So I decided to install decoders in my Kato F3 and F7 A units, which went well until I put the shell back on and the coupler fell into pieces. I didn’t know how it went back together or if I had all the parts, so I gathered up everything and put it up for a trainboard question. baffled: That was an F3, then I moved on to a F7 and the same thing happened. Well I still had two more to go so I figured I would compare the next one to the ones in pieces to see how they went together. Woo that took almost 2 hours and then the next 2 fell apart. err: How do you take the shell off without the coupler falling to pieces? mad:
Unfortunately, you have to take the coupler off before you can remove the shell. It is attached to the frame but sticks through a tiny hole in the pilot. To remove, you have to pry the retainer clip off and then slide the coupler out the front of the pilot. Then pull the shell. Goes together in the reverse order.
No, on the stock unit there is a black "U" shaped plastic piece that has two hooks on the side, a cylindrical post in the middle that holds the coupler and some tabs that hold the brass leaf spring. It snaps onto another plastic piece (or fixture) that is snapped onto the front of the chassis. When people do the Microtrain conversion they get a new fixture that snaps onto the chassis and holds the coupler pocket with a screw. On the older issues they also have to open up the pilot a bit to accommodate the coupler and coupler pocket.
Patience and persistence are required. Use a hands free magnifier to enlarge the coupler. Do not drink alcohol while attempting to put the coupler back together. Oh by the way, 2 hours is not uncommon.
Thanks! I hate fiddling with couplers. My eyes aren’t so good and my fingers are too big. I did have to use tweezers but because of the shape the thing, I spent more time on my knees looking for parts in the carpet after they sprung out of the tweezers. I think when I do the next one I’m going to get a cardboard box and cut holes for my arms so I don’t have to look so far and save the knees. rolleyes: I had this problem when I first got into N scale only it was Bachmann at that time. I swore I’d never buy Bachmann again because of it and now it’s starting all over again with Kato. Maybe I’m not going to buy any more F3s, “NOT”. There’s been so many times that I thought maybe I made a mistake by going to N and this is one of them. biggrin:
I had the same problem with mine and ended up loosing the brass spring. Tried subsituting some other strip brass I had from something else but it always fell out. Ended up replacing it with an MTL Z coupler. It has to be unscrewed to take teh shell off but i don't do it that often.
“Brass Spring”! Oh that reminds me. I noticed on the last one the brass had a crease in it. I don’t remember if the first ones had the crease, but I wasn’t going to take them back apart to see. Is the crease supposed to be there or did I damage it?
Thanks, that’s what I was afraid of and the bad part is that I don’t remember whish one it was. Well as long as it doesn’t fall off, I just have to wait and see which one doesn’t couple anymore.
The newer units from Kato do have a crimped spring: That photo is from Kato's website, under the F3 parts listing. Johnny: you may wish to review the following link to Kato's website. It explains the step by step coupler removal process. http://www.katousa.com/N/general/Fcoupler.html This is one of the more tricky procedures that we face in N scale. I always have to fiddle around a bit to get that clip to release. I usually use a very small screwdriver and much trial and error to find the "sweet" spot to release the clip. Others use more brute force, either just prying on the clip until it goes zing, or pulling the shell off with the coupler installed, which as you know will disengage the coupler. Good luck.
I had a very similar problem after taking the body off to fit a different number board on an F7. A friend reassembled it for me, using a Micro Trains unit. I can't help but wonder, is there a design fault here? Regards, Pete Davies
I just did two DCC installs with these guys. (F3’s) That coupler will drive you nuts. I was never able to hold the coupler together so I could install the retainer clip. This is what I ended up doing. I got the coupler together, then I took a piece of #36 magnet wire and made a loop around the coupler, and put in a twist or two. The wire holds the two parts of the coupler together so you are not fighting the two parts. The wire is used to insert the coupler into the hole and then you can slide the retainer into place. After the retainer is in I unwrap the wire and I am done. I fought with the first one for about 20 minutes and came up with this idea. It took about 2 minutes to install after I used the wire trick. The second loco was done in less than that. Hope this might save someones hair.
Best tip I have to share is to a) lay down a folded towel and then b) take the white foam insert out of the Kato box and use it as a cradle to hold the upside-down F unit. That frees up both hands to work on the coupler.
This stuff is tiny, no question. Unless you have excellent eyesight, you ***must*** do this type of thing using bright adjustable desk lighting, with a glasses-mounted or head-mounted magnifier. A relatively inexpensive example of the former is "opticaid", which clips to your glasses. It also helps to support the work at face level, either with a high table / low chair combination, or using a box on your work area to bring the work up near eye level. Support your hands on the work surface, and expect that things will want to jump out onto the carpet. MH
Oh Wow! Thank you so much. This is an excellent site, I which I would have seen this before installing the decoders. I still have more to do and now I feel a little more confident doing the rest thanks to all the great info posted here. Thanks everyone. :thumbs_up:
