How to clean a tuner (analog)
- Thread starter dr*audio
- Start date
50 Green
Well-Known Member
Thank you for this thread. I was no longer able to get the tuning meter anywhere near centered, it was difficult tuning in some stations, and there was a lot of noise as I tuned across the dial. I was pretty certain I'd have to take the receiver in for an alignment, but the noise made me think it might be an oxidation problem. (The fact that I - and the receiver - lived near the beach for a couple of decades might have been a hint, too.) Before posting, I searched, and ended up here.
I used a small swab to apply CRC QD no-residue contact cleaner to all of the pivot points and the two spring contacts, ran the tuner up and down the dial several times, and followed with a tiny touch of faderlube at each point.
As others have said, the results were far beyond any expectations. It completely resolved the issues that prompted me to try it, and more. The soundstage is much wider, and it fixed an ongoing issue of the balance often being skewed to one side or the other. (I thought that might be due to a reflected signal - or even an issue with the station's transmission.)
If only all improvements could be so dramatic! How many of us have spent hours and hours, desoldering and soldering parts, for just a small fraction of what's gained here?!
I used a small swab to apply CRC QD no-residue contact cleaner to all of the pivot points and the two spring contacts, ran the tuner up and down the dial several times, and followed with a tiny touch of faderlube at each point.
As others have said, the results were far beyond any expectations. It completely resolved the issues that prompted me to try it, and more. The soundstage is much wider, and it fixed an ongoing issue of the balance often being skewed to one side or the other. (I thought that might be due to a reflected signal - or even an issue with the station's transmission.)
If only all improvements could be so dramatic! How many of us have spent hours and hours, desoldering and soldering parts, for just a small fraction of what's gained here?!
This sounds exactly like my 881's problem, going to get some CRC Electro Motive cleaner and air.
Thing is, the tuning gangs are in a metal box that looks like it requires a massive tear down to get to the gangs. Do I need to do that, or can I try blasting air though the adjustment holes in the top of the box, then vacuuming through the holes?
The CRC E.M. is supposed to be residue free, so that won't be a problem if it gets on the fins/blades, correct?
Link is dead, what Caig product do you use?
Unless the blades are contaminated, best to leave them alone. You need to clean the spring contacts at the "walls" of the tank, not the fins, and you will need to apply a very small amount of FaderLube or something similar after cleaning. These contacts are usually brass springs that contact the walls and spindle of the variable capacitor. I believe they usually have some sort of protectant on them from the factory. but in any case it's the tarnish on them that causes tuning issues. This must be removed and some protectant put in place.
So you very likely need to remove the cover. Usually soldered on in some way or other, so you will need to remove the solder and possibly straighten some tabs to lift it off. Clean the contact spring, apply Faderlube (with the point of a fine toothpick!) and put the cover back one.
Dial pointer and station location mis-alignment is not always a dirty contact spring issue, but cleaning the cap can help. In the case of my KT-900 it was a bad trim capacitor, either a solder fracture or part failure, and I had to tack on a separate one to get the stations correct on the dial.
So you very likely need to remove the cover. Usually soldered on in some way or other, so you will need to remove the solder and possibly straighten some tabs to lift it off. Clean the contact spring, apply Faderlube (with the point of a fine toothpick!) and put the cover back one.
Dial pointer and station location mis-alignment is not always a dirty contact spring issue, but cleaning the cap can help. In the case of my KT-900 it was a bad trim capacitor, either a solder fracture or part failure, and I had to tack on a separate one to get the stations correct on the dial.
HPMguy, looks like I have to de-solder and bend tabs then drop the circuit board down to get at the tuning gangs (unless I'm missing something). Is an air blow and vacuuming worth a shot?
FYI..
I now use this instead of the Fader Lube for after cleaning. I tried the 847 carbon conductive grease as well. It works but it's a mess to apply. My concern is that Fader Lube is not really the same thing as what was originally used and may break down over time. It's really for a different purpose, sliding plastic parts with a conductive surface. I have used it many times and for sure it works but I wanted to find something that was closer to the original lubricant.
I never realized that it was actually a grease until I took some close up photos. At first I thought it was corrosion but really it's just the wax that's left from the grease after you hit it with the cleaner.
It looks like the 8463 grease was specifically designed for this purpose. Not cheap ($38 bucks!) but a single tube should last for a very long time. It comes in a syringe dispenser however it does not include a tip. I picked up a set of long tips from Amazon for a few bucks. This allows application of the grease with precision and no mess.
As as side note...
If you have switch or pot that is bad, meaning no cleaning will restore it, you may be able to fix it with the silver conductive grease.
I ran across this video explaining how it works on switches and variable caps. It may be very useful for unobtanium power or selector switches.
I now use this instead of the Fader Lube for after cleaning. I tried the 847 carbon conductive grease as well. It works but it's a mess to apply. My concern is that Fader Lube is not really the same thing as what was originally used and may break down over time. It's really for a different purpose, sliding plastic parts with a conductive surface. I have used it many times and for sure it works but I wanted to find something that was closer to the original lubricant.
I never realized that it was actually a grease until I took some close up photos. At first I thought it was corrosion but really it's just the wax that's left from the grease after you hit it with the cleaner.
It looks like the 8463 grease was specifically designed for this purpose. Not cheap ($38 bucks!) but a single tube should last for a very long time. It comes in a syringe dispenser however it does not include a tip. I picked up a set of long tips from Amazon for a few bucks. This allows application of the grease with precision and no mess.
As as side note...
If you have switch or pot that is bad, meaning no cleaning will restore it, you may be able to fix it with the silver conductive grease.
