I've not had any time to run the layout for some considerable while until now and today was spent cleaning track and putting some stock back out of storage. Unfortunately I've found that I have two Kato Dash 9's which are screeching as they run. Despite the screeching noise the locos both run solidly, no lights flickering or stalling. It occurs in forward and reverse and on straight and curved track sections. It is not a constant screeching noise, rather intermittent but frequent. It sounds like the flywheel(s) is catching the frame but can see no evidence of any rubbing. I've stripped them both down and lubricated them but it's made no difference. I don't recall them being so noisy when they were stored earlier in the year. It's not something I've come across with Kato mechanisms before so if anybody else has come across this and solved it or can offer suggestions that I haven't already tried, I'd be pleased to hear. Thanks
yes it is motor bearing noise. I have some of my engines screech when they have sit to long in there case. lube the bearings and the noise will go away.
It is any bearing on the high speed side of the driveline. Worm bearings, motor bearings. I use Conductalube sparingly, works great! Some of my Kato's are over 15 years old. Bob.
Thanks all for the suggestions about lubricating the motor bearings. I thought I'd already done that but went back and added a little more oil but to no avail. Still screeched. What I noticed was that after each time I split the frame and re-assembed, the noise “pattern” changed. Eg After Mike C's initial suggestion I took one apart again and added some more oil to the motor bearings and flywheel shaft. Re-assembled it and thought that had largely done the trick as it ran forward with only the slightest occasional screech. Put it in reverse and the screech was almost constant! Repeated the assembly/disassembly process and got back to the original situation of intermittent but frequent screeching. That got me thinking it was more an assembly problem so I split the frame and this time I removed the cardan shafts and the worm gear assemblies. The motor amd saddle were left in place. I lubricated the shafts either side of the worm gear and bearing blocks then re-installed everything. It did the trick on both locos so now they are purring around the layout rather than screeching like banshees!