# Cars need a 'push' to get going



## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I just purchased the AFX international set, and connected some track for a quick test run. I noticed the cars often need a 'push' to get going, even though the track has power. It brought back memories of my younger days for sure.

Is this still normal with slot cars? Is it due to the newness of the motors, and I can expect this stalling on start to go away? Is it due to these Super G+ magnet cars, sticking too much to break away under power?

Thanks for your help.


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## Ragnar (Aug 22, 2006)

Check your pick-ups to make sure they are making good contact with the power tape/rail. Clean your power tape/rail with a hard eraser, and then wipe it with lighter fluid on a lint free cloth. Check the contact pins between track sections to make sure the are tight and making good contact between sections. Doing these things should solve your problem. You have to clean the track and tape/rail often as dirty track will cause problems.
I hope this will be of help.
Tom


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

I seem to have this problem with the Super G-Plus cars until the shoes wear in a bit too.


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Perhaps those new cars have some substance on the shoes preventing contact. One of those 'bright boy' train erasers would do the trick. They are just gritty erasers.......They work very nicely on the rails, too.


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## Mike(^RacerX^) (Mar 15, 2003)

Make sure the pu shoes are clean,like the others said.

Also make sure that the shoes move up and down freely.Bend the part of the shoe,the part that hangs on the front of the chassis,forward,so shoe movement is not restricted.
When you look at the car from the side,you should make sure that the shoe is just a slight bit lower then the front tire so that it stays in contact with the rails.

Mike


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## Dunk2011 (May 21, 2006)

i have the same set try covering your track when your not using it :thumbsup:


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Thank you all for the replies.

I’m not sure if a dirty track could be the cause, unless it is something that is left on the track in the manufacturing process. The track is new, and went from the sealed box to the table for my test run.

A contact issue on the shoe seems plausible, since when I lift the rear wheels they spin very nice, possibly because I am forcing shoe contact.

In any case, I will work on it, and I’m sure with your help and advice I can resolve the problem. I am very pleased that your responses were not “that’s just the way these cars and tracks work – you need to push the car to make it start going”, because if that was the case, this would be the shortest lived hobby I ever started on.  

Thanks again.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Another common issue with the SuperG+ are the contacts on the endbell where they meet the pick-up shoe holders. Here's a tech tip for that- (I wouldn't worry about the brush issue below it- that's a little more techy.) Use a small screwdriver or X-Acto blade to tweak the tabs on the endbell.










And here's a tip on the common pick-up shoe problem:










-Scott


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Another thing to watch for on AFX and Super G+ cars are the back wheels cracking and slipping on the axle. This is usually the result of some hard wall shots. The back wheels can move in and rub on the chassis. This allowed to go unchecked can kill the performance and eventually your motor.


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Since this track is only a couple of test pieces, I would guess that once it is all assembled, a couple of laps and she will be good to go. If I don't race mine for a while, I go through the same thing.

Hey Scott - great job on the illustrations. Certainly makes it easy to follow. Could you do the same for advancing the timing on the endbell? I'm lost on the written descriptions.

Jim


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## Manning (Mar 2, 2004)

One other thing to check.............

Twisted pickup shoes. If they are twisted enough, the "down" side will contact the plastic track, and not the rail. Cars don't run well without electricity...... 

Look at the car from the front when it is sitting on a piece of track (that's not being used in the layout, duh). The shoes should be level, or parallel to the track surface. If they are not, twist the shoe slightly until they are. 

This drove me absolutely crazy for a while. I even replaced sections of track (permanent layout) trying to fix the problem. Then I noticed only a couple cars (of my 40 or so) would slow or stop on certain sections, while other cars were fine. Twisted the shoes flat on those two cars, all was good........... And it's usually only one shoe that is twisted.


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Also check the wear pattern on the shoes. Many new cars out-of-the-box will only contact the very front of the shoes to the rail, which is not good. You may have to tweak the shoes by slightly bending them so more shoe surface touches the rails.


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