/2013(UTC)
Posts: 760
Location: West Texas
Hello

We just had a discussion of this model

https://www.marklin-user...t44721-Marklin-88715-ICE

The issue might be the contacts between the two carriages similar to the problem I had.

This is a fragile model but the issues seem to be related to these contacts. I purchased new ones from Marklin and now it works great. Check the connector, if the copper is loose or bent it will not work. Watch out, work slowly and don’t try to force in the connector when you are attaching things or you might break something. I had to set mine aside more than once and then comeback to it later.

I would suggest making certain you have the order of the carriages correct, observing black and red ends. Next verify your contacts are inserted completely into the end of the carriage so that none of the triangular shape of the connector is visible. You must fiddle with this connector to get it right, it must be inserted completely. If replacement is necessary there are now various vendors who carry them besides Marklin. If you send this set back it might take a while to get back, but it is your call, after all that is what a warranty if for. This is an expensive set and it is nice to get it working well.

Finally, if you have the ability to run this set on a regular layout, check it on another layout. This set has a minimum radius and when I think of a briefcase layout, I think, small radius curves, but I might be wrong on this because I am not familiar with your layout. This set has a long overhang at each end.

This set has become one of my favorite, the coreless motor is strong and quiet and it works great. It is different than a conventional set, and it takes some experience to get the hang of it.

I bet with a little effort, you will have the same opinion as me and appreciate this one too.

Best wishes.

Edited by user 26 July 2020 23:43:31(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Offline mike c  
#5 Posted : 27 July 2020 01:00:47(UTC)
mike c

Canada   
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC)
Posts: 7,880
Location: Montreal, QC
The first thing that you might want to do is to take the set to either Westend or John's Photo and see what happens when they try it there.
If it was bought from one of those two shops, see what they can offer to do to assist you.

I don't know how the unit is wired, whether it collects the voltage for the motor at the front and for the lights at the rear. The unit is equipped with current conducting couplers, so my belief is that there is some issue with the connection and the motor is not getting power in one direction.

What you can do is to place the trainset on it's back using a piece of styrofoam or paper towels or a professional "Lok-liege" to protect the roof details and touch the plus and minus wires to the wheels to see if the motor responds.

The coaches must be connected in the right order. The instructions mention connecting the black end of one coach to the red of the next one. Make sure that the coaches are in the proper order and direction.

Regards

Mike C
Offline Poor Skeleton  
#6 Posted : 27 July 2020 11:10:53(UTC)
Poor Skeleton

United Kingdom   
Joined: 09/10/2015(UTC)
Posts: 550
Location: England, Cambridge
Adam mentioned in his original post that the lights illuminate correctly, so I can't see this being an electrical problem.

One useful test is to watch and listen carefully as power is applied in the non-working direction. Usually, you will see a tiny amount of movement and hear some activity as the slack is taken up in the gear train. If this is happening we can be pretty sure the problem is mechanical.

I really understand what a pain it is to package up and return this but with it being such a high price-tag set I don't think you want to risk invalidating your warranty by attempting to repair it your self.

Cheers


Chris
Offline Poor Skeleton  
#7 Posted : 27 July 2020 22:44:36(UTC)
Poor Skeleton

United Kingdom   
Joined: 09/10/2015(UTC)
Posts: 550
Location: England, Cambridge
I took a look at the instructions for this set this evening and I may have to backtrack a bit.

Looking at the exploded diagram there doesn't seem to be any electrical pick-up on the motor car. This would make the advice in the instructions about cleaning the motor car wheels and not swapping the bogies somewhat redundant, but it does seem quite likely that pick-up is from the other "coaches" in the set.

If this is the case, it could be that connection is lost in one direction of travel. (Without knowing more about the set and the details of the couplings, I am speculating quite a bit.) I think my previous comment about watching and listening carefully as you reverse the controller stands. Also, if it is an electrical problem, once stalled I wouldn't expect it to move in either direction without a bit of manual encouragement

Much as I am enjoying this discussion, I think my original advice to return the set stands.

Cheers


Chris
Offline AdamT  
#8 Posted : 28 July 2020 07:37:45(UTC)
AdamT

Canada   
Joined: 26/07/2020(UTC)
Posts: 2
Location: Ontario, Toronto
Many thanks for the feedback, everyone! Your points on the fragility of this model are definitely well taken - I'm glad I asked before attempting train surgery. I think I’ve at least been getting the hang of the couplers, but figuring them out was mildly terrifying…

Mike, while it wasn’t bought from John’s or Westend, I will see if they can at least take a look. It does sound like my best bet will probably be to just let Marklin handle it.

I’m really curious now what the internal wiring for this set actually looks like; I had initially assumed the electrical pickup would just be from the motorized car, but it doesn’t run at all without the other cars connected, so there’s clearly something more complicated going on. I’m thinking I will at least take a multimeter to it and see if I can gain any insights that way without taking anything apart. Short of any great revelations from that, I’ll send it back.
Users browsing this topic
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

| Powered by YAF.NET | YAF.NET © 2003-2024, Yet Another Forum.NET
This page was generated in 0.654 seconds.