The prime mover, main generator and equipment blowers were located in the longer of the two hoods. The prime mover was an 8-cylinder model 8-251E, which was very unreliable and very off balanced. A drive shaft from the prime mover ran underneath the cab floor to the shorter of the two hoods, where it ran the air compressor and fan clutch mechanism. The off-centered location of the prime mover caused the locomotive to be badly off balance, leading to excessive wheel slip and wheel wear. The cooling system was also problematic, as coolant had to be transported from the prime mover at one end of the unit through a series of pipes (prone to leakage) to the radiator at the other end of the unit.