Marantz 2252B questions

Well, I made my first foray into the world of vintage audio equipment. I wanted to put together a little system for my basement, and one for my attic, and on a whim, I looked at receivers on craigslist. Locally, I found a decent looking Marantz 2252B which I ended up purchasing the same day - instant gratification! I hooked it up when I got home, and the right channel was dropping out a little, and the controls were a bit static-y as well. However, it sounded really nice when hooked up to a pair of Paradigm Titans I had lying around - I was impressed. A few lights were out, so I ordered up some new ones from dwojo and they should be here soon.

Did some research on here - learned a TON, purchased a full complement of Deoxit products from Guitar Center, and went to work per Arkay's excellent Deoxit guide, and some great tips from catrafter - thanks guys. Found some great ideas for general cleaning as well, and brushed out all the gunk inside, blew it all out with compressed air, and started cleaning the faceplate, glass, etc. Anyway, here are a couple of obligatory pics:

Before:



After:



And now the two questions I have. While inspecting the boards, I found this gunky area - and wanted to know if it looks like component failure, or is this just some foreign matter that got in here?



If it is just dirty - what is a good way to "deep clean" spots on a board - windex with a q-tip? Deoxit?

Also - the main relay has a crack/hole in the corner, which has me concerned about dust, etc. getting in there, should I just tape this up or replace it? It actually looks somewhat new - but not sure.



Appreciate any info folks could provide - I have been really enjoying this first project of mine, and now I am on the hunt for a smaller vintage setup for my attic room where my wife has an office/sewing area.

Tough to tell the difference before and after in those photos - and I am pretty amazed at what just a brushing/blowing can accomplish. Here are two detail shots:

Before:


After:

The brown blotch is assembly glue, you should be able to pop most of it off the boards with a pick.
With regard to your relay, they will drop channels with age. You can clean the contacts (plenty of threads here on that subject) or put a new one in there. The hole in the case is curious, one would have to actually break that corner; it's not something that fails by itself.
Have you downloaded or purchased a service manual and checked the amplifier's alignment?

ryuuoh said:

Have you downloaded or purchased a service manual and checked the amplifier's alignment?

Click to expand...

I have downloaded the service manual, and by alignment, do you mean of the tuner? The tuner actually works well, and the frequencies line up well on the display.

edit: Or if you are referring to the DC Offset stuff - that is on my list to do once I get the new lights in and it is back together. I have a multimeter and have read the procedure a couple of times.

Yes, DC offset and bias. Amplifier alignment. Also, look for caps that have shrunken jackets. Signs of an overheated cap.

Nice cleanup job on that 2252B! I'd just replace the relay, you can find new Omron relays at Digikey.

Hmm, I've never seen the insides of that particular Marantz before. They are usually a lot more tidy than that. This is the messiest Marantz I've ever seen!

Coconuts 500 said:

Hmm, I've never seen the insides of that particular Marantz before. They are usually a lot more tidy than that. This is the messiest Marantz I've ever seen!

Click to expand...

Interestingly, I thought the same thing - having seen some inside photos of other 2252's. In the first pic, it probably doesn't help that I have the fuse-light board hinged out - but I agree - it is a bit messy in there.

Will check the DC offset and bias and post my figures in here - is it easy to adjust on this model?

Hit the glue with freeze spray and it will become even more brittle and pop off easier.