Diesel issues, unknown builder

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Berne Ketchum
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Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Berne Ketchum »

Does anyone know who might have been the builder of this locomotive? Would like to consult on some issues, including overheating. It has Tecumseh 10 hp motor and Eaton hydrostat transmission.
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ERIE S-1 BERKSHIRES
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by ERIE S-1 BERKSHIRES »

Wow that's got way too much horsepower going through that eaten 6 or 7 that should be a Eaton 11 transmission in its place does it at least have a cooling fan on it ? also can we have better pictures of it maybe we can help solve the problems!?
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Berne Ketchum
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Berne Ketchum »

Thanks! I can shoot a couple more photos next time I'm out there, probably a couple days.
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Steggy
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Steggy »

ERIE S-1 BERKSHIRES wrote: Sun May 01, 2022 3:47 pm Wow that's got way too much horsepower going through that eaten 6 or 7 that should be a Eaton 11 transmission in its place;

Ditto on that. I’m a little amazed that that Eaton unit is still functional.

also can we have better pictures of it maybe we can help solve the problems!?

Also ditto. Some high-resolution closeups of the propulsion components would be helpful. If you don't have a decent camera I suggest you borrow one. Cell phones are lousy cameras.

Come to think of it, cameras are lousy phones. :D
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

One of the biggest things is getting enough air flow over that Eaton transmission. I've seen some small, cheap looking little aluminum 4-blade fans used to try to cool these things with not-so-great results, or the fan is 3 or 4 inches away from the transmission. If you want to move some serious air across it, go to your local Cub Cadet or Simplicity mower dealership, or whatever brand that has an actual dealer nearby. Get one of their molded plastic fans from a hydrostatic transmission on a zero turn. They usually have a few different diameters of those fans, depending on the transmission type and size, HP rating, etc.. Look at the different fan sizes and get one that is about the same outside diameter as your transmission. Make an adapter for it so that it will fit your input shaft, and get it close to the transmission cooling fins, probably about 3/8" or 1/2" clearance. Those things can move an awful lot of air, so just doing that will often make a big difference. Make sure that it gets fresh air and doesn't just recirculate the already warmed air, and it should help take care of your overheating problem. Those Eaton #6 and #7 transmissions are made to take about 4 HP or so input. Anything bigger than a 5 or 5 1/2 HP engine is a bit too much input horsepower, as already mentioned above.

Also, your gearing is important. I don't know anything about your setup, so I'm just throwing out stuff I've seen before. Your hydrostatic transmission doesn't need to be used as the main source of gear reduction in your system. I rebuilt a locomotive one time that had all of the above-mentioned problems, and of course only a 1.8:1 reduction from the transmission to the axles, with no other gear reduction in the system at all. the locomotive would have had a top speed of about 20 MPH if the worn out motor in it could actually produce enough power to move it that fast! That transmission stayed hot and performed poorly starting not long after you started it up. Got the air flow fixed, made a couple of baffles to help make sure it got fresh air, gave it about a 4:1 gear reduction, and now it works just fine and has for about 15 years.
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Berne Ketchum
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Berne Ketchum »

I haven't been back out there yet, but one thing Steve discovered as he dug through cleaning things up was a wasp next plugging the fan and cooling fins.
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Last edited by rmac on Mon May 02, 2022 10:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Glenn Brooks
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Undoubtedly the wasp nest is your primary problem. Adding cooling fans is always a good idea. But it looks like you don’t have much room for anything large. An alternative possibility might be to mount several small computer fans in the available voids around the machinery - particularly near your vents.

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NP317
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by NP317 »

Blow the heat out the roof fan vents?
Prototypical...
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Steggy
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Steggy »

NP317 wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 5:44 pm Blow the heat out the roof fan vents?
Prototypical...
RussN

That’s how I did it in my F-unit.
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Berne Ketchum
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by Berne Ketchum »

Here's a better view of the IC diesel. I'm not directly involved, but Steve has found several issues that needed to be addressed and took care of them. To me, the fan is poorly placed, but Steve suspects that the wasps' nest was more serious than the placement. I think that he'll finish the cleanup and take it out for a run to see if it has improved.
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makinsmoke
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by makinsmoke »

Maybe it’s me but I always thought you wanted more horsepower and torque available than what it was driving.

Railroad Supply iirc supplied their hydraulic engines years ago with a 16 hp gas engine and an Eaton 7?

To me, not enough horsepower would be worse than too much. Gearing is important too, but with the larger engine you just don’t run it so hard. Maybe I’m missing something.

Great looking high hood jeep!

And yep, dirt dobbers will full every hole!

If it’s old enough it may also be time to replace the hydraulic oil. It does break down over time.

Just my two cents.
ERIE S-1 BERKSHIRES
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Re: Diesel issues, unknown builder

Post by ERIE S-1 BERKSHIRES »

No the railroad Supply engines only had eight horsepower Kohler k181 coupled to an Eaton 11 hydrostatic transmission chain driven jackshaft below the frame of the locomotive to right angle gearboxes on the axles
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