Ok, being constructive now ...... I had a loco that made awful noises from brand new and some of the noise was caused by dry motor bearings. I applied an incredibly small amount of Labelle 108 oil on the outside of the motor where the shaft comes out. I held the motor up vertically and let the oil seep into the bearings. After about 10 minutes I turned it up the other way and oiled the other bearing.
Thanks 308 I'll give it a try. Is there other types of oil a person can use as I don't have any of the labelle 108?
Wahl Professional - Clipper Oil https://www.amazon.com/Wahl-Pro-wah...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583520382484031&psc=1 I use it on everything model railroading. It IS safe for plastics !
Thank you both-running into problems finding safe oil/shipping an engine lubricant in the mail out here to Japan. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is becoming silly. It is NOT a lubrication problem. Something got screwed up during the disassembly and installation of the decoder. This is not a dealer's fault and not Kato's fault. I've NEVER heard of a similar issue with a Kato new F unit that hasn't been tampered with. They are simple, precise, quality locomotives that simply do not have such issues unless they've been altered.
I don't think it's silly by any means as nothing was touched during the decoder install that would lead to this type of issue. Even Kato said it was a defective unit and should be replaced by the dealer.
All I can tell you is my LHS is one of the highest volume Kato N Scale dealers in the US. The manager has told me they have never had an issue with new Kato engines in over 25 years. They sell 50 to 100 units a month. Sure, an older item that has been over lubricated or abused may develop a problem, but their repair man (very good) can fix it. Getting parts quickly from Kato is seldom a problem. Shipping is normally $7.00 and timely. I have been stocking up on parts for a long time, never have needed one. Just my experience with Kato. Have a friend in Elmhurst, Illinois that may have 100 or more Kato Steam and Diesel locos, runs several of them almost daily, no problems.
Well this one definitely has an issue. I've read similar problems on different forums over the last few days so it can and does happen. No manufacturer can produce a perfect product every time without the occasional lemon.