I ran across this video explaining how it works on switches and variable caps. It may be very useful for unobtanium power or selector switches.
Air or a vacuum is definitely worth trying. Dust on the blades changes the capacitance, and we aren't talking Farads here! Nothing liquid, you don't want to spread any existing grease on the contacts to the blades for the same reason you don't want to use residue type cleaning sprays.
They should be pretty clean, that's what the cover is for.
They should be pretty clean, that's what the cover is for.
Yeah, the cover within the case should keep it pretty clean, but this 881 was found on a table-o'-receivers in a garage, so it needed some cleaning, and I never thought to worry about the FM tuner until it started giving me problems.
dr*audio
Fish fingers and custard!
For what it's worth, I've been using the Faderlube for years and never had a re-call. The silver grease is a good idea, in that it actually contains the silver to assist in conductivity.
FYI..
I now use this instead of the Fader Lube for after cleaning. I tried the 847 carbon conductive grease as well. It works but it's a mess to apply. My concern is that Fader Lube is not really the same thing as what was originally used and may break down over time. It's really for a different purpose, sliding plastic parts with a conductive surface. I have used it many times and for sure it works but I wanted to find something that was closer to the original lubricant.
I never realized that it was actually a grease until I took some close up photos. At first I thought it was corrosion but really it's just the wax that's left from the grease after you hit it with the cleaner.
It looks like the 8463 grease was specifically designed for this purpose. Not cheap ($38 bucks!) but a single tube should last for a very long time. It comes in a syringe dispenser however it does not include a tip. I picked up a set of long tips from Amazon for a few bucks. This allows application of the grease with precision and no mess.
As as side note...
If you have switch or pot that is bad, meaning no cleaning will restore it, you may be able to fix it with the silver conductive grease.
I ran across this video explaining how it works on switches and variable caps. It may be very useful for unobtanium power or selector switches.
The faderlube definitely works and most techs have a can of it. If you have both at your disposal then the silver grease is probably the way to go. Now that I see how useful the stuff can be I have been looking for things to fix with it. I just used a tiny bit to fix a corroded battery holder on a Revox B780. After I cleaned off all of the crap and got the battery contact points back to bare metal I put a tiny bit of the grease on the connection point to keep it from oxidizing and fill in all of the pitting.
swamppirate
Lunatic Member
...
grinx76
Well-Known Member
Thank you thread. Read it 3x.
Subject: Pioneer TX-9800.
Sold to me as NOS, i have no reason to believe anyone else has fired it up or had it displayed. Shows zero signs of use including box/manuals/antenna/RCAs that came with the case candy.
Having read this thread prior to owning it, i knew some things to look out for. This unit showed zero signs of The Gang (is) Green.
After playing it for 6 months, it does now.
I have no static between channels, no real problems to speak of (the AM recep is @ss using built-in antenna, not sure why) Tuning center needle is 1 needle-width off of being perfectly centered when locked and quartzed in.
Anyway:
The pic shrank when uploaded. Sorry, it was gnarly looking but not gross.
Had green crusties on the gang ground points.
Used a toothpick to remove everything that i could see
Flush with 1-2 drops of 99% IPA using a bottle/syringe to practice my unsteady handage while drinking. Let dry 30 min while turning tuning knob back n forth, full spectrum.
Compressed air from front and back side of gang after each cleaning.
Very careful CRC contact cleaner (the QD stuff) on the same spots (I practiced getting drops out of it vs spray=blasting. :Let dry.
Faderlube in the syringe bottle. 30 more full-spectrum sweeps. Let dry. Test. Sounds as good as before but now there is no crusty issue.
didn't take pic of final result. it looks 99% better.
thanks thread
Subject: Pioneer TX-9800.
Sold to me as NOS, i have no reason to believe anyone else has fired it up or had it displayed. Shows zero signs of use including box/manuals/antenna/RCAs that came with the case candy.
Having read this thread prior to owning it, i knew some things to look out for. This unit showed zero signs of The Gang (is) Green.
After playing it for 6 months, it does now.
I have no static between channels, no real problems to speak of (the AM recep is @ss using built-in antenna, not sure why) Tuning center needle is 1 needle-width off of being perfectly centered when locked and quartzed in.
Anyway:
The pic shrank when uploaded. Sorry, it was gnarly looking but not gross.
Had green crusties on the gang ground points.
Used a toothpick to remove everything that i could see
Flush with 1-2 drops of 99% IPA using a bottle/syringe to practice my unsteady handage while drinking. Let dry 30 min while turning tuning knob back n forth, full spectrum.
Compressed air from front and back side of gang after each cleaning.
Very careful CRC contact cleaner (the QD stuff) on the same spots (I practiced getting drops out of it vs spray=blasting. :Let dry.
Faderlube in the syringe bottle. 30 more full-spectrum sweeps. Let dry. Test. Sounds as good as before but now there is no crusty issue.
didn't take pic of final result. it looks 99% better.
thanks thread
Last edited:
Hi guys. Just bought a HH Scott 330C tuner and there are sections of the dial that are dead. I turned the dial back and forth and the more I did that the more stations showed up so I'm going to clean the thingies tomorrow and see what happens.
I'll also check all the tubes. As far as alignment goes, I need to read up on that.
I'll also check all the tubes. As far as alignment goes, I need to read up on that.
dr*audio
Fish fingers and custard!
For the contacts, after you clean them, if you don't have Faderlube, don't put anything on them. Of course, that means you'll have to re-clean them in a year, but it's better than screwing up the rf tuning.
jimtulsa
Member
pictures are good.....