Kato MP36 a stinker? (now fixed)

[jagged ben]

I have the Caltrain unit also and it can only pull 3 of the new bombardier cars.  I have worked on the cars and they all roll freely but the loco can't pull worth anything. I also have a Metra unit and it performs the same.

Well, now you tell me.  Now that I've sent mine back to Kato.   

So, do your wheels spin or click?

[jdg]

The wheels sit there and spin with 4 cars. There is no clicking.

[peteski]

LOL!
Between jdg, jagged ben and me, this thread is starting to sound like Abbot and Costello's the "Who's on first" sketch. 

Either way Ben, looks like you did the right thing (if you weren't comfortable taking the loco apart).

[Bob Horn]

Contact Kato. They sent me gear cases for mine some time ago. You just have to dissemble the truck COMPLETELY and reassemble in the new gear case. The trucks pull out of the chassis. It worked for me. Bob.

[jagged ben]

If the wheels were spinning then I would just accept that the Athearn cars need to be more free rolling (even though, again, the F40PH does fine).  What is just not okay with me is a loco whose gears come undone under the stress.      With other people reporting that their wheels spin, I want mine to spin too.   

Peteski, I have no fear of taking apart gear cases, I've done it on half my locos.  But I could see well enough that were no obvious misalignments that I figured that this wasn't a problem I could fix just by overhauling.  Also, it was that way out of the box, not due to wear and tear or dirt getting in.   Let Kato fix it.   

Contact Kato. They sent me gear cases for mine some time ago. You just have to dissemble the truck COMPLETELY and reassemble in the new gear case. The trucks pull out of the chassis. It worked for me. Bob.

I already did and mailed them the loco.  We'll see what they do.  When I called to ask them the guy put me on hold very quickly in a way that made me think he was familiar with the problem (and was discussing it with someone else, or checking if he had parts, or whatever).    I'm thinking they had a bad batch of gears or gear cases and that they can replace those parts in my trucks and fix it. 

[Leggy]

So these have those new 'sprung' mechanisms then? Ugh.....they're so hit and miss.

[jagged ben]

So these have those new 'sprung' mechanisms then? Ugh.....they're so hit and miss.

Yes, they do, but that's not the reason for my problem.  Initially I thought it was to blame but then I realized that within the truck towers nothing is 'sprung'.  It is only the entire truck that is 'sprung' by the contact strips.  So it is not the case that the play that allowed the gears to pop past each other is part of the truck design.

Note that because this is a four axle diesel it does not have a sprung center axle like on the Sd40-2 or SD70Ace.

[Bob Horn]

For what it is worth, mine (Metra very early) will almost handle 6 Athearn cars but the wheels spin. 3 are GO cars which barely roll, the other are Tri-Rail and roll fairly well. I think Kato had some problems with the gear locations, I could not see the changes but the fix worked. I just tossed the old gear cases about a month ago. Bob.

[peteski]

Peteski, I have no fear of taking apart gear cases, I've done it on half my locos.  But I could see well enough that were no obvious misalignments that I figured that this wasn't a problem I could fix just by overhauling.  Also, it was that way out of the box, not due to wear and tear or dirt getting in.   Let Kato fix it.   

I understand.  But if it was me, I would not be able to resist taking it apart to see for myself what the problem was. Even if it was something damaged which could not simply be snapped back into place.  But that's me. 

[spookshow]

So, is this a known problem with a specific production run? I tested one from the first run and it pulled fine.

Thanks,
-Mark

[jagged ben]

So, is this a known problem with a specific production run? I tested one from the first run and it pulled fine.

Thanks,
-Mark

I wouldn't run with that yet.  It's only my own speculation based on how few questions the Kato guy asked me and (at this point) one other person's experience (Bob on this thread).   

[CBQ Fan]

There could be a known issue with very low severity. I have seen that in my line of work, where success rate is 99.99% but when there is an issue it is always X.

[jagged ben]

Follow up...

It's fixed!   

Sent it to Kato.  They replaced the gear towers and sent it back to me (packed with the usual Japanese newspaper!  ).   And the loco spins its wheels now.  It pushes and pulls the Athearn cars just fine now. 

Really happy to finally have this loco in the stable.  Maybe a moderator can change the thread title to "Kato MP36 [no longer] a stinker".   

[davefoxx]

Yes, sir, this thread definitely needs to be retitled.  I'm happy that your problem is fixed, and kudos to Kato for fixing it so quickly.  It's been less than three weeks since this thread was started.

DFF