Help! My Set / Cars won’t work!
Let’s say you’ve got your new Tomy AFX Set and cars. You’ve put them away for a couple of weeks, and now you want to use it. #$%^&@*! it doesn’t want to work good now.
Don’t stress out. There are a few tips to get you back up and running. Metal track rails will oxidize over time. It’s hard to see it, but its there. You need to clean the track rails, and in particular, the rail connection points. You can use the track eraser that comes with some sets (looks like sandpaper and NOT recommended). A better way is a big, wide ink eraser. Run the ink eraser along the track rails. Make sure you vacuum that up the bits and dust (vacuum the track rails and slot) before you run a car.
What if cars still won’t work well? Make sure that the power pack and controllers are plugged in properly and that the powerpoint switch is on. If you are still having problems, check your cars. Are the pickup shoes clean? Lots of times black carbon will build up on the shoe face from rail arcing. If so, polish them with the eraser.
One thing to remember about Super G Plus cars is there are several electrical connection points in the design. Check that the shoe hangers (bus bars) are pressed firmly down and back against the chassis bulkhead. That will ensure good electrical contact.
Snap the back axle out of the car, and press the pickup shoes against the terminals of a 9 volt battery. If the armature rotates you know everything is OK. If there is no movement you either have a dead 9 volt battery or a larger problem with your car.
There is a saying: “if it has @its or tires, it’s gonna’ give you problems.” And like anything else, slot cars will wear out. The good news is it takes a long time to do so. If your car does not run or runs slow, you may have worn out the motor brushes. The fix is to either buy a new car or replace the brushes. For the Super G Plus this means replacing the endbell.
