Grundig SO 162 US power problem.

Hi all,

I have a 1959 Grundig SO 162 US (american issue, though it came with SO 162 CA manual, for Canadians I suppose).
This is just a beautiful piece of functional furniture...or at least it used to be.
Problem is simple, it used to be my father's and of course was passed on to me - and has been moved from Winnipeg to BC and then some.
Used to work perfectly, now it doesn't power up. The 1A slow-blow fuse tests to be fine, where would be my next possible source of the problem.
A tube? All tubes are original, and would I be best to replace all of them just to refresh?
I have no tube testing gear myself.

I'd love to get this going for my parents visit for Christmas
Thank you for any help.

Craig

Craig,
It's not a tube. It would still power up if a tube is bad. My thoughts: line cord is pinched, safety interlock on the back (where the cord goes in the back) is bad or loose, blown internal fuse (bad), failed power transformer (worse), or most likely, the internal power switch has failed or the connections are dirty. In all honesty, if you don't have a background working on old tube radios, this is not the one to start on. It's a great set but not the easiest thing to work on. If you do understand what you are working with then, check the cord and work your way back to the switch. It's tied into the pushbuttons and activates when any button is pushed all the way down.

Thanks for that Greg,

It gives me some hope that it may be a faulty power cable, if it tests well, i'll try to find someone that has some experience with this type of unit.
Man I hope they make house calls! This one is heavy.

Craig

Well,

It's fixed. I tested the power cable, it was fine. I followed the continuity to the transformer, it was fine too.
I cleaned all leads (which seemed to be in good shape) and reseated what I could. I plugged it in, hit the FM button - and it lit up like a christmas tree!
5 seconds later the static of FM came through, then some rock n roll.
I believe the issue is actually with the OFF button. It seems to need a little half-press the odd time on startup.

Anyways - now the turntable doesn't want to turn, so I'll look that next.
I found a little bag of parts - some extra tubes, a new stylus, and some other odds and ends I don't recognize. I believe the black wire from the stylus has become disattached and needs to be soldered somewhere, but I dont know where. Also I feel some seized bearings might be the cause of the turntable not turning.

Anyways, I'm a little closer now - I'm a little afraid to run the 1/4 tape for fear of oxide shedding, but I'll try it anyhow and record digitally what I hear.

Craig

Craig,
Get some tuner cleaner or electrical contact cleaner and spray out the controls and switches. Let it dry for a couple of minutes and try it again. The power switch is in with the pushbuttons. Common problem on these and many repairmen or owners bypassed the original switch when repairing them back in the day. Glad you got it going. Turntable is going to need to be relubed. 20 weight machine oil works good. The old grease has probably turned into old glue.
Greg