I need a bit of help

Does anyone provide any professional service to clean my AZL locomotive?
I absolutely cannot figure out the safest way to pull the body-shell off without scratching the paint!
Also, I need service for getting out the "wobble" in my locomotive (I think that the gear or something might be slightly off internally).
thanks in advance

What locomotive are you having problems with? Removing the shell from the diesels is fairly easy. The steam, maybe not.

As for service, if it is outside of the warranty period, we send customer to Don Fedjur. He handles AZL service and know the line very well. His email address is:

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Rob

I wouldn't send my locos to Don Fedjur. We have seng lot of locos to him, and he still has them for years. In my case, I send him my C44 for decoder installation, and he still has it after 3 years. I think it's irresponsible for AZL to recommend somebody like that.

John I personally have had no complaints from the customers we have recommended Don to. Don has supported AZL and the product line and has helped a number of Z scalers. I can't comment on your experience, I can only comment on our experiences to date. I know Don as a good person and I am sure he will work with you to make the situation right.

Rob

Rob, I am not the only one that has that problem with Don. Just look at the Zocal Yahoo website. If you have any pull with Don, tell him I want my engine back.

Im sorry guys...
My problems are as follows...
1). Regardless of the track, whether it is Markin, or Rokuhan, I cannot seem to have my locomotives consistently operate (they still stall out).
2). The tracks are cleaned thoroughly with alcohol. I've even used bestine thinner (which was the best in the past 20 years of my z-scale layouts.)
3). I cleaned the heck out of the loco's wheels (using a lint-free cloth). Again, almost NO black greasy-residue comes up.
***One time I used Labelle's lube on the tracks (a drop every few inches). Although it worked, it only worked for about one hour.
4) The two locos are 1st-generation GP7's
5). Again, I cannot figure out how to take them apart + I won't do so since I've already scratched up the bottom of the shell.
6). My UP GP7 wobbles (slightly) going down the tracks.
I lightly lubed gears w/ Labelle
...having said that, I won't take any chances of technicians that aren't 100% committed (even if it is an issue with another customer & not myself).
Thus, are there any pictures on how to remove the shell?
I think that a "sticky" (relating to dismantling & maintenance of an AZL GP7) would be beneficial here on this forum.
ANY TAKERz ???

How early are we talking about the locos. There are 200 or so Beta GP7's that have power pickup problems, but I didn't get one. So, I am not much of help on how to repair them.

I purchased both in April, 2011.
My guess is that they were manufactured in 2010.
Thanks shamoo!

I found the easiest way to remove the shell is to start with a small flat head screw driver. I insert it between the chassis and shell at the very front of the locomotive, sort of under the trucks. You should see a small gap to where to insert the screw driver. Pry down to pop the chassis out slightly. Then wiggle off the shell from the chassis.

You may have some resistance in the trucks which is causing the issue. Once the shell is off, remove the trucks and inspect for direct, grime, resistance, etc. The wobble may be a bad truck.

You may want to check out Conductablube. I love this stuff. Put it on the points that make contact such as the tabs on the trucks that go to the chassis. Also on the PCB board where it touches the chassis. I found this really helps with the transfer of power.

Rob

First off, THANKS A TON for explaining step-by-step on how to remove the shell.
The way AZL made the shell & trucks is visually impressive, given the close- tolerances.
Having said that, I successfully removed the shell, inspected for grime + dirt + hair + debris & didn't find any, yet I had some radio shack pressurized contact cleaner & sprayed the wheels & contacts.
I waited a half-an-hour to ensure that the wheels were completely dry, I made a test run & the locos worked perfectly.
No flickering, no stalling & also the locos ran a lot faster on the first setting of my power pack.
When the juice is turned off to the locos, they have enough momentum to roll a few more millimeters (that's how free they spin once again).
Thanks once again for everyone's help!
I was seriously considering quitting the hobby altogether (after 20-years of continuous z-scale model railroading)!!!

Excellent! Likely some oil or lube had built up on the contacts. I would still recommend the Conductalube as this really helps with the electrical transfer, but it sounds like you are good now! Twenty more years it is!

Rob