Hornby Bertie Bus R9096 - Lubricate Gears

[Dwarfboysim]

Hi all,
Been a while but trying to get back into the hobby. I own the above Bertie Bus. I thought the motor had burnt out/failed but when i stripped everything down to just the motor and connected power it spins easily and freely. When connected to the drive gears which allow the wheels to turn the motor can barely move. What would be the best method to free up, oil/lubricate the gears.

Thanks all.

Dwarfboysim

[GeraldH]

Have you got any coagulated grease on the gears/axles as this can jam up mechanisms and needs to be removed. A plastic compatible degreaser would help in this case before re-lubricating. I have used electrical contact cleaner before which is supposed to be plastic compatible. I've also used meths which I believe to be OK. Don't get WD40 anywhere near it though, as that will over time damage the plastic .

[Bigmet]

As above, proceed with great caution. I had never heard of this item until a couple of years ago, and it remains the only specimen I have ever seen. That one had clearly got damp and had rusted/corroded mechanism parts among other troubles, aided by a battery in the box it had been stored in.