POLARITY IS CRITICAL. THE LEADS ARE MARKED "POSITIVE" AND "NEGETIVE". YOU MUST HAVE THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE CAP CONNECTED TO THE RIGHT PLACE. IF YOU DON'T, YOUR REPLACEMENT CAP COULD EXPLODE.
YOU WILL SEE SEVERAL CAN TYPE CAPS ON AND/OR UNDER THE CHASSIS. THESE ARE ALL ELECTROLYTICS. CHANCES ARE, THEY ARE BAD. SOMETIMES, THEY CAN BE REFORMED (FROM THE SOFT START). AS A RULE, ALL ELECTROLYTICS SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE ONE YOU THINK IS GOOD WILL FAIL AS SOON AS YOU SHOW OFF YOUR SET.
IF A FILTER CAP FAILS, IT CAN WIPE OUT THE RECTIFIER TUBE, THE POWER TRANSFORMER AND OTHER CRITICAL PARTS. OF THE SETS I RESTORED, ONLY ONE SET'S FILTERS REFORMED TO MY SATISFACTION.
IF YOU HAVE ELECTROLYTICS USED AS VOLTAGE DOUBLERS (COMMON ON HOT CHASSIS SETS), REPLACE THEM BEFORE DOING THE SOFT START. IF YOU HAVE A HOT CHASSIS SET AND YOU MONITOR B+ VOLTAGE DURING THE START AND YOU ONLY HAVE 25 VOLTS, WHERE YOUR PRINT CALLS FOR 200, THE VOLTAGE DOUBLER IS BAD. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO YOUR SCHEMATIC WHEN REPLACING ALL POWER SUPPLY CAPS (AND ALL OTHERS).
WHEN YOU REPLACE THE LYTICS, INCLUDING THOSE IN THE CANS, YOUR REPLACEMENTS MAY BE BIGGER OR SMALLER THAN THE ONES YOU ARE REPLACING. IF YOU WISH, OR IF SPACE UNDERNEATH REQUIRES IT, YOU CAN RESTUFF THE CANS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO HIDE THE REPLACEMENTS UNDERNEATH, DISCONNECT THE CANS FROM THE CIRCUIT. THE CANS CAN BE LEFT IN PLACE.
AS A GENERAL RULE, REPLACE ALL ELECTROLYTICS.
YOU WILL SEE CAPS THAT LOOK LIKE DISKS. THESE ARE CERAMIC. YOU WILL FIND THESE IN TUNED CIRCUITS. THEY ARE MOST LIKELY STILL GOOD. IF YOU DO HAVE A BAD ONE, CHANCES ARE, AFTER REPLACEMENT, YOU WILL NEED TO REALIGN THE SET.
MICA CAPS WILL BE RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE AND HAVE COLORED DOTS TO GIVE THE VALUE. MOST OF THE TIME, THEY ARE OK. IF YOU SEE A RECTANGULAR OR SQUARE CAP WITH NUMBERS PRINTED OR EMBOSSED FOR THE VALUE, OR THE MICAMOLD BRAND NAME, REPLACE THEM. THEY ARE EVIL PAPER CAPS IN DISGUISE.